Princess Mononoke

I have been a fan of this movie since long before Disney decided to have a go at releasing it in the US. I did see it in the theatre, but wanted to wait until I had seen the DVD release before reviewing the film. Now, having had a chance to see what Disney did with that DVD release, I am happy albeit somewhat surprised to issue two thumbs up to Disney for a job well done.

Princess Mononoke (a direct translation of the original title, "Mononoke Hime") is a movie that even its harshest critics will admit is a visual feast. The fabulous scenes of animals and natural surroundings are both realistic and beautifully rendered, and the action scenes are well-done enough to make you think of an old-fashioned live action wa movie. Character Designs are excellent, with none of the unrealistic hair colors or wildly exaggerated facial features which are often used as a cheap way of distinguishing characters - each character in this film, even the relatively minor ones - are distinct, and easily recognizable. This is not surprising to established fans of Japanese animation - the film is, after all, the work of Hayao Miyazaki, widely regarded as the single finest Japanese animator of all time.

Having read through a number of opinions, both positive and negative, on this film, I am forced to the conclusion that most of the people who dislike it were simply unprepared for it and lacked the background to properly appreciate it. This is not intended as a slight on these people at all - everything about this film is rooted deeply in Japanese culture, and trying to approach the film without at least a fundamental understanding of that culture is bound to make a viewer disoriented. Without an understanding of the place the nature gods held in Japanese society at the time period during which the film is set, for example, many of the character's actions are seemingly inexplicable. Many things which would have been obvious to a Japanese viewer are inadequately explained in the subtitles or dub track, and so would tend to go right over the American viewer's head.

However, it seems to me that some of the themes of this film are sufficiently universal that differences in language and culture aside, they will still come through to even a viewer who doesn't necessarily understand the characters' inspirations. It is easy to sympathise with the protagonist's desire for neutrality and peaceful coexistence, regardless of your stance on the environmental issues discussed. In fact, one of the outstanding things about this film is the way it absolutely refuses to set things in black and white, but deals in varying shades of grey. Eboshi is not a villain, although she does things that some would classify as evil, her real interest seems to be in building a better life for her people. Nor are the various nature gods depicted as overwhelmingly virtuous - while some are benevolent, others are xenophobic, overly proud, or vitriolic.

While I recommend viewing the disc with the original Japanese voice acting and the "literal translation" subtitle track (which, by the way, is not even close...), the English dubbing is not at all bad. Disney has a habit of spending considerably more for its voice talent than most other translating/publishing houses can afford to, and it shows in this production. Those looking for the English version to match the mood and characterization of the original Japanese, however, will be somewhat disappointed, as these character actors make no real attempt to do so. Instead they make the characters their own, importing their own personalities, and the final result is quite well done.

The audio and video quality are both excellent on this disc,as might be expected, with excellent use of the rear soundstage. The one thing that did disappoint me was the relative lack of extras - the very short "Making of" featurette tells nothing about the making of the film, and basically is a series of short sound bites from the principal voice cast. That and the theatrical trailer are all that they offer on this disc. I would have liked (and expected) to see more, possibly including a translation of the insert song from the movie, information about or interviews with some of the Japanese cast and staff, or better yet, some effort to make the vast amount of Japanese mythological and cultural references more approachable to a wider audience.

That notwithstanding, this is an excellent movie, and a very good presentation of it. I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to see what "serious" anime that _doesn't_ involve cyberpunk and robots is like.