The 4K digital remaster IMAX premiere screening of director Hayao Miyazaki's animated film "Princess Mononoke" (1997) was held in Tokyo on October 20th, with Yoji Matsuda, who plays Ashitaka, Yuriko Ishida, who plays San, and producer Toshio Suzuki appearing on stage to greet the audience.
During a talk before the screening, Ishida recalled when she was chosen as a voice actor, saying, "I wondered why they chose me, but I was so happy I could fly to heaven." Suzuki then frankly replied, "She was Miyazaki Hayao's type, wasn't she?" Prior to that, there was a scene where Director Miyazaki greeted Ishida, and Suzuki said, "I didn't miss the fact that she had a long philtrum," and added, "(The reason I was chosen) wasn't my voice, it was my face," which made everyone laugh.
"Princess Mononoke" is about the coexistence of humans and nature. Ashitaka, a young man cursed by a god, and San, a girl raised by an inugami, become embroiled in a battle between humans who seek to destroy nature and the gods who protect it. Released in 1997, it grossed 19.3 billion yen, breaking the all-time box office record for a Japanese film at the time of its release. Matsuda Yoji plays Ashitaka, Ishida Yuriko plays San, and voice actors Tanaka Yuko, Kobayashi Kaoru, Mori Mitsuko, Miwa Akihiro, and Morishige Hisaya appear. The film will be released for a limited time in IMAX theaters nationwide from October 24th.
