I’m 20 years old. Princess Mononoke, Studio Ghibli’s epic and fantastical tale of a cursed prince, human greed, boar-gods and forest spirits is about to turn 25. The world seems to have changed tremendously over the course of my life, and in the time since the film was released. It has not always been for the better.
The film speaks with the same fear, outrage and desperation that we’ve heard in the protest chants, activists’ speeches and everyday conversations in recent years, and its fantasy universe feels and looks more and more like our own (minus the Forest spirits, animal gods and supernatural curses).
Humans infiltrate a once majestic forest, transforming once peaceful animals into monsters and destroying the beauty of the natural world. Although nature retaliates, and is proven to be more powerful than humans, it is the actions of mankind that instigate the violence. Sadly, in the wake of historically devastating bush-fires, floods, natural disasters, and of course, viruses, it seems we’ve reached this point ourselves; it feels like nature is fighting back.
I remember holding bake sales in primary school to save the orangutans, and I remember classes being cancelled in high school because the students were striking for climate action. I remember the boycotts on palm oil, plastic straws and disposable coffee cups.
