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Spirited Away vs. Princess Mononoke in the U.S.

I would certainly say 'Spirited Away' has more universal appeal because it's aimed more at children. Miyazaki is exceptionally skilled at communicating with younger audiences; I've never seen a kid who wasn't instantly entranced by 'My Neighbour Totoro,' for example. 'Princess Mononoke' is a great film, but a bit more of an experiment outside Miyazaki's usual comfort zone. And good on 'im for that, but 'Spirited Away' was more exemplary of his style and his greatest strengths.

Hi, I have a few questions today. I hope someone knows something about it.

Both films are written by the same person and both are very famous and highly rated. However in the United States, Spirited Away was much more popular than Princess Mononoke, earning about 5 times the amount that Princess did. Disney reported they were not happy with the box office sales for Princess Mononoke.

So why is Spirited Away so much more popular than Princess Mononoke? Is it related to American culture because both did very well in Japan. Is there something in Spirited Away that attracted the US viewers that was somewhat absent from Princess?

Thanks

darker, more violent theme, both environmental and anti-war.

I have trouble with movies (or music or books) that feel like there is an agenda behind them.

I loved Spirited Away because it's so accessible. It's just a story about a little girl growing up without any of that awful crammed-down-your-throat let-nature do-whatever-it-wants-at-the-expense-of-humans environmentalist crap.

I guess we can blame Disney for bad marketing, but I happen to think this movie was trying to tap into a largely non-existent audience.

If you're trying to criticize the lifestyle of an entire civilization it's better to do it in a softer, gentler, more human manner and present the issues in question in more of a conversational environment instead of the "humans and technology bad, nature gods good, no compromise" deal used in so many of Miyazaki's more serious fims.

[Hayao Miyazaki has] a very serene and contented brand of fatalism. He talks about New Orleans, and Hurricane Katrina and insists that the same thing will happen in Tokyo. There are a lot of water-gates in the city, and the river runs past his home. He smiles and taps ash from his cigarette. There are too many people in the world, he says, and too many wrong turns along the way. At the age of 64, he gives the impression that the planet is doomed but he'll soon be leaving it, and not a minute too soon. "Personally I am very pessimistic," Miyazaki says. "But when, for instance, one of my staff has a baby you can't help but bless them for a good future. Because I can't tell that child, 'Oh, you shouldn't have come into this life.' And yet I know the world is heading in a bad direction. So with those conflicting thoughts in mind, I think about what kind of films I should be making."

Perhaps this is why he tells children's stories. "Well, yes. I believe that children's souls are the inheritors of historical memory from previous generations. It's just that as they grow older and experience the everyday world that memory sinks lower and lower. I feel I need to make a film that reaches down to that level. If I could do that I would die happy." I ask if he feels he's managed that already and he chuckles and shakes his head. Nor does he feel that film can be employed as a force for good. "Film doesn't have that kind of power," he says, gloomily. "It only exerts its influence when it stirs patriots up against other nations, or taps into aggressive, violent urges." This is a black diagnosis indeed. But then, inexplicably, Miyazaki's mood lightens. Perhaps it's the sunshine, or the cigarette, or the fact that the interview is almost over. "Of course," he relents, "if, as artists, we try to tap into that soul level - if we say that life is worth living and the world is worth living in - then something good might come of it." He shrugs. "Maybe that's what these films are doing. They are my way of blessing the child"