2013 / Screening “Princess Mononoke,” Jan. 27, 7:30 pm

20130127 American Cinematheque Ghibli Mononoke

"Princess Mononoke" Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Due to last year’s popularity, American Cinematheque will bring back highlights of “Retrospective of animated films from Japan’s Studio Ghibli” series from Jan. 25 – Feb. 10 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.

Founded in Tokyo in 1985 by animation directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli is one of the most successful and respected animation studios in the world.

Cultivating a creative force of talented directors, animators and storytellers under the revered brilliance of Miyazaki and Takahata, Studio Ghibli makes films that are praised for their originality, dazzling animation and epic storytelling.

The films have become a beloved part of Japanese popular culture, and have garnered worldwide acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

Hayao Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002, and in 2005 Miyazaki was named one of "the most influential people" by TIME magazine.

www.americancinematheque.com

Egyptian Theatre, Friday, January 25 – 7:30 pm

Double Feature: SPIRITED AWAY, POM POKO

Aero Theatre, Saturday, January 26 – 7:30 pm

Double Feature:

PORCO ROSSO

1992, Studio Ghibli, 94 min. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Recommended ages: 8 and up.

In Japanese with English subtitles.

Set in a mid-WWII Italy swept by fascism, the film follows Marco, a world-weary flying ace-turned-bounty hunter who plies his trade above the waters of the Adriatic.

Somewhere along the way a curse has transformed Marco’s head into that of a pig, reflecting his loss of faith in humanity.

Marco meets his polar opposite in the innocent and energetic 17-year-old Fio, an aspiring airplane designer, and the two are catapulted into an airborne adventure pursued by air pirates, the Italian army and an egotistical American flying ace.

WHISPER OF THE HEART

MIMI WO SUMASEBA

1995, Studio Ghibli, 111 min. Recommended ages: 9 and up.

In Japanese with English subtitles.

When the great Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki wanted to mentor a new generation of animators, the result was WHISPER OF THE HEART, a gentle, coming-of-age drama scripted, produced and storyboarded by Miyazaki and directed by Yoshifumi Kondo.

Adapted from the manga by Aoi Hiragi, the film tells the story of Shizuku, a shy student with high school entrance exam worries and inchoate aspirations, who meets a magical cat on a commuter bus and follows it to a boutique where significant objects abound, each with a story of its own.

Aero Theatre, Sunday, January 27 – 4:00 pm

KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE

MAJO NO TAKKYUBIN

1989, Studio Ghibli, 102 min.

Dubbed in English from Japanese. Featuring the voices of Kirsten Dunst, Debbie Reynolds.

From legendary director Hayao Miyazaki comes the beloved story of a resourceful young witch who uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self-doubt.

It is tradition for all young witches to leave their families on the night of a full moon and set out into the wide world to learn their craft.

When that night comes for Kiki, she embarks on her life journey with her chatty black cat, Jiji, landing the next morning in a seaside village, where a bakery owner hires her to make deliveries.

Aero Theatre, Sunday, January 27 – 7:30 pm

"Princess Mononoke" Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

PRINCESS MONONOKE

MONONOKE-HIME

1997, Studio Ghibli, 134 min. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki.

In Japanese with English subtitles.

While defending his village from a demonic boar-god, the young warrior Ashitaka becomes afflicted with a deadly curse that grants him super-human power in battle but will eventually take his life.

Traveling west to find a cure and meet his destiny, he journeys deep into sacred depths of the Great Forest, where he meets San (Princess Mononoke), a girl raised by wolf-gods.