Series: The Art of Princess Mononoke
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Release Date: August 26, 2014
Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars
“Princess Mononoke” was the first Studio Ghibli film that I saw in theaters and one of my favorites. This film is so epic and just visually outstanding. Even though, I am a huge fan of this film, I have never checked out “The Art of” this film. Luckily, Viz Media is re-issuing this in their line of Studio Ghibli artbooks. The book includes fantastic interviews, concept sketches, and finished animation cels from this animated classic.
I grew up watching films like “Castle in the Sky” and “My Neighbor Totoro” but “Princess Mononoke” was the first Studio Ghibli film from Hayao Miyazaki to break out with American audiences. This film really exploded by interest in animated kids outside of Disney films. There are literally hundreds of images from preliminary sketches to dynamic animation cels. If you love “Princess Mononoke”, Then I cannot recommend this book any more. Plus kudos to Viz for delivering this gorgeous full color art cover, which is simply gorgeous!