Princess Mononoke [DVD]

When I heard that this film was finally coming out over here I was very excited. I'd never seen it before, but had seen other works of Hayao Miyazaki such as Totoro and Cagliostro. I was worried when I heard it had been bought and dubbed by Disney, fearing another mangled and edited poor translation as happened with Nausicaa /warriors of the wind.However, the translation is superb - done by no less than Neil Gaimen of Sandman fame - and the voice acting actually very good, with little of the poor acting and odd characterisation we've come to be used to. Perhaps the translation looses us some of the finer points, but none the less, it's superb.The film - What can I say? This is an epic tale that will draw anyone in who starts watching it, no matter how old they are. I watched this with my father, who's not a fan of animation (especially not Japanese animation), and he was enthralled, loving the beauty and the characters. It's certainly not a children's film, as it becomes quite dark towards the end. Dealing with themes such as mankind's effect on the environment and the destructive power of anger, this film tells the tale of the conflicts between a group of humans and a group of nature gods. Some scenes have echoes of Nausicaa, especially in character designs, and fans of Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood books will find much they like here. Scenes of the Forest Spirit changing from the Night Walker to a multi horned, human faced deer that can walk on water have a strange magical pagan feel to them, and an eerie beauty.I'm trying not to say too much about the story as to give things away would be a crime if you've not seen the film before. I will say this : the ending is spectacular and satisfying - in some ways it reminds me of the finale of Akira - yet it still manages to remain open ended. The viewer and the characters are treated with respect and we're not given a cut and dried "punish the bad / reward the good" ending. Indeed, there are few characters in the film who can be viewed as purely bad. This is a good thing.This package doesn't have too many extras. You can see a nice trailer, a short making of film, and have the option to watch in the original language, which is always nice. You do get Helen McCarthy's excellent book on Hayao Miyazaki, and that is a superb bonus. Let's hope that we start to see more films given this treatment soon!

One of the best movies of all time, Would highly recommend the blu-ray version.

Been waiting to see this for a while now love it and nice little box set

This was the first studio ghibli movie I saw (and still my favorite)and it litteraly blew me away. Since then I have required 9 ghibli films and the are more or less of extremely good quality.On the story side of things.When the movie started I had no idea of the epic scale this movie would eventually gather.A haunted hog comes running into a village, with a hunter in tow. The hunter slays the hog, but is cursed, and there is only one option. He have to find the source of the curse and reverse it. This is all will say about the story, but it really takes off after a while, and it's one heck off a ride.the animation is incredible in this movie (as in all of the studio ghibli films) and it really sucks you in as you watch it. It's so pretty my jaw dropped during some of the more intense scenes.The music and voicework is also top class. But I watched it with jappanese voice and english subtitles, as I do with all japanese movies, so i suggest you do the same :)Although this is a recommendation, if youre new to studio ghibli movies I would start with Howls moving castle or Kikis delivery service, as this film has a pretty heavy storyline in comparison to the ones i mentioned. But in the end all of the movies are excellent and well worth the asking price!

The first Ghibli film I saw was 'Laputa'. At first, I much preferred that to this, but now I prefer 'Princess Mononoke'.My reasons are that I think this film is genuinely deeper than 'Laputa'. Particularly the bits with The Forest Spirit. I don't want to give away the plot but I will say that, with this character, they've tried to depict a god and succeeded. I don't think what they've achieved with this is something to be sniffed at! I think the music plays a big part in this as well as the images. It reminds me of John Tavener's music, which is very spiritual.There is a great blend of action, reflection, humor, and darkness throughout the film. Overall, I'd say this film comes close to being a genuinely adult film. Much more adult than other Ghibli films. The story is very strong, and the themes of environmentalism are put across to the viewer without being at all patronising or cheesy.Being a musician, I always listen for the soundtrack and it is wonderful. Joe Hisaishi has really done something great here. And, cleverly, if there is really melodic music to be heard, the director always lets it be heard and doesn't bury it beneath action dialogue and sound effects.This film is well worth your money. I cried in a couple of places!

Fantastic story, wonderful art and characters honestly a must see. The steelbook is great to have and a good collective case.

As a huge Ghibli fan these steelbook cases look amazing on a shelf and are quite sturdy. They look fantastic all lined up together. Would recommend to any Ghibli fan!

Since I bought this blu-ray via Amazon.nl (yes, that is the Netherlands) and it was being delivered by a Dutch "company", I assumed that I would be able to play it on the blu-ray player I bought in - guess what - the Netherlands. Honestly, what did I expect... of course the blu-ray is region A and of course I can't do anything with it. Great to see that basic and necessary information is missing and I therefore bought a pretty much useless product. Will never buy again. Bye.

Un clasico de Ghibli y Hayao MiyazakiCuenta la historia de la princesa lobo y de como la humanidad va comiendose y apoderandose del bosque y los animales.Excelentes paisajes y la animacion caracteristica ya de Miyazaki

everything works well