...a magical fantasy world with its own mythology and its own topography that nevertheless recalls all of our collective, imaginative, childhood visions.
But the character most challenging is Jigo, the monk. His motives and conduct are all over the map--a comical sidekick, an amicable friend, a cunning thief, a devious plotter, a scheming reprobate, a back-stabbing miscreant. He is voiced by Billy Bob Thornton, whose easygoing drawl can be both gently reassuring and sinisterly sorry. It can also be a bit disconcerting hearing so patently an American voice coming from so obviously an Asian character. But one's momentary discomfiture passes, and Thornton begins to grow on you.
The characters are finely hand drawn but show little expression, and they are often left immobile while action goes on around them in the manner of low-budget television cartoons. Yet it is not for the character drawings that the movie must be praised; it is for the background painting. There is no other word than "glorious" for the stunning perfection of these backdrops. The forests, the hills, the rivers, the trees are breathtaking in their grandeur. They are rendered almost photo-realistically, but with an extra degree of softness and mistiness about them, an ethereal wisp of pixie dust that steers them away from the world of lifelike facsimile and into the realm of impressionist enchantment.
Miyazaki creates a magical fantasy world with its own mythology and its own topography that nevertheless recalls all of our collective, imaginative, childhood visions. It is a sublime accomplishment.
Video:
To support the glorious art work, Buena Vista have transferred the film to DVD in nothing short of picture-perfect quality. The colors in this 1.74:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen presentation are vivid and sharply defined; the hues are natural and consistent; the image and lines are rock-solid stable.
Audio:
Almost as good is the audio, Dolby Digital 5.1, with its wide dynamics, deep bass, and subtle but effective surround sound effects.
Extras:
There aren't a lot of extras on the disc, though. A five-minute "making-of" featurette, twenty-five scene selections, and a full-frame theatrical trailer are about the lot. Spoken languages include English, French, and Japanese, despite the back of the box omitting the latter option; and there are either captions or literal-translation subtitles in English. I was sorry there wasn't more, but I was so taken by the film I didn't much care.
Parting Thoughts:
"Princess Mononoke" is the kind of film that begs to become an instant classic and just misses the mark by having somewhat lackluster characters and an overly tangled plot. Nevertheless, it is easily one of the best-looking animated features in years. Heck, just stare at it as you would a fine painting. Sit and gaze and dream and wonder. It's worth it for that alone.
The characters are finely hand drawn but show little expression, and they are often left immobile while action goes on around them in the manner of low-budget television cartoons. Yet it is not for the character drawings that the movie must be praised; it is for the background painting. There is no other word than "glorious" for the stunning perfection of these backdrops. The forests, the hills, the rivers, the trees are breathtaking in their grandeur. They are rendered almost photo-realistically, but with an extra degree of softness and mistiness about them, an ethereal wisp of pixie dust that steers them away from the world of lifelike facsimile and into the realm of impressionist enchantment.
Miyazaki creates a magical fantasy world with its own mythology and its own topography that nevertheless recalls all of our collective, imaginative, childhood visions. It is a sublime accomplishment.
Video:
To support the glorious art work, Buena Vista have transferred the film to DVD in nothing short of picture-perfect quality. The colors in this 1.74:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen presentation are vivid and sharply defined; the hues are natural and consistent; the image and lines are rock-solid stable.
Audio:
Almost as good is the audio, Dolby Digital 5.1, with its wide dynamics, deep bass, and subtle but effective surround sound effects.
Extras:
There aren't a lot of extras on the disc, though. A five-minute "making-of" featurette, twenty-five scene selections, and a full-frame theatrical trailer are about the lot. Spoken languages include English, French, and Japanese, despite the back of the box omitting the latter option; and there are either captions or literal-translation subtitles in English. I was sorry there wasn't more, but I was so taken by the film I didn't much care.
Parting Thoughts:
"Princess Mononoke" is the kind of film that begs to become an instant classic and just misses the mark by having somewhat lackluster characters and an overly tangled plot. Nevertheless, it is easily one of the best-looking animated features in years. Heck, just stare at it as you would a fine painting. Sit and gaze and dream and wonder. It's worth it for that alone.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]5914[/release]