Editing Princess Mononoke (section)

=== Critical response ===

The film was generally well received by critics in Japan, and Kanō described a "flurry of praise" in the Japanese media following its box office success.{{sfn|Kanō|2006|p=217–218}} ''[[The Asahi Shimbun]]''{{'s}} Noboru Akiyama felt that the work displayed a "strong artistic quality" and a number of reviews in animation magazines highlighted its visual fidelity.<ref>Cited in {{harvnb|Kanō|2006|pp=217–218}}.</ref> Several publications featured articles from critics and academics covering several aspects of the film's production as well as interviews with key staff.{{sfn|Yoshioka|2018|pp=31–32}} According to Yoshioka, a variety of academics were attracted to write about the film due to themes such as Japanese cultural history being relatively "easy topics" to cover, as well as in response to Miyazaki's growing status as a [[public intellectual]] ({{lang|ja-Latn|bunkajin}}) within Japanese society.{{sfn|Yoshioka|2018|p=32}} Some scholars speculated on the contributing factors to the film's success; a number commented on the reactions of younger audience members, who found the themes relatable to their personal struggles and empathized with its motifs of hope.{{sfn|Yoshioka|2018|pp=34–35}} Napier also wrote that the themes of conflict and coexistence with nature and the spirit world resonated strongly with Japanese viewers.{{sfn|Napier|2018|p=177}} Very few reviews directed criticism at the film, and among them Kanō found many of the comments to be "highly questionable".{{sfn|Kanō|2006|p=218}} Kenichiro Horii of the ''[[Shūkan Bunshun]]'' found the text difficult to parse, and others were disappointed by the fantasy that Miyazaki had constructed. A few critics also faulted the female characters' lack of sex appeal.<ref>Cited in {{harvnb|Kanō|2006|p=218}}.</ref>

Despite its poor performance in the American box office, the film received widespread praise from critics in the United States.{{sfnm|Kanō|2006|1p=216|Pett|2018|2p=176}} On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Metacritic]], the film was assigned a [[weighted average]] score of 76 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{sfn|''Metacritic''}} On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], {{RT data|score}} of the {{RT data|count}} critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8 out of 10. The website's consensus reads, "With its epic story and breathtaking visuals, ''Princess Mononoke'' is a landmark in the world of animation."{{sfn|''Rotten Tomatoes''}} In 2018, Pett conducted a [[meta-analysis]] of 1065 critical reviews published in the United States and the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Pett|2018|p=173}} Initial reviews often discussed the cultural differences that the film would exhibit and the alterations that Miramax had made to the presentation; [[Ty Burr]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' was generally appreciative but felt "very curious to see if American audiences can handle it."<ref>{{harvnb|Burr|1999}}, cited in {{harvnb|Pett|2018|pp=175–176}}.</ref> While [[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' felt that the film had been "effectively translated{{nbsp}}[...] without losing its Japanese essence",<ref>{{harvnb|Maslin|1999}}, cited in {{harvnb|Pett|2018|p=175}}.</ref> Michael Atkinson wrote in ''Mr. Showbiz'' that "an enormous amount of something or other got lost in the translation."<ref>{{harvnb|Atkinson}}, cited in {{harvnb|Pett|2018|p=176}}.</ref>

Many critics compared the film with the family-oriented works, primarily produced by Disney, which defined audience expectations for animations in the United States.{{sfn|Pett|2018|p=178}} ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''{{'s}} Leonard Klady wrote that the film {{nowrap|"[flies]}} in the face of popular Western animation" by eschewing musical numbers or narratives written to appeal to children.<ref>{{harvnb|Klady|1998}}, cited in {{harvnb|Pett|2018|p=178}}.</ref> [[Stephen Hunter]] commented in an article for ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that the animation is "completely vivid and exquisitely detailed", but lacks the fluidity of Disney's works.<ref>{{harvnb|Hunter|1999}}, cited in {{harvnb|Pett|2018|p=176}}.</ref> Critics also highlighted the violence and mature themes as aspects inappropriate for children.{{sfn|Pett|2018|p=179}} Burr and others favorably compared the film's fantasy elements with those of ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]''{{nbsp}}(1999){{nbsp}}– which had been released a few months prior{{nbsp}}– and novels such as ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''{{nbsp}}(1954–1955) and ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]''{{nbsp}}(1950–1956).{{sfn|Pett|2018|pp=181–182}} Roger Ebert of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' considered the film Miyazaki's best and recommended it for an [[Academy Award]] nomination.<ref>{{harvnb|Ebert|1999a}}, cited in {{harvnb|Pett|2018|pp=183–184}}.</ref> In the United Kingdom, however, the film received a very limited number of reviews and was largely panned by critics. Pett and the journalist [[Andrew Osmond (journalist)|Andrew Osmond]] ascribed this to a general negative perception of anime in British society at the time, rooted in controversies caused by some violent and sexually explicit animations.<ref>{{harvnb|Osmond|2000}}, cited in {{harvnb|Pett|2018|pp=176–177}}.</ref>

Several publications have featured ''Princess Mononoke'' in their lists of best films. ''Animage'' ranked it 47th in their list of the 100 best anime in 2001.{{sfn|''Anime News Network''|2001}} ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' ranked it 488th on their list of the 500 greatest films{{sfn|''Empire''}} and placed it 3rd on their 2024 list of the 50 greatest animated films.{{sfn|Travis|2024}} It also ranked 13th on ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]''{{'s}} list of the 100 best anime films{{sfn|Egan|2024}} and 26th on ''[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]'' and ''[[Total Film]]''{{'s}} lists of the greatest animated films.{{sfnm|1a1=Jenkins|2a1=Kinnear|2a2=Winning|2y=2014}}