If you own the Blu-ray DVD combo pack of Princess Mononoke, I can assure you that once you experience Princess Mononoke on Blu-ray, you will never want to go back to the DVD addition of Princess Mononoke. This is because the Miyazaki films that I have actually seen on Blu-ray have been remastered so well, and they make Miyazaki's films all look incredible, especially the case with Princess Mononoke. This goes without saying, the animation in Princess Mononoke is astounding, I found it to be breathtaking and gorgeous to look at. Every time I rewatch Princess Mononoke, I am floored by the amount of detail and the amount of work that was put into the animation. I even notice some small details that actually look impressive. This is one of Miyazaki's examples of a tour de force, and one of the finest presentations that Studio Ghibli has ever put out.
To compliment the majestic animation in Princess Mononoke is the film score by Joe Hisaishi. The film score is also very good in Princess Mononoke, some of the best music that Hisaishi has made in my opinion. There are other film scores to other Miyazaki films that are just as good, but I think that this is the one that sticks out the most. Just have a quick listen to it's main theme and you will understand why this soundtrack is so good.
In regards to the voice acting, both the original Japanese cast and the English dub cast are excellent. I can understand that some performances in the English dub may take a little getting used to for some viewers. Personally, I enjoyed all of the performances in the English dub just as much as I enjoyed all of the performances from the original Japanese version of Princess Mononoke. There is something that is special about Princess Mononoke's English dub, and that is the adaptive script. The adaptive script was written by the author that was responsible for stories such as "American Gods" and "Coraline", Neil Gaiman (Yeah, that Neil Gaiman). I find it very rare that a writer took up the task to write an adaptive script for an Anime film, for English speaking audiences, especially a film from Hayao Miyazaki. That being said, the English dub script for this movie is of biblical proportions.
Another thing that made me fall in love with this movie are the characters. Now prince Ashitaka may seem to have the least amount of characterization in the film, and even if that were the case, you have to consider that he was exiled by the Emishi people because of the curse on his right arm. He is an outcast, he has to fend for himself, that actually makes him a bit fascinating. As for princess San, some may find her to be a little too feisty for this film's own good, but you have to consider the fact that she was raised by wolves. It's only logical for her to have a bit of a wolf mentality when it comes to her character, and in this film's case it makes sense. Lady Eboshi may appear to be the villain of Princess Mononoke, but her motivations and her actions actually benefit her people, so she does the things she does because she wants what is best for them. What makes Princess Mononoke's characters so fascinating is that they are not your typical black and white, they are all grey. They all have motivations and they are actually believable.
Princess Mononoke is a tale of human nature with a touch of spirituality. It even has a clever environmentalist message in it, you just have to look very carefully as to what I mean by that. I may have stared at other Miyazaki films with awe, but when it comes to Princess Mononoke, this is by far the most complicated film he has ever made, not to mention the most violent.
Princess Mononoke is a brilliant film by Hayao Miyazaki, and it is a must see for anyone that loves animation. If you have not seen Princess Mononoke, oh dear God what are you waiting for? You are missing out. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest animated films ever made, and one of the greatest Anime films ever made. I love Princess Mononoke, it is one of my favorite Studio Ghibli films, it is my second favorite Hayao Miyazaki film, and it is one of my favorite Anime films of all time. Yes, I view Princess Mononoke in high regard. That said, I am going to give Hayao Miyazaki's second best movie, Princess Mononoke, a much deserved 8.
