Review of Princess Mononoke (1997) by Arianam. — 23 Aug 2002

The critics who gave this most excellent film low scores show their abysmally low intelligences in doing so. Just read the reviews. It's as if Disney paid them off. This transcends the anime genre.

Except for the unusual concepts and cultures, it hardly seems foreign at all. Not that I am saying it is like anything Disney puts out. This story actually has depth, morality, tragedy, things which American animators consitantly flunk with.

And as one critic said, it avoids the failings of most nature v. man tales-- that is, there is no black and white in this story, and there is no good and evil. I found only one character that I was capable of completely disliking That brings me to the voice acting.

So often when films are dubbed, especially anime, the product becomes painful to listen to. But, thankfully, Miramax went all out. It's not that they put out the money to hire big stars, it's that they took the time to find actors who could understand their respective characters, and voice them appropriately.

Disney comparisons are unavoidable, but only because Disney owns the American animation market. If Japan can send us more films like this, Disney may be in trouble.