Princess Mononoke Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Princess Mononoke
Directed by	Hayao Miyazaki
Produced by	Toshio Suzuki
Written by	Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay and story) Neil Gaiman (English adaptation)
Starring	Yōji Matsuda Yuriko Ishida Yūko Tanaka Kaoru Kobayashi (Japan) Billy Crudup Claire Danes Minnie Driver Billy Bob Thornton (USA)
Music by	Joe Hisaishi
Cinematography	Atsushi Okui
Editing by	Takeshi Seyama
Studio	Miramax Films
Distributed by	Toho Buena Vista Pictures Alliance
Release date(s)	July 12, 1997 October 29 1999 November 26 1999 October 19 2001
Running time	134 min
Language	Japanese
Budget	¥2,400,000,000 (estimated)

Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫, Mononoke Hime) is a famous anime movie from 1997. It was created by the well-known director Hayao Miyazaki and made by Studio Ghibli. The movie's main message is "Ikiro," which means "Live!" in Japanese.

The word "Mononoke" is not a name. It means "spirit" or "monster" in Japanese. The beautiful forests in the movie look a lot like the real-life Yakushima island in Japan.

Story of Princess Mononoke
Main Characters
Music
Images for kids
See also

Story of Princess Mononoke

This movie takes place in Japan a long time ago, during the Muromachi period. In a peaceful village in Ezo, a young man named Ashitaka lived. One day, a scary evil god attacked his village. Ashitaka fought it off but was cursed by the god.

This evil god used to be a forest spirit. But humans hurt it, and it died in great pain, turning into a monster. Ashitaka knew his curse would eventually end his life. So, he decided to travel west to find out where the bullet that hurt the god came from.

On his journey, Ashitaka met a man named Jikobo. Jikobo told him about the mysterious Forest of Shishigami. Ashitaka decided to go there, hoping to find a cure for his curse.

As he traveled, he saw a girl with three large wolves. This girl was San, also known as Princess Mononoke. She was raised by the wolf god, Moro. Ashitaka thought they might know about the forest. But San and the wolves quickly disappeared into the trees.

Ashitaka later helped some injured men. They reached a village called Tatara, led by a strong woman named Eboshi Gozen. In Tatara, people made iron weapons. Eboshi wanted to take over the Forest of Shishigami. She planned to remove all the forest gods and turn the area into a place for humans.

People believed that Shishigami, the forest god, had the power to live forever. Because of this, many wanted to get Shishigami's head. Soon, a big and complex war began for the forest. It involved the humans from Tatara, the forest gods, San, and Ashitaka. During this conflict, Ashitaka and San slowly began to understand each other.

Main Characters

Ashitaka (Ashitakahiko): He is the main hero of the story. He is a 17-year-old boy who believes strongly in what is right. He gets a curse on his right arm that looks like a big snake. This curse sometimes gives him amazing strength, but it also makes his life shorter.
San - Princess Mononoke: A 15-year-old girl raised by a giant Japanese wolf. She really dislikes humans because they destroy the forest. She often attacks Tataraba to protect her home. She wears a red clay mask on her face.
Yakul: Ashitaka's loyal red antelope that he rides on his journey.
Moro: A wise, 300-year-old wolf who is seen as a god of the mountain. She can speak human language.
Eboshi Gozen: The powerful leader of Tataraba. Her people admire her. She wants to take control of Shishigami's forest.
Shishigami: The God of Life and Death. During the day, it looks like a deer. At night, it changes into a huge, glowing blue creature called Didarabocci.
Okkotonushi: A very old, 500-year-old god of the wild boars.
Jikobo: A mysterious man who tells Ashitaka about the Forest of Shishigami. He also wants to get Shishigami's head.