Princess Mononoke was released in theaters in April 2025 in 4K. The film is a potent and important piece of history that still stands the test of time.
Princess Mononoke (1997) was initially released in 1997. It is a Japanese animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and the studio behind it was Studio Ghibli, which has recently had its name all over the news. There has been an AI program that has been using their animation style.
People have been asking AI to create themselves in the animation style that Studio Ghibli uses. AI is taking over, sadly, but art like this film still exists. Princess Mononoke (1997) was put out in 4K recently and played in IMAX in 4K for the first time. It was awesome to see this masterpiece fill the screen and be remastered as well as it was.
Princess Mononoke (1997) follows a young warrior, Ashitaka, who has a curse spreading quickly. He’s looking for the cure to this, and he ends up stumbling into a conflict between the people of the iron town and Princess Mononoke. The princess herself was raised by wolves and considered herself not human, even though she is.
She’s very much against what the people in the town are doing and people in general. The animals talk in the film, but it’s not silly or strange. It’s done in a very good way, and Princess Mononoke (1997) has some pretty notable actors that Americans will recognize. Some notable voice actors in it are Billy Bob Thornton, Gillian Anderson, and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Watching Princess Mononoke (1997) is truly an experience. Just about every frame in Princess Mononoke (1997) could be framed up on a poster. The amount of creativity that goes into the story and every little detail is incredible. Even if you’re not necessarily a fan of the story or even animation in general, it’s pretty breathtaking to see what the studio made in Princess Mononoke (1997).
How much time and effort it takes to go into each frame and create this cinematic masterpiece is awesome. Especially for the time, given this is 1997 and not modern day, where we have good CGI to help animation look a lot bigger than what it is. Back then, they had to work a lot harder to make these big, sprawling scenes come to life, with mostly hand-drawn animation and some computer-generated imagery. Princess Mononoke (1997) has some CGI in it, but it’s not very prevalent.
This is one of those special films that hits on all cylinders. The story is great, the animation is great, the music is great, the characters are great, and the world-building is incredible. The music itself can be listened to on its own and still be enjoyed. The characters in the story could branch off and have their own films or television series if they wanted. They’re all very unique and interesting characters who represent certain parts of the world and people in real life.
The world-building surprised me in Princess Mononoke (1997). It’s hard to create brand-new set pieces and universes that we are unfamiliar with. In this universe, we have beasts and other creatures that are unique and created by the minds behind the film. The creativity shows when you can remember all the characters in the film and understand their motives and who they were as people.
There are so many memorable moments in Princess Mononoke (1997), and this was my first time watching it, so it made a good impression on me. I still remember plenty of scenes in it. I could probably remember 90% of the movie if I sat and wrote down the scenes by seeing what happened. It really stuck with me.
I think what makes it important, especially today, is its story about Mother Nature and the climate. It also has a great story about war and disagreeing to disagree with people. In today’s world, we see a lot of two-sided scenarios. Everyone seems to be split on every single topic there is. No one wants to help the other person when they’re down or necessarily listen to reason. In this film, there’s a pretty great example of someone being able to listen to both sides and also help both sides of the coin.
The anti-violence hits home in today’s day and age, and I’m sure back in the 90s. It was something that was on the creator’s mind. It’s pretty hard not to get emotional at the film’s climax. There are plenty of moments that stick with you, resonate, and are things you can apply to your real life. All great art does that, and it’s also one of those films that you get locked into while watching.
You’re going to forget about everything going on in the world for an hour or two while watching the film and get truly sucked into its story. Having that kind of art is great, especially when it’s something like this that has an actual message to it as well. So many movies are just mind-numbing, but a film like this has something good to offer, along with being extremely entertaining and visually appealing.
I think this is one of those films that anyone wanting to get into anime needs to watch. Of course, there are some of the classics, like Akira and Spirited Away. But this film might be a little bit easier for some to follow, and it seems to get more popular over time, as it is a cult film. Recently, The End of Evangelion came to theaters in America, so maybe more anime classics will be playing soon.
I think the influence of Princess Mononoke (1997) is worth noting. James Cameron noted that the film is a big influence on his film Avatar, which has gone on to be one of the biggest films ever. Princess Mononoke (1997) is also the groundwork for this kind of film and stories to be told and animated. At this point, it also cemented the director Hyo Misaki as a true pioneer in the genre and one of the most important filmmakers to come out of Japan.
The film also influenced The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild from 2017, which went on to be a massive game in and of itself. The film is so influential this year that a newly discovered species of tilefish was named after the character, saying they named the fish “Branchiostegus sanae.”
The English dub isn’t that bad either, so if you have a hard time with subtitles in film, the English dub is there and is pretty good. A lot of anime films suffer from bad dubbing, and people seem to have a hard time watching films with subtitles. The great cast is there for English viewers, so really, there are no excuses for not watching it.
The world that Princess Mononoke (1997) created with its characters and visual style is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. For as many films as Studio Ghibli has put out, I’ve yet to see one that resembles the other in major ways. Each film has its unique style, visually and musically. I’m glad that this was one of the first ones that I got to see, especially in 4K in IMAX.
