I've watched Princess Mononoke again cause I couldn't remember it much. It's got an interesting western gestation cause Disney wanted the rights to the home video release of the Studio Ghibli stuff in America so Ghibli says ok but you've got to give a big release to our next film. Disney thinks that they're getting another kids film like My Neighbour Totoro then Ghibli bust out this 2 hour 13 minute feature length which features arms being shot off, people decapitated and general gross stuff with a more mature theme of man vs nature. Disney get cold feet so they pass it onto their subsidiary Miramax who have Harvey "Wank into a pot plant" Weinstein on it. At the time they were known for cutting films for their audience so, as the story goes, Ghibli sends them the copy of Princess Mononoke with a sword and a note that says "No cuts".

Anyway, the film is great. I didn't realise that this film was one of those that put Ghibli on the map for western audiences despite not doing well at the box office stateside. It's a great film but is almost too anime-ish for a Studio Ghibli film. I liked the themes which kinda, in my mind, mirror those in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. It could almost be a prequel of sorts. In Princess Mononoke humans are trying to destroy nature (and each other) and in Nausicaa man has successfully smashed the earth to bits. It's a long film but the time passes by quickly without much in the way of padding. The animation is typically fantastic and, apparently, this was the first film where Ghibli involved computer graphics into their laborious animation process. It doesn't feel much like a kids film and this feels more like it's aimed at the teen demographic. I enjoyed it still despite being a saggy old arsehole. The themes of man vs nature is relevant today as it was back in the nineties when this was released and I imagine that, going forward, it will remain relevant as we continue to destroy this big ball of earth and fire until we're all dead. If the terrorists don't get us first of course.