Here is a production cel I would love to own. It's Ashitaka, the male lead from Miyazaki's 1997 mega-blockbuster Princess Mononoke. Because this is a relatively close shot, we get a large detail cel of the character, which really gives us a chance to admire the brilliant color on display.
For some strange reason, the colors on the US Mononoke DVD are bleached out. You really don't appreciate the film's brilliant use of earth tones. The Japanese DVD on the Ghibli ga Ippai label is far, far better, more properly matching the color tones of the film print.
In Japan, Mononoke Hime became a smash hit, and for a short time broke the nation's all-time box office record. This achievement was soon eclipsed by (what else?) Titanic, but Miyazaki's reclaimed the top spot for good in 2001, with The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro. And, yes, that is the full translation of the movie title.
Ever since Mononoke, Hayao Miyazaki's films have been staggeringly successful in Japan, and he remains the most successful film director outside of the US. Feel free to discuss your reasons why, folks...chat away!
2 comments:
Wow....!!
It is OK to use my Ashitaka cel picture but I would appreciate if you could mention where it originates from.
Post a Comment