Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke is considered one of Hayao Miyazaki’s highest achievements for many reasons. This ecological animated fresco filled with colourful characters doesn’t lead to clear conclusions. It focuses on difficult questions: about the relationship between man and the world around him, about violence that’s inherent to nature, the line between good and evil. We are in a Japanese village in the 15th century. Young prince Ashitaka is attacked and cursed by a demon disguised as a boar. He goes on a journey to the land of forest gods looking for salvation, and on the way, he enters a town where people live off deforestation. The plot which connects two elements – people’s destructive rush and nature’s wild call – brings Avatar to mind. Yet Princess Mononoke is much subtler, both in its tone and in the way it employs digital means. This is Miyazaki’s first film to use 3D animation, but only when it is needed to show how extraordinary forest animals are.

Igor Kierkosz

Hayao Miyazaki (b. 1941) is a Japanese director, animator and manga artist. Shortly after completing his studies in Economics and Political Science at Gakushuin University, he was employed as an animator. That was also when he met Isao Takahata, with whom he founded Studio Ghibli in 1985. His work is recognized and acclaimed all around the world, as evidenced by the Oscar for his animated film Spirited Away (2001).