WRITE UP: Joe Wilson’s Princess Mononoke Print
I love Miyazaki’s movies. On a completely surface level, his films are beautifully illustrated and a triumph of traditional animation over a more CGI-intensive process. Don’t get me wrong, Pixar and Dreamwork’s offerings can be (and often are) great, but I would gladly choose something hand drawn in place of a digitally rendered wire frame any day of the week. But it’s more than just that. Miyazaki’s storytelling exhibits so much affection for its characters and the world they inhabit, it’s impossible not to be swept away by what’s happening on-screen. And while my all-time favorite film of his would have to be Spirited Away, the number two spot belongs to Princess Mononoke (with the third going to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.) It goes without saying that Mononoke is easy on the eyes (this is Miyazake we’re talking about, after all), but the movie’s epic tale with its examination of man’s eternal struggle to rule everything around him no matter the cost, and the Japanese folklore the director so effortlessly weaves in throughout its telling, is what really makes this film an infinitely rewatchable masterpiece. I mention all this because tonight I’ll be writing about a print which, for me at least, captured that sense of awe and amazement I had when first seeing the movie. Without further ado, I humbly request you take a peek at Joe Wilson’s stunning Princess Mononoke poster.
