Twenty years ago, Hayao Miyazaki finished what was supposed to be his final movie: a dark, violent, yet beautiful fantasy about the growing conflict between man and nature. Instead, it was acclaimed as an anime masterpiece and ushered in a new era for the legendary animator that included films like \u201cSpirited Away\u201d and \u201cPonyo.\u201d As it returns to theaters for a special 20th anniversary engagement, here are some things you might not have known about Miyazaki\u2019s supernatural war epic.
According to Studio Ghibli\u2019s making-of documentary, Miyazaki\u2019s original concept for \u201cPrincess Mononoke\u201d was created in 1980 and involved a samurai story with a warrior\u2019s daughter and a mountain cat that gains supernatural powers. By the mid 90s, however, Miyazaki felt the samurai narrative was too rigid and no longer relevant to contemporary Japan, causing him to overhaul the story.
The Japanese title of the film is \u201cMononoke-Hime,\u201d with Hime meaning \u201cprincess.\u201d There is no direct translation for \u201cMononoke,\u201d which in this case roughly translates to a vengeful monster or spirit. Rather than make a complete change, Miramax decided to keep \u201cMononoke\u201d in the title for the North American release.
Harvey Weinstein, who was then in charge of Miramax, had planned to recut \u201cPrincess Mononoke,\u201d something that Miyazaki refused to allow after one of his earlier films got 30 minutes removed from the American release. In response, Miyazaki and Ghibli sent a katana to Miramax with a note reading \u201cNo cuts.\u201d
Irontown, the village attacked by the Forest Spirit, was inspired by John Ford westerns like \u201cStagecoach\u201d and \u201cThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.\u201d Miyazaki designed Irontown to feel like a settlement created by social outcasts much like the ones in classic westerns while basing the culture on traditional Japanese customs.
As for the iron making that pollutes San\u2019s forests and drives Irontown\u2019s economy, Miyazaki took inspiration from the blacksmiths he lived close to as a child. In the making-of documentary, Miyazaki said he enjoyed watching the process of forging iron and tried to recreate every step in \u201cMononoke\u201d while also showing the damage mining for raw iron did to Japan\u2019s environment.
With a budget of $23.5 million USD (approx. $35M in today\u2019s money), \u201cPrincess Mononoke\u201d was the most expensive anime ever made at the time of release, and Miyazaki said during production that he would not be surprise if it bombed. Instead, the film set a new domestic box office record in Japan and, along with \u201cTitanic,\u201d is one of only two films released before 2000 that are still in Japan\u2019s Top 10 grossing films.
The forest surrounding Irontown is heavily based on the Shiratani Ravine, a nature preserve on Yakishima Island, located off the southernmost tip of Japan. Since the release of \u201cMononoke,\u201d anime fans have traveled to the ravine to visit San\u2019s forest, leaving behind little kodama statues in the trees.
Prior to \u201cMononoke,\u201d Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli had been known for family films like \u201cKiki\u2019s Delivery Service\u201d and \u201cMy Neighbor Totoro.\u201d To make sure parents understood that \u201cMononoke\u201d was a much different film, Ghibli aired commercials that featured some of the most violent scenes, including explosions and severed limbs.
At 136 minutes and over 144,000 animation cels, \u201cPrincess Mononoke\u201d ranks in the top ten longest running animated films ever made. Despite this, Miyazaki personally reviewed and corrected all the key frames in the movie. It is estimated that he drew or corrected approximately 80,000 cels.
The wolf goddess Moro is voiced in the English dub by \u201cX-Files\u201d star Gillian Anderson, but is voiced by a male actor, Akihiro Miwa, in the Japanese version.
Read original story \u2018Princess Mononoke\u2019 Turns 20: 10 Things You Probably Didn\u2019t Know About Animated Classic (Photos) At TheWrap<\/p>\n

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