Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Hayao Miyazaki is known for creating movies with strong themes of environmentalism, anti-war sentiments, and impactful female leads. Very few Studio Ghibli movies check off the list as magnificently asPrincess Mononoke.The movie paints a very vivid picture of the relationship between humanity and the environment.
The movie had very different receptions in the East as compared to the West. Nonetheless, it still stands as one of the most legendary works of Hayao Miyazaki, especially since he never bent to the will of Disney to compromise the integrity of the film.
Neil Gaiman thinks Hayao Miyazaki’sPrincess Mononokeis more relevant than ever
While many of you might know the rocky history ofPrincess Mononokeduring its initial release in the USA, you might be unaware of another person’s contributions to the film.Neil Gaiman, the author of popular books likeGood Omens, Coraline, andAmerican Gods,penned the English script for the movie’s dubbed version. Unfortunately, his name was taken off the movie’s poster by Miramax executives.
“We’re supposed to be adapting this film, not changing it”: Neil Gaiman Fought to Stop Spoon-Feeding American Fans 1 Hayao Miyazaki Film That Miramax Was Hellbent on Ruining
In aninterview with BBC, the author clarified how the movie not only spoke the grave truth about the present but also predicted a bleak future.
Princess Mononoke is more relevant now than it has ever been. We went through years of people going ‘this climate stuff is going to be a huge problem’. And now suddenly we’re starting to see the results and it’s like, ‘OK, we really are out of whack here and it’s only going to get worse.
Gaiman further questions how people are going to survive next. He likens the present humanity to the people in Irontown, who are desperately trying to survive. Irontown is a small settlement in Princess Mononoke, ruled by Lady Eboshi, who ripped off nearby forests for resources. While she is a fierce antagonist, she also saved many lies from starvation and helped the homeless and the disgraced (like the lepers and s*x workers).
Irontown was eventually destroyed by the Nightwalker, a grave foreboding for our own future. But there is one difference, as pointed out by Gaiman himself:
We’re like the people trying to figure it out down in Iron Town. Except we’re not really taking as much care of the sex workers and the people with leprosy.
Hayao Miyazaki‘s disgust for humanity’s decisions is apparent in the film, but his pessimism does not last long due to his belief in the resilience of nature as well as the human spirit.
There are no bad guys inPrincess Mononoke, only consequences
Princess Mononokedid not have a smooth debut in the USA. While it was a sensation in Japan, grossing over $165 million (viaBox Office Mojo), and instantly became the highest-grossing film, the same cannot be said about its distribution in North America by Miramax. The movie was considered too mature to be released under Disney. Thus, the company passed it onto its subsidiary, Miramax.
Thetale of the struggle between Miramax’s then-CEO, Harvey Weinstein, and Studio Ghibli is famous. While Weinstein was hell-bent on cutting the film to appeal to the domestic audience, Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki presented him with a replica of a katana, with the message “Princess Mononoke, No Cut!”
“Still looks better than almost all animated movies today”: What Hayao Miyazaki Did 27 Years Ago With Princess Mononoke With $23.5 Million is Something Studios Can Only Dream to Replicate Even Today
Neil Gaiman recalled the differences between the two companies as Miramax struggled to grasp the concept of the film. They wanted to know who was the good guy, and who was evil. Is Lady Eboshi good or bad? Is the Shishigami good or bad? According to Gaiman:
Miyazaki built a film in which there are no bad guys, there are only consequences. Lady Eboshi is providing shelter for sex workers and people with leprosy, but the results of what she’s doing is throwing everything off balance.
In between all of this, Miramax was trying its best to figure out how to make everything literal and easy to understand. Eventually, the movie did not perform well in the United States, grossing just over $2.3 million.
Princess Mononokeis available to watch on Disney+ and Hulu.
Aaheli Pradhan
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :1556
Aaheli is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with 1300+ published articles. With five years of experience under her belt, she is a living, breathing encyclopedia for anime and manga. From Shonen and Shojo to the most niche anime, nothing escapes her radar. Her poisons of choice are Assassination Classroom, Gintama, Ouran High School Host Club and every Ghibli movie ever. She believes in living a slow life, surrounded by incomplete art projects and her beloved cats.
