Princess Mononoke

Anime director Hayao Miyazaki's second film, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," is based on a multi-volume manga series the filmmaker wrote and drew himself. As such, it's a work of complex storytelling: Numerous sects and kingdoms are established, Japanese folk tales and myths are weaved into the proceedings, the narrative ultimately taking on an epic scope. Miyazaki's following films - "Totoro," "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Porco Rosso" - were simpler pictures, served in the form of parables or fables. His next try at manga-style epic storytelling, more than a decade later, would produce his magnum opus: "Princess Mononoke."

The film concerns the eponymous heroine (that's not her name, by the way - the title roughly translates to "princess of the beasts") and villager-warrior Ashitake, who become embroiled - for entirely different reasons - in a war with both enraged nature gods and greedy nobility, their aim to protect the untrammeled state of the forests. Miyazaki uses his medeival setting to indulge in depictions of mythical beasts and totems, but his eye never truly diverts from the narrative: The divergent threads accumulate into a towering whole. "Mononoke" is one of the few truly epic animated films - more "Deer Hunter" than "Dumbo."

The special features included on the disc are all transferred over from prior releases of the film, but they're all quite entertaining all the same. There's a documentary showcasing Miyazaki's trip to the U.S. to present the film upon release, as well as trailers and other media advertisements. Finally, as always with Ghibli, the disc contains the storyboarded (sketched) version of the final film. It should also be noted that the only subtitles included for the feature film is a transcript of the English dub, rather than a translation of the original Japanese - so purists should be sure to hang onto their copies of the original DVD.

Yet that's hardly a dealbreaker. With Miyazaki it's the visuals that transcend - even in "Mononoke," perhaps his most densely plotted film. His images - a sword cutting across a blurred background, or a warrior rising from dust - have the primal, affecting, and direct qualities of the best silent cinema. His poetry isn't lost or maintained in any subtitles - it's in the images.

"Princess Mononoke"
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
Disney.com
$36.99