Here’s how to watch Princess Mononoke online, including whether the animated movie is on Netflix, Hulu or Prime. Princess Mononoke is the seventh feature film from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki and was produced by Studio Ghibli, the animation studio Miyazaki co-founded in 1985 alongside fellow anime luminary Isao Takahata.
Princess Mononoke explores a theme common to Hayao Miyazaki’s work – the relationship between humankind and nature. Set in Muromachi-era Japan, the story follows a young Emishi prince named Ashitaka (Yōji Matsuda/Billy Crudup) as he embarks on a journey to find a cure for a demonic curse, which leads him to a mining colony called Irontown where he finds himself in the midst of a battle between its human residents and the animals and spirits of the surrounding forest. Along the way, Ashitaka meets Lady Eboshi (Yūko Tanaka/Minnie Driver), the ruler of Irontown who invoked the ire of the forest’s spirits by depleting its natural resources, and San (Yuriko Ishida/Claire Danes) – a young woman raised by wolves who grew to resent humankind.
After its 1997 release in Japan, Princess Mononoke ranked as the country’s highest-grossing domestic film of all time until it was surpassed by fellow Hayao Miyazaki-Studio Ghibli anime Spirited Away in 2001. Princess Mononoke was also the first-ever animated feature film to win Picture of the Year at the Japan Academy Awards (the Japanese equivalent of the Oscars) and helped generate more interest in Studio Ghibli movies outside of Japan when its English dub was released in the USA and Europe. But where can Ghibli fans watch Princess Mononoke online?
While the animation isn’t available to watch with Hulu, Princess Mononoke is currently available to watch with Netflix in 33 countries across the globe including Australia, Canada and the UK – but not the United States, unfortunately. Amazon Prime users can also catch Princess Mononoke, although the title isn’t currently included with Prime membership and costs from $11.99 to purchase. The best way to watch Studio Ghibli movies online in the USA at the moment is with HBO Max. Not only does the streamer offer Princess Mononoke, but it’s also the place to watch Howl’s Moving Castle, catch Spirited Away and watch Kiki’s Delivery Service online too.
It’s been over 20 years since Princess Mononoke was released, but the animation remains one of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s highest-rated movies. Fingers crossed the director and studio can repeat at least some of that success when their latest animated feature How Do You Live? is released in 2023.