Princess Monotonous

Rating: Null/10 (28 July 2000)

I cannot understand why this insufferably dull, badly drawn, and overlong film received the praise that people have lavished on it.
I attended a screening with 100 people who were raving about the film beforehand, then watched as all but one or two lapsed into comfortable slumber during MONONOKE's interminable running time. The pace is leaden, even during battle scenes.
Add to this a script that seems to have been made up as they went along, some of the ugliest looking and worst animated animal characters in any film, standard anime design on the characters--with the exception of one warrior woman and the very interesting and well designed tree spirits. This is the most overrated film I've seen in years.
There is nothing in this picture that was not done infinitely better at the Walt Disney studios 60 years ago.