Excellent, but not for everyone

Rating: 8/10 (11 December 2011)

Princess Mononoke, like most of Studio Ghibli's output, has a Japanese sensibility which is quite alien to a western audience which has grown up on Disney and Looney Tunes. The story hardly matters - the striking visuals rule.
The story is perfectly fine, though: its vague ecological message survives the other-wordly weirdness of demons, forest gods, and warring factions kept apart by a pair of unlikely peace brokers.
But it looks terrific - character design, backgrounds and animation are all first rate. And its weirdness is part of its appeal. There's no guarantee that you will enjoy it but, if you give it a chance, there is a lot to enjoy here.