There are many who are regarded as the best if not some of the greatest in their fields. Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and author Neil Gaiman understand that better than anyone else. Both of them are masters of what they do. Some of the most interesting books, series, and movies come out of Gaiman’s creative genius and the same can be said for Miyazaki, whose accolades overshadow those of any other anime director.
Princess Mononoke had a lot relying on it with Miramax and Disney working hand in hand with Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki’s blood, sweat, and tears were put into the making of that movie. However, it was Neil Gaiman’s persistence that saved it from destruction from the American media.
Neil Gaiman was Ready to Do Anything to Save Princess Mononoke
When it was time for Princess Mononoke to get its English dub, Miramax put together a team of people who could perfectly translate the film. As shared by Polygon, translation isn’t just about directly converting it from Japanese to English but also to understand the meaning behind what is said and the emotions that go with it.
We know he’s a prince because everyone refers to him as Prince Ashitaka. He’s a prince because his father was king and he will be king when his father dies. The filmmakers have told us he’s a prince. He’s a prince. He just is.
Neil Gaiman was in charge of penning down the translated script and he had many to help him out, including personal notes presented by Hayao Miyazaki. Thanks to those, he was able to fight against Miramax and their botched perception of what the movie was supposed to be. It wasn’t a project that was supposed to focus primarily on the American audience but one that was supposed to tell an already established story to the American audience.
One of the pointers given to Gaiman was that of Prince Ashitaka’s lineage as a royal. Hayao Miyazaki had made it clear that his status as a Prince wasn’t to be tampered with. His speech, his way of conversing, and the vocabulary he used were to explicitly bring forth the feeling of a prince. Miramax didn’t see it that way.
Neil Gaiman Gave Miramax a Reality Check
The United States of America is a country of democracy, so it would make sense for them to not be so familiar with the concept of a monarchy. However, what surprised Neil Gaiman was the fact that their unfamiliarity also led to a lack of understanding amongst the Miramax people. They wanted to change the fact that Ashitaka was a prince because of the way he dressed and the village he resided in.
His being a prince is important to the story. It’s part of his character. I believe it’s what Mr. Miyazaki decided. We’re supposed to be adapting this film for an American audience, not changing it. He added, The audience isn’t stupid. If they were, they wouldn’t get the rest of the film either.
Gaiman, with the most brutal honesty, stood against this change. He claimed that if the American audience couldn’t gather the fact that Ashitaka was a prince then the movie would go over their heads regardless of the changes they made.
He defended the film and although Gaiman was battling the perspective of Harvey Weinstein and Hayao Miyazaki, he decided to do whatever was in his power to save the film. At the end of the day, Miramax took matters into their own hands, sending their own versions of the drafts to Studio Ghibli without the author being aware of it.
Princess Mononoke is available to watch on Max.
