Review by C.J. Bunce
Writhing in pain from the curse of a rampaging boar god, Ashitaka sets off to find a cure. As the beautiful Lady Eboshi attempts to unleash the worst features of technological development upon the world at the cost of the forest and nature itself, a heroine arrives. Princess Mononoke is Hayao Miyazaki’s second environmental parable, a tremendous follow-up to his Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. As Princess Mononoke returns to theaters this weekend as part of Fathom Events Studio Ghibli 2024 screenings, VIZ Media’s Princess Mononoke Picture Book is the perfect read-along for fans of the movie, old and new. It’s available now here direct from VIZ Media and here at Amazon.
Princess Mononoke is possibly Miyazaki’s most dramatic creation, epic in scope, with extraordinary stakes. Princess Mononoke was raised by wolves, and her mother, the wolf god Moro, is a character you won’t soon forget. Driven by a hatred of all humans, Princess Mononoke goes after Lady Eboshi before she kills the Deer God, which she believes will remove the last vestiges of nature holding back her version of progress, an iron mill already sucking away the lives of its workers.
Can she and Ashitaka ally in time to stop the wild lands from being destroyed?
Princess Mononoke Picture Book is the next of the Miyazaki picture books, large-sized hardcover storybooks that makes the perfect supplement, souvenir, or introduction to the stories of Hayao Miyazaki. This volume perfectly reproduces the colorful artwork of Miyazaki, complete with an introduction of characters and concepts for young readers.
Princess Mononoke is Miyazaki’s take on Rudyard Kipling and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Moro can be seen as Akela of The Jungle Book, and the young princess on the cusp of deciding to join than human world is his update to Mowgli and Tarzan. Like Princess Nausicaä, Princess Mononoke is a fantastic heroine and Miyazaki creation, Princess Mononoke similarly young and uncertain of her place and role in the world.
Don’t miss this great storybook and read-along. If you grew up with Disney storybooks based on its fairy tale adaptations, you’ll love this book. Princess Mononoke Picture Book is the perfect read-along for fans of the movie, old and new. It’s available now here direct from VIZ Media and here at Amazon. Enjoy it before or after the film, now streaming on Disney+. Better yet, see it in theaters beginning Saturday as part of Fathom Events screenings. Find times, theater locations, and order tickets now here at the Fathom Events website. But act fast–the screenings end July 17, 2024.
