GKIDS has announced that it will be screening a brand new 4K restoration of Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke anime film exclusively in North American IMAX theatres beginning March 26, 2025. The film will be shown in the U.S. and Canada, and will include both original Japanese language with subtitles and English language dubbed versions.
Princess Mononoke © 1997 Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli, ND
On its Twitter/X account, GKIDS confirmed that the restoration process was directly overseen by director of photography Atsushi Okui, who most recently worked as director of digital imaging and photography for The Boy and the Heron. The latter film was the first Studio Ghibli project to be screened in IMAX format.
Hayao Miyazaki directed and wrote the screenplay for Princess Mononoke, which debuted in Japan on July 12, 1997. Masashi Ando {The Deer King} and Yoshifumi Kondo (Whisper of the Heart) served as character designers for the film, with Joe Hisaishi (The Boy and the Heron) as music composer.
GKIDS describes the main premise of Princess Mononoke as:
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and Academy Award winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes an epic masterpiece that has dazzled audiences worldwide with its breathtaking imagination, exhilarating battles, and deep humanity.
Inflicted with a deadly curse, the young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. There, he stumbles into a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a young girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the humans from destroying her home and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there. Featuring the voice talents of Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Billy Bob Thornton.
Tickets for the 4K IMAX screenings are now on sale.
Source: press release
