Editing Princess Mononoke (section)

=== Early concepts and pre-production ===

[[Hayao Miyazaki]] composed the preliminary ideas for what would become ''Princess Mononoke'' in 1980 after releasing his first film, ''[[The Castle of Cagliostro]]''{{nbsp}}(1979),{{sfn|Denison|2018|p=3}} drawing sketches of a princess living in the woods with a beast.{{sfn|McCarthy|2002|p=182}} The story was roughly based on the "[[Beauty and the Beast]]"{{nbsp}}(1740) fairy tale, set in historical Japan.{{sfnm|Denison|2018|1p=3|McCarthy|2002|2p=182}} The Beast was realized as an animalistic spirit ({{lang|ja-Latn|[[mononoke]]}}) whom the protagonist, the daughter of a nobleman, is forced to marry.{{sfnm|Kanō|2006|1p=189|McCarthy|2002|2p=182}} After unsuccessfully proposing the film project to several production companies, Miyazaki published his concepts in a book in 1983,{{sfn|Greenberg|2018|p=136}} republished in 2014 as ''[[Princess Mononoke: The First Story]]''.{{sfn|Green|2014}} He reused various ideas from this project in works such as ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]''{{nbsp}}(1988) and ''[[Porco Rosso]]''{{nbsp}}(1992).{{sfn|Kanō|2006|pp=189–190}} ''[[Shuna's Journey]]''{{nbsp}}(1983) in particular bears the closest resemblance to the eventual film, featuring a protagonist who rides an elk to the land of gods.{{sfn|Greenberg|2018|pp=137–138}} A few fundamental ideas from the 1980 concept appear in the final film, but the character designs and plot are entirely different.{{sfnm|Denison|2018|1p=3|Greenberg|2018|2p=136}} The film scholar [[Raz Greenberg]] wrote that the original concept also {{nowrap|"[portrayed]}} the end of tyranny vividly", in contrast with the film, showing the antagonist's fortress destroyed and its slaves emancipated.{{sfn|Greenberg|2018|p=137}} According to the film scholar [[Rayna Denison]], the stark difference between the original idea and the final film demonstrates the radical change of Miyazaki's filmmaking philosophies during that time.{{sfn|Denison|2018|p=3}} He took cues from Japanese folklore, especially the tale of a princess with a birthmark, which evolved over time into Ashitaka's curse.<ref>Cited in {{harvnb|McCarthy|2002|pp=182–183}}.</ref>

[[File:Shiratani Unsui Gorge 17.jpg|thumb|Some of the film's natural scenery was inspired by a visit to the forests of [[Yakushima]].{{sfnm|Napier|2018|1p=189|Yanagihara|2018}}|upright=1.1|alt=A dense forest floor.]]

Inspired by the writings of [[Yoshie Hotta]], Miyazaki also considered creating a film adaptation of the {{lang|ja-Latn|[[Hōjōki]]}}{{nbsp}}(1212), a Japanese literary classic on the ephemerality of life.{{sfn|Napier|2018|p=180}} It was written by the poet [[Kamo no Chōmei]] during a period of political turmoil and natural disasters, which the animation scholar [[Susan J. Napier]] felt resonated with the "increasing sense of vulnerability" in Japanese culture during the time of the film's production.{{sfn|Napier|2018|p=181}}{{efn|See {{slink|#Conflicts of nature, technology, and humanity}} for further information.}} However, Miyazaki felt the concept was "far removed from common sense" and had no possibility of commercial success;<ref>Cited in {{harvnb|Kanō|2006|p=190}}.</ref> he never moved forward with this concept but continued to consider creating a historical piece.{{sfn|Napier|2018|p=181}} Upon the completion of his [[manga]] series ''[[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga)|Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind]]''{{nbsp}}(1982–1994), Miyazaki began work on the project proposal for the film in August 1994.{{sfnm|Kanō|2006|1pp=191–192|McCarthy|2002|2p=185}} However, encountering [[writer's block]] in December, he took a break from the production to direct the short film ''[[On Your Mark]]''{{nbsp}}(1995) as a side project.{{sfnm|Greenberg|2018|1p=140|McCarthy|2002|2p=185}} Miyazaki returned to the film in April 1995 and began working on the storyboards in May.{{sfn|McCarthy|2002|p=185}} The film's broad scope and high level of detail extended the pre-production process.{{sfn|Napier|2018|p=178}} That month, Miyazaki took four of the art directors to visit the island of [[Yakushima]],{{sfn|Kanō|2006|p=193}} which had already inspired some environments in ''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', to achieve the environmental depiction that he was seeking to portray.{{sfnm|McCarthy|2002|1p=186|Yanagihara|2018}} The island's relative lack of development informed their sketches of the film's forest of the gods.{{sfn|McCarthy|2002|pp=186–187}} The fifth art director, [[Kazuo Oga]], went to the [[Shirakami-Sanchi]] mountains to draw inspiration for the Emishi village.{{sfn|McCarthy|2002|p=186}}