An independent theater company in England, Whole Hog Theatre, has received Studio Ghibli's blessing and raised funding via Kickstarter to put on a stage adaptation of the classic Ghibli anime Princess Mononoke (compare prices).
In fact, the fundraising effort not only met its goal (£5,000) but surpassed it (£7,962 as of this writing), which means all those involved in producing the show will be receiving a bonus for their work.
Princess Mononoke, one of the first Ghibli / Hayao Miyazaki productions to be released in English, was released in 1997 . Set in Japan's ancient past, it dealt with a young prince who leaves his village to find the cure for a mysterious curse that has afflicted him, and discovers a war raging between the gods of old and an increasingly ambitious human race. The film was showered with acclaim and awards and became the highest-grossing film of its year in Japan (¥11.3 billion), and is regularly referenced as one of anime's crowning achievements.
Whole Hog Theatre, based in Leamington Spa, plans to mount a production "using giant puppets, physical storytelling and original live music." The company has adapted a number of other properties, such as Dangerous Liaisons, for the stage as well.
Find out more about the project through its Kickstarter page here.
Image: Princess Mononoke, courtesy Pricegrabber.
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