On July 12, 1997, Princess Mononoke was released in Japan and captivated audiences all over the world. This iconic masterpiece, written and directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, went on to become Japan’s highest-grossing film in 1997 and maintained that title until Miyazaki’s 2001 release of Spirited Away.

The story follows Ashitaka, the last prince of the Emishi people, an ancient group of people based mainly in the Tohoku region. Although he valiantly saves his village from a demon attack, before it is slain, the demon takes hold of his arm and lays a curse on him. This curse grants him incredible strength but will ultimately claim his life.

After discovering the demon’s true identity is that of a god, one of the village elders tells him to journey to where it originated in the hopes of lifting the curse while effectively banishing him from the village forever.

After encountering an opportunistic monk named Jiko-bo (known as Jigo in the English dub), the two set off to find the Great Forest Spirit who Jiko-bo thinks may be able to help remove Ashitaka’s curse. Ashitaka also encounters a young woman named San who was raised by wolves and bears a deep hatred for humanity for their crimes against nature, as well as Lady Eboshi and the people of Iron Town.

What unfolds is a beautiful story of clashing cultures and the delicate yet vital balance between humankind and nature. For two and a half decades, Princess Mononoke has enraptured audiences with not only the beautiful animation that Ghibli films are known for but also a story that remains relevant to this day.

In honor of the film’s momentous 25th anniversary, we’ve collected some of the amazing fan art of a few of the movie's notable characters. Does seeing any of the characters below reawaken some of the magic you experienced the first time you saw them?

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Castle in the Sky, also known as Laputa in Japan based on the flying castle’s namesake, is one of Studio Ghibli’s classic films. There is a scene in which the protagonist, Sheeta, enjoys a fried egg on thick-cut toast.

Given the Ghibli penchant for depicting delicious food, it’s no wonder that the meal has been dubbed “Laputa bread” in Japan. Do you think the illustrations below hold the same scrumptious magic?

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Studio Ghibli is known for iconic films like Kiki’s Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro. The studio’s directors are known for their skill at capturing daily life, right down to the various foods depicted in some scenes of their animated feature films.

It's well known to the point where many artists on pixiv try their hand at making illustrations of food worthy of a Ghibli movie. Calcifer may have mumbled curses on Sophie’s bacon in Howl’s Moving Castle, but the food in that scene certainly looked marvelous, didn’t it?

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Studio Ghibli films are loved by many around the world. Many of the scenes within them are incredibly iconic, such as Totoro’s leaf umbrella and Howl walking Sophie through the sky. And whenever there is something generationally recognizable, there are sure to be parody scenes involving it! On pixiv, these are tagged with ジブリパロ (jiburi paro, lit. “Ghibli parody”).

What do you think of the reimaginings below? Are there any characters you think would work really well in a Ghibli parody?

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