Princess Mononoke

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Short takes

Not suitable under 13; parental guidance to 14 (violence, themes, scary scenes, language)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Princess Mononoke
  • a review of Princess Mononoke completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 19 August 2025.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 13 Not suitable due to violence, themes, language and scary scenes.
Children aged 13–14 Parental guidance recommended due to violence, themes and language.
Children aged 15 and over Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Princess Mononoke
Classification: M
Consumer advice lines: Medium level violence
Length: 134 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

Defending his people from a rampaging demon, young Ashitaka (English voice of Billy Crudup) is cursed by the beast with a deadly mark on his arm before he manages to kill it. Ashitaka sets out on a journey, hoping to understand the source of the curse and ultimately to find a cure. His search leads him to Iron Town, a fortress-like settlement led by the ambitious Lady Eboshi (English voice of Minnie Driver), who assists and protects marginalised individuals such as prostitutes and lepers – training them in combat as well as in manufacturing iron and firearms. Her work causes widespread destruction of the natural environment, which angers the gods and forest creatures and arouses jealousy in others. In the forests outside Iron Town, Ashitaka encounters San (English voice of Claire Danes), a human girl raised by the wolf goddess Moro (English voice of Gillian Anderson). San, also known as Princess Mononoke, hates humans (especially Lady Eboshi) for the destruction they have caused, and she views herself as part of the forest. Tensions escalate as the Emperor sends his forces to bring back the head of the forest spirit, believing it will grant him immortality. As the inhabitants of Iron Town prepare for war against the forest gods, Ashitaka tries to act as an intermediary – bridging the gap between both sides and trying to encourage compassion and peace between multiple groups that cannot see past their own greed or anger.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Destructive human greed; War; Vengeance; Corruption; Ostracism; Alienation.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

  • Soldiers are shown stabbing farmers.
  • Soldiers shoot arrows at Ashitaka.
  • A man beats a woman.
  • Ashitaka shoots an arrow at a soldier and amputates both the man’s arms with the one shot.
  • Ashitaka decapitates a man by shooting an arrow at his neck. His head blasts off in a burst of blood.
  • There is mention, and debris shown, of a landslide that killed villagers.
  • Cannons are shot at San.
  • A man repeatedly slaps oxen on their rump.
  • Moro attacks men and throws them off a cliff.
  • Boars were angry when the humans cleared the forest. The boars killed men and trampled their village.
  • One character tells another: “Answer our questions or I will cut you in half.”
  • A character asks for assistance to help kill the forest spirits.
  • Men try to kill San and she engages in a sword fight. She is later blasted off a roof while running towards Lady Eboshi. She is blasted by fire and falls to the ground. She stands up and is hit in the face.
  • Two character engage in a knife fight.
  • San steps on and cuts a man’s face.
  • A woman is stabbed in the stomach.
  • Ashitaka jumps in front of a bullet and is shot through the chest.
  • Ashitaka falls and hits his head on a rock. A wolf subsequently attacks his head.
  • San holds a knife to Ashitaka’s throat.
  • A wolf is saying that they must eat the human (Ashitaka) to steal his strength and drive him away.
  • Ashitaka is told that he will be killed if he comes to the forest again.
  • Two groups shoot cannons at each other.
  • Characters are hit in the chest and face with bullets.
  • A girl shoots a bullet at a messenger.
  • Men attack Ashitaka with swords and then try to kill him by firing arrows at him.
  • Hundreds of boars are killed by an explosion. There are piles of bodies and Ashitaka notes the smell of burning flesh in the air.
  • Iron town is attacked and there is frequent shooting with guns and arrows.
  • An arrow hits the animal Ashitaka is travelling on.
  • Poison arrows are shot at Ashitaka as he tries to help a wolf.
  • Lady Eboshi shoots the forest spirit in the head but nothing happens.
  • Both Moro and the boar god die.
  • Lady Eboshi shoots again at the forest spirit and the second time she manages to shoot his head clean off his shoulders.
  • The emperor’s men collect the severed head and begin to transport it back towards Iron Town, while the forest spirit searches for his head.
  • The forest creatures start to transform or die after the forest spirit is killed.
  • Moro’s severed head reaches out and attacks Lady Eboshi, ripping off her arm.
  • Wolves attack men who are wearing boar hides on their heads.
  • A character is kicked and punched in the head.
  • When the forest spirit reattaches his severed head, he drops down dead on Iron Town.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • There are multiple scary visual images of forest gods that transform from innocent-looking animals, to staggering creatures that tower over the landscape, to creepy-looking characters who cover themselves in animal skins and small ghostlike creatures or shadowy characters that inhabit the forest.
  • There is a black monster with glowing eyes and thousands of worm-like creatures writhing all over its body which turns out to be a boar demon. It attacks Ashitaka but then begins to chase three young girls who are trying to reach their village. Ashitaka shoots the demon in the eye and bits of black blood or the worm-like creatures continue to pour out in every direction. The beast lays in a pool of blood and curses the humans in an unnatural voice, saying that they will, “suffer as I have suffered”.
  • Strange, ghost-like creatures with big holes for eyes, rattle and shake as a large creature with spikes moves through the forest.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

  • Many animals are killed, often dying brutal deaths by being stabbed, shot, or exploded by ancient landmines or grenades. The corpses are shown covered in blood, with lifeless eyes, and humans often take their furs to drape over their bodies and heads to cover their own scent, allowing them to hunt more efficiently. The effect is both creepy and disturbing.
  • When Moro is shot, San sucks the wound and spits out the blood. Her face is covered in blood. The scene is not scary but it is rather strange and disturbing.
  • A badly injured boar is covered in blood which appears to pour out of multiple wounds. Humans dressed as boars sneak up to the injured boar and seem to stab it with something that causes his body to quiver and transform into a demon. Sam hits her head on a rock and is thrown onto the boar demon where she gets caught in the transformation and is covered by black, worm-like vines that keep her tethered and will not let her go.
  • After the Forest Spirit is decapitated he transforms into a darkened creature who tries to locate his severed head. He releases a thick black goo that kills everything it touches and that wreaks havoc on the forest as well as the town.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

  • Nothing further noted.

Product placement

  • None noted.

Sexual references

There are some sexual references in this movie, including:

  • There are numerous references to a group of women who used to work as prostitutes.
  • One of the women in the town says to Ashitaka: “Wow, hey – you are not handsome, you’re gorgeous!” Other women join in, telling him to, “come over to our place”.
  • There are references to Lady Eboshi buying the contracts of all the brothel girls she can find.
  • A couple of women comment that: “Iron Town sure beats working in a brothel in the city.” and: “Here men don’t bother us unless we want them to.”
  • A character makes the comment: “You girls were wasted in the brothel.”

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

  • Occasionally characters wear what appear to be loin cloths while they wade in the water or work. They are generally shown from afar.
  • A man sits in a robe with his bare belly protruding over his knees as he squats on a bench.
  • Most of the women in Iron Town wear robes that show ample cleavage.
  • San chews jerky and spits it into an injured Ashitaka’s mouth, when she transfers it to him it looks like they are kissing.

Use of substances

  • None noted.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  • Thief
  • Heck
  • Damn
  • Demon monster
  • Shut up
  • Pigs (Filthy Pigs)
  • Idiots
  • Cowards
  • Runt
  • Stupid
  • Bastards and greedy bastard
  • Big Dope.

In a nutshell

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese, animated, historical fantasy, written and directed by acclaimed Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film blends real-life elements of Japan’s Mutomachi period with natural spirits and gods. Due to mature themes and the graphic nature of the violence, this is not a film for younger viewers and is best suited to audiences over the age of 13.

The main messages from this movie are that true harmony can only be achieved when humans respect and coexist with nature; and that we must strive to embrace empathy and compassion even in the midst of horrific conflict and widespread moral ambiguity.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Respect
  • Understanding
  • Courage
  • Empathy
  • Sacrifice
  • Compassion.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children the importance of living in harmony with nature and keeping the balance of the natural world.