Princess Mononoke

Cynical profiteers in Irontown have disturbed the balance of nature and awakened demonic forces in the forest. A beautifully realised tale of civilisation versus nature by japanese master animator Hayao Miyazaki.

Two young people are caught between a rock and a hard place; Ashitaka, a young man who is expelled from his tribe after being cursed, and our heroine San, also known as Princess Mononoke, raised by the wolves in the woods. The conflict between humans, the creatures and spirits of the forest escalates. Ashitaka and San try to resolve the violence and calm the rage of the spirit of the forest to prevent humans and nature from destroying one another.

Hayao Miyazaki has told stories of the conflict between nature and human civilization in several of his films, and with Princess Mononoke he clearly paints a picture of the tragedy that lies in lack of respect for the planet. Set in a time when human productivity made our relationship with nature less symbiotic, when control became more important than harmony, the moral of the story is a clear call to the modern man. This makes Princess Mononoke Miyazaki's most political film since Nausicaä.

Princess Mononoke was a huge box-office success in Japan, and it was the film that proved to an international audience that Miyazaki was able to tell far more conflict-driven tales than the pleasant, and somewhat whimsical, child’s fantasy films that had made him a household name

Director

Hayao Miyazaki (b. 1941) is among the greatest figures in Japanese animated films, with tremendous influence all over the world. His films have become global phenomena. My Neighbor Totoro (1988) Spirited Away (2001) Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) and Ponyo (2008) are just some of the films that can be mentioned among a long list of Miyazaki classics.

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