Princess Mononoke – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Princess Mononoke

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie1997

82%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Miyazaki's bloody, beautiful epic about gods, guns, and whether humans deserve the forest—not your typical Studio Ghibli.

8.3/10

93%

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Princess Mononoke

movie

PG-13, 1997

82%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Miyazaki's bloody, beautiful epic about gods, guns, and whether humans deserve the forest—not your typical Studio Ghibli.

8.3

93%

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8.3/10

93%

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Screenwise Verdict

This is Miyazaki's masterpiece and one of the greatest animated films ever made, but it's also his darkest and most violent. Unlike Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro, this is not a cozy Ghibli experience—it's a bloody epic about war, environmental collapse, and whether humans can stop destroying everything they touch.

The animation is jaw-dropping, the world-building is unmatched, and the themes are more relevant now than in 1997. But parents need to know: people get decapitated, arrows pierce throats, limbs are severed, and there's a demon boar covered in writhing worms in the first ten minutes. Common Sense Media's age 12+ recommendation is spot-on.

If your tween or teen can handle the violence, this is essential viewing—a film that respects their intelligence and doesn't offer easy answers. It's the rare animated movie that gets better with age and rewards multiple viewings. Just don't put it on for your 7-year-old expecting Ponyo.

Age Fit

Best for ages 12+ who can handle graphic violence and complex moral questions. The violence is stylized but genuinely intense—this earned its PG-13 rating. Mature 10-11 year olds might handle it, but know your kid. Teens and adults will find it profound.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Miyazaki delivers a morally complex story where nobody is purely good or evil—Ashitaka seeks peace, San fights for survival, Lady Eboshi protects outcasts but destroys forests. The emotional core is healthy: empathy, respect for nature, and understanding different perspectives. However, the tone is serious and often grim, with characters facing death, disease, and moral ambiguity. Not chaotic, but heavy.

Imaginative

Stunning hand-drawn animation brings to life a mythical feudal Japan with forest gods, cursed boars, wolf clans, and a deer god that walks between life and death. The world-building is rich and original—Iron Town's industrial revolution clashing with ancient spirits creates visual and conceptual magic. Invites kids to think about humanity's relationship with nature in ways few films do. A masterclass in visual storytelling.

Safe

PG-13 for good reason. Multiple sources confirm 'severe' and 'graphic' violence: decapitations, limbs severed by arrows, blood spurting from wounds, a man's arms ripped off on-screen. The opening curse sequence shows a demon boar covered in writhing worms. People are shot with arrows and fall from walls. A character's head is shot clean off (briefly shown). This is NOT a typical Ghibli film—it's intense, bloody, and genuinely disturbing in places. Common Sense Media recommends age 12+.

Enriching

One of the most thematically rich animated films ever made. Explores environmentalism without preaching, showing how industrialization helps marginalized people (lepers, sex workers) while destroying ecosystems. Raises questions about progress, survival, hatred, and whether humans and nature can coexist. Ashitaka's journey teaches that seeing with 'eyes unclouded by hate' is harder than choosing a side. The film respects kids' intelligence and doesn't offer easy answers. Deeply memorable.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Visually breathtaking hand-drawn animation that still looks better than most modern CGI
Morally complex storytelling where every side has valid reasons—teaches nuanced thinking about conflict and environmentalism
Strong characters including San (a feral girl raised by wolves) and Lady Eboshi (who employs society's outcasts but clear-cuts forests)
Doesn't talk down to viewers—trusts audiences to grapple with themes of hatred, survival, and coexistence
Holds up incredibly well; teens and adults love it as much as kids do

⚠

What to Watch For

Graphic violence throughout—arrows through necks, decapitations, spurting blood, severed limbs. This is NOT Totoro.
Dark and intense tone with body horror elements (cursed demon boar covered in worms, creeping black curse on Ashitaka's arm)
Emotionally heavy themes about death, disease, and destruction that may overwhelm younger or sensitive kids
Subtitled version is superior to the dubbed version, but requires reading stamina

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think Lady Eboshi cuts down the forest even though she seems like a good person who helps people?"
"Ashitaka says he wants to 'see with eyes unclouded by hate.' What do you think that means? Is it possible?"
"If you were in charge of Iron Town, how would you balance helping people survive with protecting the forest?"
"San was raised by wolves and hates humans. Do you think she changes her mind by the end? Should she?"
"The Forest Spirit gives life and takes it away. What do you think the movie is saying about nature and death?"

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