Princess Mononoke

Animation, Adventure, Fantasy | 1997 | PG-13. 2hr 14min
CAST: Yoji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yuko Tanaka DIRECTOR: Hayao Miyazaki SATURDAYS WITH STUDIO GHIBLI | IN JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

The Film

Princess Mononoke is a landmark of animation and a film of unsurpassed power and beauty. An epic story of conflict between humans, gods, and nature, the film has been universally acclaimed by critics and broke box office records on its original release in Japan.

While defending his village from a demonic boar-god, the young warrior Ashitaka becomes afflicted with a curse that grants him super-human power in battle but will eventually take his life. Traveling west to find a cure or meet his destiny, he journeys deep into sacred depths of the Great Forest where he meets San (Princess Mononoke), a girl raised by wolf-gods who is waging battle against the human outpost of Iron Town, on the edge of the forest. The girl Mononoke is a force of nature â€“ with blood smeared lips, riding bareback on a great white wolf, doing battle with both gods and humans, she is as iconic a figure as any from film, literature, or opera.

THE SERIES

See three Hayao Miyazaki masterpieces on the big screen. enjoy a pastry, cereal, or a mimosa with your popcorn at these Saturday morning events. Spirited Away (May 26), Princess Mononoke (June 2), and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (June 9).

FILMS WILL BE SHOWN IN THEIR ORIGINAL VERSIONS, SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH.

Special thanks to Smith Brothers Farms for helping sponsor this series.

Movie

Reviews

Beautifully constructed and painstakingly written, this is about as close to a perfect animated epic as you're likely to get.

Melanie McFarland, Seattle Times

A spellbinding epic with great characters, visuals and pathos.

Christian Villagomez, Film Threat

The film's strength lies in its refusal to paint either its arguments or its characters in black and white: There are no pure heroes, no clear-cut villains and no pat answers.

Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly