In time for the 20th anniversary of its original release, anime epic Princess Mononoke will hit U.S. theaters on 2017.
Princess Mononoke is directed by Japanese anime legend Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), and Ponyo (2008)). It follows the adventures of a cursed warrior prince, Ashitaka. As Ashitaka searches for a cure for his demonic ails, he finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and the miners from the village of Tatara. Ashitaka soon meets San. San, the fierce wolf girl dubbed as Princess Mononoke, vows to defend the forests at all costs.
Produced by Studio Ghibli back in 1997, Princess Mononoke is the fourth highest grossing Japanese movie of all time. It is the first animated film to receive the Japan Academy award for picture of the year. The fantasy masterpiece is hailed as one of Miyazaki’s best—with its breathtaking visuals and its hypnotic storytelling that melds Japanese mythology, feminism, as well as environmentalism.
Marking the 20th anniversary of its release and the birthday of director Hayao Miyazaki, American distributor GKIDS will hold special film screenings of Princess Mononoke in several American theaters. The first screening will be on January 5, 2017. The film will screen in Japanese plus English subtitles, with Yoji Matsuda as Ashitaka and Yuriko Ishida as San. An English-dubbed screening will take place on January 9, 2017. Hollywood stars Billy Crudup and Clare Danes lend their voices to Ashitaka and San respectively.
Aside from Princess Mononoke, audiences will be treated to a special presentation of a rare music video directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The video is for Japanese band Chage & Aska’s song “On Your Mark”.
For tickets to the special screening, visit the Fathom Events website.