How Princess Mononoke Was Born

How Princess Mononoke Was Born (「もののけ姫」はこうして生まれた, 'Mononoke Hime' wa Koushite Umareta) is a behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Toshio Uratani documenting the production of Princess Mononoke. It was released as a standalone DVD on November 21, 2001 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Japan).

A similar documentary How Ponyo Was Born, which is about Hayao Miyazaki's creative process for Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, was released on DVD on December 8, 2009.

Overview
The film asks how Princess Mononoke, one of Hayao Miyazaki's masterpieces which swept the Japanese film industry in 1997, was born. It was shot over a two-year period and split into three chapters with a total running time of 400 minutes. It offers a complete record from concept stage, planning, production, promotion, distribution.

Trivia

 * Newcomer Atsushi Tamura is seen working as a key animator at Studio Ghibli. Tamura would eventually work on projects such as Space Dandy, Weathering with You and several Gundam spinoffs.