Princess Mononoke: Understanding Studio Ghibli's Monster Princess (Animation: Key Films/Filmmakers)

Princess Mononoke (1997) is one of anime's most important films. Hayao Miyazaki's epic fantasy broke domestic box office records when it came out in Japan, keeping pace with the success of Hollywood films like Titanic (1997). Princess Mononoke was also the first of Studio Ghibli's films to be distributed outside Japan as part of a new deal with Disney subsidiary Buena Vista International. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the release of the film, Rayna Denison curates this new collection to critically reflect on Princess Mononoke 's significance within and beyond Japanese culture. The collection investigates the production, and re-production, processes involved in the making of Princess Mononoke into a global phenomenon and reevaluates the film's significance within a range of global markets, animation techniques, and cultures. In revisiting this undeniably important film, the collection sheds light on the tensions within anime and the cultural and social issues that Princess Mononoke explores, from environmental protection to globalization to the representation of marginalized groups. In this remarkable new collection, Princess Mononoke is examined as a key player during a major turning point in Japanese animation history. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 List of Illustrations 9 Acknowledgements 10 Introducing Studio Ghibli’s Monster Princess: From Mononokehime to P Rincess Mononoke 11 Part 1: Intellectualizing miyazaki: politics, religion and the Environment in princess mononoke 33 Chapter 1. Princess Mononoke : A Game Changer 35 Chapter 2. Deer gods, nativism and history: mythical and Archaeological layers in princess mononoke 51 Chapter 3. To ‘See With Eyes Unclouded By Hate’: Princess Mononoke And The Quest For Environmental Balance 67 Part 2: Princess Mononoke ’S Female Characters: Animation Influences, Feminism And Cultural Liminality 85 Chapter 4. Spirit Princess And Snow Queen: The Soviet Roots Of Princess Mononoke 87 Chapter 5. Teenage Wildlife: Princess Mononoke And Hayao Miyazaki’s Theory Of The Feminine 107 Chapter 6. Beyond Girlhood In Ghibli: Mapping Heroine Development Against The Adult Woman Anti- Hero In Princess Mononoke 125 Part 3: A Transnational Princess: The Adaptation, Promotion And Reception Of Princess Mononoke 141 Chapter 7. The Translation And Adaptation Of Miyazaki’s Spirit Princess In The West 143 Chapter 8. Marketing Mononoke : The Daihitto Becoming Disney 161 Chapter 9. Homer, Ovid, Disney And Star Wars : The Critical Reception And Transcultural Popularity Of Princess Mononoke 183 A Guide to Further Research 203 Bibliography 211 Filmography 225 Notes on Contributors 227 Index 231 This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.Princess Mononoke (1997) is one of anime's most important films. Hayao Miyazaki's epic fantasy broke domestic box office records when it came out in Japan, keeping pace with the success of Hollywood films like Titanic (1997). Princess Mononoke was also the first of Studio Ghibli's films to be distributed outside Japan as part of a new deal with Disney subsidiary Buena Vista International. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the release of the film, Rayna Denison curates this new collection to critically reflect on Princess Mononoke's significance within and beyond Japanese culture. The collection investigates the production, and re-production, processes involved in the making of Princess Mononoke into a global phenomenon and reevaluates the film's significance within a range of global markets, animation techniques, and cultures.In revisiting this undeniably important film, the collection sheds light on the tensions within anime and the cultural and social issues that Princess Mononoke explores, from environmental protection to globalization to the representation of marginalized groups. In this remarkable new collection, Princess Mononoke is examined as a key player during a major turning point in Japanese animation history. Princess Mononoke (1997) is one of anime's most important films. Hayao Miyazaki's epic fantasy broke domestic box office records when it came out in Japan, keeping pace with the success of Hollywood films like Titanic (1997). Princess Mononoke was also the first of Studio Ghibli's films to be distributed outside Japan as part of a new deal with Disney subsidiary Buena Vista International. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the release of the film, Rayna Denison curates this new collection to critically reflect on Princess Mononoke's significance within and beyond Japanese culture. The collection investigates the production, and re-production, processes involved in the making of Princess Mononoke into a global phenomenon and reevaluates the film's significance within a range of global markets, animation techniques, and cultures.
In revisiting this undeniably important film, the collection sheds light on the tensions within anime and the cultural and social issues that Princess Mononoke explores, from environmental protection to globalization to the representation of marginalized groups. In this remarkable new collection, Princess Mononoke is examined as a key player during a major turning point in Japanese animation history. Princess Mononoke (1997) broke domestic box office records in Japan, keeping pace with the success of Hollywood films like Titanic (1997), making it the first of Studio Ghibli's films to be transnationally distributed as part of a new deal with Disney subsidiary Buena Vista International. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the release of Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke , Rayna Denison curates this new collection critically reflecting on the film's significance within and beyond Japanese culture, engaging critically with the production, and re-production, processes involved in the making of Princess Mononoke; re-evaluating the film's importance within Japanese animation culture; considering the relationship between the film and Japan as well as examining Princess Mononoke 's significance within a range of global cultures. In doing so, the book reveals the way Princess Mononoke' s production sits at a turning point in Japanese animation history. By revisiting this undeniably important text, the collection reveals much about the tensions in anime production at that time, and about important cultural and social issues including environmental protection, representation, gender, economics and ideology.