A Masterpiece of Animation

Rating: 10/10 (7 April 2011)

Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's equivalent of Walt Disney, has given us some of the best animated films in history; including Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. Princess Mononoke, in my opinion, is his finest creation. Princess Mononoke centers around the young and noble hearted Ashitaka, whom after being cursed by a demon, must journey to the sacred forest to be exorcised before the curse ultimately destroys him. On his journey, he encounters several forest spirits, a group of iron workers, and a mysterious girl raised by the forest's wolves. The story focuses on the constant clash of man and nature, and how both must make sacrifices in order to coexist. There are no heroes, and no villains. All shareholders have motivations that can be sympathized with, and some that cannot. The story is deep, compelling and flows very well. I will admit at times it can become moderately confusing, especially when elements of mysticism are introduced. However it's presented so well, I feel that the confusion is my fault, not the film's;. It's as if my insufficient mind isn't capable of grasping the magnitude of the plot. The characters: human, animal and otherwise are all well developed, multi-layered and interesting. The animation is the Miyazaki standard: very bright, very vibrant and always carrying energy and emotion. The action scenes are some of the best in all of animation and the entire film carries with it a sense of awe and wonder. The film even manages to take several actions that we would otherwise consider disgusting, and make them appear beautiful. The music corresponds to the scenes perfectly and moves the story almost as much the animation and dialogue. I recommend you watch the film in Japanese as the English dub is very good in places, but downright annoying in others. Once I realized that Toki was voiced by Jada Smith, I switched over to the subtitles. But watching the film in English won't take much from the experience. I could praise the film for hours and it's truly one of the greatest films I've ever seen. It's gripping, creative, intelligent and correctly delivers one of the most difficult to execute themes in all of film. Absolutely watch Princess Mononoke.