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Parents' Guide to

Princess Mononoke

By Brian Camp, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Epic, compelling, and violent anime classic.

Movie PG-13 1999 133 minutes
Princess Mononoke Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 35 parent reviews

studioghiblilova18
studioghiblilova18 Adult
February 17, 2022
age 13+

Absolute Masterpiece

i would have to say that the movie is good for kids around 13-18, mainly cause the movie has some pretty graphic scenes like ashitaka shooting an arrow that completely decapitates someone's head. the movie isn't as suited for younger kids as well as my neighbor totoro and kiki's delivery service is cause it does feature some curse words such as piss and damn which isn't really suitable knowing how impressionable kids can be hearing curse words. the movie overall is fantastic and has a very well valued moral behind it all.
Amygalle143
Amygalle143 Parent of 5-year-old
September 16, 2022
age 5+

Love this movie! We watch it together often.

I loved introducing my child to this movie. What I enjoy most is the theme of honesty to emotions. “Good people” can also be bad & “bad people” can also be good. Princess Ashitaka is a great role model for children, I love his whole way of being throughout the movie. I also really enjoy the range of characters. I like how the characters resemble reality of varied personalities because this is closer to the truth of people. I love deeper concepts of humans & nature, perspective on greed & what happens if humans take what they desire even if it hurts others . I love that princess Mononoke expresses anger, is a protector, shows kindness & stands by what she believes. There is violence, I don’t see it as gory. There is so much more to the movie than violence though. It has inspired my child to say things like “I want to live in peace with the Forest & ask the trees if I can build my home here”. This defiantly came from watching this movie. I prefer my child watch this than any Disney movie because of messaging & themes. If you are hesitant to show your child, watch the movie yourself first & reflect on the messages, themes & note the violent parts (there aren’t very many) & decide if it’s ok for them to see. We defiantly have had open & honest conversations about violence because of this movie (& books on world history) so this has been a positive experience for us.
See all 35 parent reviews

What's the Story?

PRINCESS MONONOKE begins in 15th century Japan, as Ashitaka (voiced by Yōji Matsuda in the original version and Billy Crudup in the English dub), a young prince from a remote tribe, is cursed by a dying boar god from the forest region of western Japan. His journey to the source of the curse takes him to Iron Town. There, Lady Eboshi (Yūko Tanaka/Minnie Driver) runs an operation that smelts ore taken from the surrounding mountains once dominated by wolves and boars. Ashitaka is drawn to San (Yuriko Ishida/Claire Danes), a girl raised by wolves. Together they work to try to stop Lady Eboshi and the corrupt monk Jigo (Kaoru Kobayashi/Billy Bob Thornton) from waging war on the animals.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (35 ):
Kids say (113 ):

This film is a masterwork of animated storytelling from esteemed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. Charting an epic battle of humans versus gods in old Japan, Princess Mononoke is filled with adventure and beauty. It boasts the scope and grandeur of a live-action historical epic yet also has the fantastic elements of animation. These elements, in the form of talking animals and a magical forest spirit, are treated with utmost realism. The animals debate their plight with dead seriousness and attack humans in murderous rage. They're nothing like the talking animals in Disney features.


The English dub features several actors well-known to British and American audiences, mixing accents from Lady Eboshi's British lilt to the monk Jigo's Southern drawl to San's modern American teenage inflections. Other famous English-language cast members include Gillian Anderson as the wolf god Moro, Jada Pinkett-Smith as Toki, and Keith David as boar god Okkoto.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the role of violence in Princess Mononoke and in real life. How does the impact of the violence in this movie compare to that of live-action films?

  • What audience do you think this movie is most likely to appeal to? Why? Who do you think it's intended for?

  • How does this movie explore the tension between protection of the environment and humankind's consumption of the planet's natural resources?

  • How do Ashitaka and San demonstrate courage and perseverance? Why is it also important that they have compassion and empathy? How do these traits help them?

Movie Details

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