The Anime to Princess Mononoke by Studio Ghibli can still excite many fans today. Among them is the co-creator of one of the best fantasy series, who was so inspired by the film that we can see it today.
Which series is being referred to? It is the animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which aired on Nickelodeon in 2005 and has since become one of the most popular series of all time.
In fact, this series could only be created because one of the two co-creators, Bryan Konietzko, was completely blown away by Miyazaki’s masterpiece “Princess Mononoke.” In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he referred to the cinema visit as a “religious experience,” through which he realized for himself: “This is exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Prior to that, he was rather averse to Animes.
A movie so good it could change the opinion of an entire genre
Why didn’t Konietzko like Animes? During a visit to the podcast “Avatar: Braving the Elements”, the co-creator of the series revealed that he didn’t really connect with Animes earlier.
When he was younger, there were some things about Anime that really blew him away. However, this attitude is said to have changed during college, especially when he encountered Animes that were “unnecessarily misogynistic and violent.” For him, it was clear that he had no interest in that stuff.
How did he change his mind? Dave Filoni, the creator of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, was ultimately the one who was able to persuade Konietzko and his colleague Michael Dante DiMartino to give Anime another chance.
If he hadn’t done that and if Konietzko hadn’t seen Princess Mononoke, it’s highly likely that Avatar: The Last Airbender wouldn’t exist today.
The series is receiving a movie this year that shows the “Gaang” (the gang of Avatar Aang) as adult friends facing a new threat … and that even sooner than expected: Those who have been patient with the new Avatar movie will be rewarded with an early release
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!