Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
The film's strength lies in its refusal to paint either its arguments or its characters in black and white: There are no pure heroes, no clear-cut villains and no pat answers.
– Ernest Hardy,
L.A. Weekly,
27 Nov 2013
rotten:
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.
– Stephen Hunter,
Washington Post,
27 Nov 2013
fresh:
This handsome, beautifully designed Japanese animated film has the size -- though not the clarity -- of a great Japanese film epic.
– David Denby,
New Yorker,
27 Nov 2013
fresh:
Done mostly in the style of hand-painted classic animation, with occasional digital assists, "Princess Mononoke is indeed a thing of beauty and imagination.
– Jack Mathews,
New York Daily News,
7 Dec 2014
fresh:
[Miyazaki's] visually brilliant, thematically rich fable isn't just an ambitious cartoon; it's an epic, hand-drawn in pen and ink.