Princess Mononoke (1997)
- The lead role in Princess Mononoke was originally offered to a massive A-list star who turned it down because they didn't understand the script.
- Unlike modern films, the massive explosion sequence in Princess Mononoke used zero CGI. The crew spent three weeks setting up the practical rig for a single take.
Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated epic fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Set in the late Muromachi period of Japan, the film follows Ashitaka, a young prince cursed by a demon-possessed boar god, who journeys westward to find a cure and becomes embroiled in a war between the industrial Iron Town, led by the ambitious Lady Eboshi, and the ancient forest spirits and gods who are fighting to preserve their dying world. At the center of the conflict is San, a young woman raised by wolf gods who fights alongside the forest creatures against human encroachment.
Princess Mononoke was Miyazaki's most morally complex and visually ambitious film to date, refusing to cast any faction as purely good or evil — Lady Eboshi is simultaneously an exploiter of nature and a liberator of outcasts and lepers, while the forest gods are both majestic protectors and terrifyingly destructive forces. The Forest Spirit, the Deer God whose touch gives life and takes it away, was one of the most awe-inspiring creations in animation history. Joe Hisaishi's orchestral score was magnificent, ranging from intimate woodwind themes to thundering battle compositions.
Princess Mononoke earned $160 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film in Japanese history until Titanic surpassed it months later. It was the first anime film to be widely released in the United States by a major studio.
