Anime fans have long enjoyed the wide array of Studio Ghibli films, each offering unique, whimsical tales and awe-inspiring hand-drawn artwork. To celebrate the studio‘s 40th anniversary, Ghibli and Gkids are bringing back one of their most acclaimed feature films, Princess Mononoke, in IMAX with a stunning new 4k restoration.
Princess Mononoke, written and directed by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki, follows young warrior Ashitaka as he adventures in search of a cure to his life-threatening curse. During his journey, he stumbles into a heated conflict between an industrial village and San, a young girl raised by wolves fighting to stop humans from destroying the forest she calls home. Ahead of the film’s re-release, we spoke with Ghibli vice president Atsushi Okui (via translator Mihoko Imai) about film’s enduring environmental message, inspirations, and its lasting legacy.
Isaiah Colbert, io9: Studio Ghibli has habitually made an annual theatrical pilgrimage, rereleasing its films in the U.S. However, in celebration of Princess Mononoke’s 40th anniversary, this will mark the film’s first release in 4K IMAX. What does this monumental accomplishment mean to Ghibli as it embarks on making even more animated films for a global audience?
Atsushi Okui: Ghibli films have been done on film, and Mononoke is no exception. The DCP (Digital Cinema Package) data for use for the theatrical releases of these films were 2K data, so the reason we embarked on this 4k project for the Mononoke release was because the DCP was made 10 years ago and that was done in 2K because that was the standard. As more theaters, including IMAX theaters, began releasing in 4K, we thought it the opportune time to present something more high quality, which is why we embarked on this 4K project.
io9: Studio Ghibli isn’t shy about crafting stories for all ages while anchoring its tales on mature ideas like Spirited Away’s exploration of the anxieties of growing up, Kiki’s Delivery Service’s focus on creative burnout, and The Boy and the Heron’s heady themes of reconciling the loss of a loved one. Mononoke is no exception–how do you think its message of environmentalism has developed and resonated with audiences over the past 28 years?
Okui: Back in 1997, as with all of our other films, we make our films with a message that resonates with us at the time that we made it. It is a message of the time in 1997. We really never think about how the message will resonate decades hence or decades forth. But, if I were to talk about the specific case of Princess Mononoke, of course, when we made the film, it was about the environment and how we are destroying it.
The environment is personified, and all of the people who work in Iron Town—we have this battle between mankind in Iron Town [and] all of the gods including San. It’s a war between the gods and mankind and Ashitaka is trying to mediate between these two powers and find a way in which these two parties can coexist. I think that message is actually very much more resonant in today’s day and age. It has come to match what’s happening with today.
io9: Creatives are often inspired by the art they experience in their youth. Princess Mononoke has been cited as the inspiration behind many American artists and directors, including James Cameron’s Avatar films and Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko’s Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series. What works—be they other animated films or movies from the past—inspired Studio Ghibli in making Princess Mononoke?
Okui: This is something that has been said in public, but for animators or artists who have been in the very early stages of Japanese animation, the inspirations that Mr. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have stated in the past
as inspirations, for example, are classics like a Russian animation based on [Hans Christian] Andersen’s The Snow Queen and also a French animation, The King and the Mockingbird. The style of the storytelling [Miyazaki] has drawn from such titles.
io9: Infamously, when Princess Mononoke was first distributed in the U.S., Toshio Suzuki sent Miramax a katana with “no cuts” etched into the blade. Looking back on the film, were there avenues or aspects to Princess Mononoke’s story left on the cutting room floor for the movie’s theatrical release, or was the story folks have come to love always written and animated as planned in its early drafting?
Okui: To offer you an answer to this question, we would have to talk about the way in which Mr. Miyazaki makes his films. First, there’s no script. He starts 100% on the storyboarding. We start from the storyboarding, but we don’t have 100% of the storyboarding. That’s not completed when we go into production. Only about half of the storyboarding is completed as we go into production, and then as we proceed along with the production, then he will arrive at the end of the storyboard. There will be twists and turns and changes along the way. So, that’s a long-winded way of telling you that there is no quote, unquote, first draft or original draft. So yes, that’s basically our process.
io9: Ghibli’s films have resonated around the world for their portrayal of women, especially women in leading roles like San. Do you see this kind of portrayal of strong femininity as an important perspective Ghibli wants to keep focusing on as a studio? How do you feel about the pushback in certain circles against keeping female characters at the forefront of your storytelling?
Okui: We can only say that because we make films that reflect the times as they come, we cannot necessarily promise you that our films will always have a strong female protagonist. It’s hard to say which viewpoint is correct, but I can tell you that in terms of diversity, Japan, in comparison to the rest of the world, is still very much behind. And I suppose that perhaps this recent pushback is a reflection of perhaps diversity becoming a little bit too progressive in the United States, and perhaps what’s happening right now is a reflection of that. But domestically, meaning in Japan, I can say that we’re still very much far behind. So, we have to see where our nation goes in terms of diversity going forward.
You can watch Princess Mononoke in IMAX theaters March 26.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
