Before its U.S. release, Ebert predicted, "If any anime can win American audiences, this is the one". He praised the English dub featuring Minnie Driver and Billy Bob Thornton, noting that the voice cast "lovingly" brought the characters to life for Western viewers. Miyazaki's Direct Influence

Here’s a concise write-up based on Roger Ebert’s review of Princess Mononoke (1999 US release).

In his review of Hayao Miyazaki's epic animated film, Princess Mononoke, renowned film critic Roger Ebert praised the movie's ambitious scope, stunning animation, and thought-provoking themes. Ebert awarded the film 4 out of 4 stars, calling it "a great and serious film, a worthy epic."

– Ebert praised Hayao Miyazaki’s hand-drawn animation as lush, imaginative, and dense with detail. He compared its scale and ambition to Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings .

Roger Ebert's championing of Princess Mononoke (1997) was a pivotal moment for Japanese animation in the West. Awarding the film a perfect , Ebert described it as "one of the most visually inventive films" he had ever seen, urging audiences not to let conventional ideas about "cartoons" keep them from this adult-oriented masterpiece. A Vision Beyond Live Action

Ebert’s fascination with the film often centered on its ability to depict what live-action cinema could not. He specifically highlighted the "boar monster" at the film's start—a creature with flesh made of or worms—as a prime example of why animation was the essential medium for this story. To Ebert, Miyazaki’s work proved that animation doesn't just copy reality; it captures its essence by freeing the viewer from "the chains of the possible". Complexity Over Clichés

Ebert's review highlighted the film's themes of environmentalism, humanity's relationship with nature, and the struggle between tradition and progress. He noted that the film's message is "both timely and timeless," and that it "speaks to our own struggles to live in harmony with the natural world."