Michael B. Jordan’s Top Movie Choice: A Timeless Anime Epic with Modern Relevance

At the 98th Academy Awards, Michael B. Jordan accepted Best Actor for Sinners.

He then named Princess Mononoke as his favorite movie while holding his Oscar.

Jordan has long spoken about his love for anime.

He has listed One Piece, Naruto, and Hunter x Hunter among his most-watched shows.

About the film

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 historical fantasy by Hayao Miyazaki.

The film grew from ideas Miyazaki developed since 1980.

It draws on literary classics, postmodern environmentalism, and feminist theory.

The movie was a major box office success in Japan.

It ranks among the country’s highest-grossing films.

Miyazaki combined hand-drawn animation with computer-generated imagery for the first time.

He nevertheless emphasized that the pencil remains an animator’s primary tool.

Plot and characters

The story takes place during Japan’s Muromachi era.

Ashitaka, the last Emishi prince, becomes cursed after killing a boar god.

He leaves his village to seek a cure from the Shishigami, a deer-like spirit.

On his journey, he meets Lady Eboshi, leader of Irontown.

Eboshi’s settlement expands through deforestation, provoking the forest gods.

Those gods include the wolf Moro and her human foster daughter, San.

Conflict and moral ambiguity

The film rejects a simple good-versus-evil framework.

Characters act from mixed motives and genuine compassion.

Eboshi protects outcasts, including former sex workers and people with leprosy.

But her industry harms the surrounding forest and its deities, prompting fierce hostility from animal gods.

Violence wounds both sides, and Ashitaka mediates while battling his curse.

Themes and animation

Miyazaki often explores war, ecology, and human contradiction.

Howl’s Moving Castle responded to the 2003 Iraq War.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind examines ecological collapse in a post-apocalyptic setting.

Princess Mononoke blends hand-drawn art with digital techniques.

The visuals reflect painstaking craft and dream-like worldbuilding.

The film leaves unresolved tensions but offers hope through regeneration.

Impact and availability

Jordan’s endorsement revived public interest in the film.

The film remains a timeless anime epic for new audiences.

His top movie choice underscores the title’s enduring appeal and modern relevance.

Princess Mononoke streams on Netflix and Prime Video.

Filmogaz.com will continue covering such moments.

Jordan’s pick links contemporary celebrity culture to classic anime.