For this weeks blog post we were asked to review the Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke and how it is relevant to modern day environmentalism. The interesting thing about our plant that people seem to forget is just how…old it is. Earth has destroyed and rebuilt itself countless times in the past, and now, with global warming and such, is no different. We don’t need to save the plant, for the planet will outlive us all. What we need, is to save ourselves. If the Earth is a person, humanity and all of our industrialization is a common cold doomed to eradication by natural processes. In the movie, this concept was somewhat exemplified with the forest spirit after its head was cut off – killing everything and then rebuilding with an entirely new landscape. That’s the natural cycle our own planet takes in the real world. Destroy, rebuild, destroy, rebuild. Unfortunately, humanity, in all our infinite wisdom, has unknowingly used industrialization as a means to trigger the next destruction cycle. The ultimate consequence of this will be extinction if something doesn’t change. And, in all likeliness, it’s probably too late to stop anyways. The best we can do is slow it down until some other solution is developed. The article we were asked to read alongside viewing the movie was entitled Why Princess Mononoke is even more relevant 20 years later. The article was essentially an opinion piece discussing how the world, in terms of environmentalism, has just gotten worse since the movie was released and how, thanks to that, the film continues to be a relevant cautionary tale. I personally find this use of animation to boost awareness more effective than documentary use simply because it reaches a larger audience and holds more attention. Generally speaking, individuals viewing a documentary were explicitly looking for something with that specific message. Meanwhile, animated fictional films like Princess Mononoke attracts both those looking for that message and those just looking for some entertainment, allowing the ideas presented to spread. It is also more attractive to children and younger audiences who have the most impact on the future.

Miyazaki, H., Hisaishi, J., Crudup, B., Thornton, B., Driver, M., DiMaggio, J., . . . Sutajio Jiburi, Kabushiki Kaisha (Directors). (2000). Princess mononoke: Princesse mononoké[Video file]. Alliance Atlantis.

Dazed. (2017, July 12). Why Princess Mononoke is even more relevant 20 years later. Retrieved from http://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/36735/1/why-princess-mononoke-is-even-more-relevant-20-years-later