Princess Mononoke

Done mostly in the style of hand-painted classic animation, with occasional digital assists, "Princess Mononoke is indeed a thing of beauty and imagination.

This handsome, beautifully designed Japanese animated film has the size -- though not the clarity -- of a great Japanese film epic.

Miyazaki's hordes of animators haven't penetrated beyond the skin; the moving creatures feel inarticulate and jerky, almost weightless, particularly when played against painterly background mattes.

With a Luminist's attention to light, water, shadow and smoke, Miyazaki creates an epochal story born of history, myth and Shinto animism.

This imaginative and intriguing Anime deserves all the plaudits heaped upon it.

Beautifully constructed and painstakingly written, this is about as close to a perfect animated epic as you're likely to get.

Even for Miyazaki, few works reach the perfection of craft like Princess Mononoke. The 4K restoration for IMAX allows the visual and auditory artistry to shine.

"Blending gorgeous visuals with a tender and topical narrative that speaks to the soul, Princess Mononoke is one of Ghibli’s most important films yet."

...a refreshing take on the tired man versus nature genre, and it also sheds light on ancient Japanese folklore, religion, and history.

When you watch this film, you need to think: "Where are the Japanese wolves?" If you don't, you'll miss the full impact of Hayao Miyazaki's environmental theme. Japan isn't the land of Bambi or the Big Bad Wolf.