Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke is a wonderful film for both children (perhaps not too young though) and adults alike. As well as the animation being stunning, it has a captivating storyline with blurred lines between good and evil. It is honest with both its beauty and brutality but always honest, entertaining and enthralling. Highly recommended. If you've never seen a Studio Ghibli film this may be your first of many.

Princess Mononoke is another brilliant anime from Studio Ghibli, the people who created the marvellous Spirited Away. It's about Ashitaka who is injured by a giant, angry, worm-like thing that is attacking his people. Eventually the injury will kill him so before he dies he must leave his village and tribe and find out what it is that is destroying the forest and may destroy his people. With his trusted mount, he encounters a village where women are in posession of power and they are manufacturing and stripping the land. The forest in turn is attacking them, led by the wolf-child, a young woman who was raised by wolves. Ashitaka finds himself drawn to her, Princess Mononoke, and wants to help her cause and help the villagers as well. He must fight an evil spirit in order to do so, before the darkness and his growing injury take him.

This is pretty much an environmentalist story about not destroying the land and about learning how to live in harmony with nature. It's a lot harder to follow than Spirited Away and a lot more adult, although older children will still enjoy it. Overall it's a very entertaining and thought-provoking film.