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Well, after nearly two years of rumors, title and release date worries fraying the nerves of the USA anime community, the American release of MONONOKE HIME (official English title: THE PRINCESS MONONOKE) is almost at hand. I was one of the fortunate people to see the final
dub at a screening at this year's Comic Con International. The film was introduced
by the English scriptwriter, Neil Gaiman, who is best known to American fans as
the creator of the phenomenally popular SANDMAN series. His
introduction said it all, "you are very lucky to get to see this film on a big
screen, as it was meant to be seen."Afterwards, he answered some questions about the
film itself. His response to "how is this different from the original film," was
succinct and humorous. "It's in English." He also explained that there were
representatives from Studio Ghibli approving the script both before and
during the recording.Mr. Gaiman also indirectly answered one question
that's been on everyone's mind for so long: Why has it taken so long? When the
film was first test screened, it didn't do so well, and when they went back to
find out why, it appeared that many dialog changes were made. Upon examining the
final script, they found a lot of differences in what was written and what was
actually being said, so everyone went back into the studio to re-record the
script as written. Of course, this added on to the production time and
forced a delay in the release.But by now you probably care less about all these
details and just want to know how it is and who's in it.Well, in a word, it's fantastic. The soundtrack and
animation are the same as they were in the Japanese release, and Miyazaki's
animation is always beautiful on a large screen, as it was meant to be seen. There
is a sense of vivid realness and immediacy that comes from watching this movie in a
theater.And the voices? They are, for the most part, very
well cast. Claire Danes as San manages to deliver the feeling of a tough girl with
a good heart. Billy Crudup is one of the most believable of the entire cast as
Ashitaka. And Gillian Anderson is an interesting choice as Morro, the wolf who
raised San. She delivers alternating amounts of compassion and contempt at the
appropriate times, although quite honestly I could have done without the
computer generated growling they stuck in "under" her voice. But it's Minnie Driver
as Eboshi who manages to steal the show. The woman who single-handedly created a
successful iron forge in the middle of the wilderness, Eboshi is a very determined
character, and Driver gives Eboshi a voice to match her commanding, regal bearing and
instill in the viewer a sense of awe as she stares down monsters and
would-be traitors alike. And those of you who watch a lot of anime dubs
will hear some familiar voices in there as well.The most noticeable thing about this dub is that
it doesn't sound like a dub. When watching the movie, you're not distracted by how
the voices "should have sounded" versus how they actually sound. Of course,
hard-core otaku will always find something to complain about, but in reality, this
is truly an exceptional adaptation which both anime purists and the general
population are sure to enjoy if they give it a chance. You owe it to
yourself to see this movie.
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The EX Men Publisher Editor in Chief Charles McCarter
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