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At the 2003 Academy Awards, the Disney people finally discovered what they had in Hayao Miyazaki: Oscar gold. Spirited Away trumped the likes of Ice Age, Spirit, plus Disney's own Lilo and Stitch and Treasure Planet. After closing a distribution deal for most of the films by Japan's revered director, Disney found success in a video release of Kiki's Delivery Service, then a box office flop with the ill-marketed Princess Mononoke. After that, they dithered for 2 years before releasing Castle in the Sky, and only enthusiastic lobbying by Pixar's John Lasseter convinced The Mouse to release its future Oscar winner, Spirited Away.

Princess Mononoke, which means "Princess of the Dead," or "Princess of the Ghosts," is an epic set in a vivid, violent world where the old gods of nature wage a brutal, losing war against the encroaching civilization of Man. Thrust into this conflict is Ashitaka, a boy from an Ainu-like tribe who seeks relief from a terrible disease received in his fight with a rampaging god. The Princess of the title is San, reared by the gods of the forest that take the form of giant wolves. San fights with an implacable hatred of humans and all their works, yet is painfully subject to her own biological heritage.

The humans are represented by the denizens of Irontown, and their ruthless leader, Lady Eboshi. Lady Eboshi a haughty, aristocratic, and utterly fearless enemy of the forest and its inhabitants. The workers of the fortified town ravage the landscape to drive the gods back, wresting the wood and ore to make iron in their massive forge. As the authors of pollution and deforestation, these humans would seem the logical villains, and in an American film they almost certainly would be. But like most anime, characters in Miyazaki's films are complex and hard to stereotype. Lady Eboshi detests the capricious dominance of nature, but not because she hungers for personal power and glory. As Ashitaka discovers when visiting Irontown, the citizens are outcasts, mostly ex-prostitutes and lepers, brought together by the Lady to create a new and better life. Only she enters the dwelling of the lepers, to change their dressings, treat their wounds, and work with them in the production of new guns to obliterate the gods.

Many in the modern West we have an idyllic view of the natural world. But nature is as cruel as it is beautiful, and the guardians of the forest are better representatives of nature than our eco-fantasy wishes. The old gods are proud and regal, but also fell and brutal, struggling to dominate and marginalize humans. In Mononoke, there are no good guys or bad guys, only beings caught up in cruel fate.

The sweeping, haunting score by Joe Hisaishi shows why Miyazaki has used him for almost all his films. Disney collected some talented actors for it's dubbing of Mononoke, and an intelligent translation of the screenplay by graphic artist Neil Gaiman. Aside from Claire Danes overly shrill San, the cast is quite good, which shows what quality voices can do for a dub. Fortunately, a storm of protest greeted Disney's initial decision to have an English only DVD, so the excellent Japanese seiyuu were included in the delayed release.
Just why Disney has been so reluctant to do anything with the Miyazaki property can be seen in the breathtaking visuals of Princess Mononoke. The Japanese director has created a world of splendor and violence, alien and familiar, alive with spirits, beasts, and strange beings. Combining computer with traditional animation, the film brings water and blood and trees to life. But graphic scenes of severed limbs and the slaughter of battle must have left the suits at Disney wondering just what they were in for. Hopefully, the little gold statuette will end their reluctance to release the Miyazaki films. In Hollywood, nothing succeeds like Oscar.

• Studio: Miramax
• Format: DVD
• Episodes in Series: 1
• Series Completed: Yes
• Number of DVDs: 1
  

• Audio Tracks: English, French, Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Genre: Fantasy
• Age: 13+
• Cautions: Violence
• Reviewer: George
• Core Collection: High School, Adult, Academic, Fantasy