Hayao Miyazaki directs Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, an influential film that precedes Princess Mononoke.
Hayao Miyazaki begins production on the film Princess Mononoke.
Princess Mononoke is released in theaters across Japan, becoming a major success.
Princess Mononoke has its premiere in North American theaters, bringing Miyazaki's work to a Western audience.
Izumi, wife of the chief of the Emishi village, is cursed by a boar demon and gives birth prematurely to Ashitaka, who bears the curse mark.
A giant boar demon, corrupted by an iron ball, terrorizes the Emishi village and the surrounding lands.
Ashitaka kills the boar demon to protect his village but is cursed by its mark, which threatens his life.
To find a cure for his curse and understand the source of the turmoil, Ashitaka leaves his village and heads west.
Ashitaka arrives in Iron Town (Tataraba) led by Lady Eboshi, where humans harness industrial power and conflict with the forest gods is escalating.
Ashitaka encounters San, a human girl raised by the Wolf Goddess Moro, who fights to protect the forest from Iron Town's expansion.
Warriors from Iron Town steal the head of the Forest Spirit to harness its power for industrial purposes.
After the Forest Spirit's head is stolen, a deadly curse spreads and the forest begins to die, worsening tensions between humans and nature.
A climactic battle ensues between the forest gods, led by Moro and the Night-Walker (the Forest Spirit), and the humans of Iron Town.
The Forest Spirit regains its head, ending the curse and restoring balance to the forest, but it vanishes at dawn, signifying the fragile harmony.
Ashitaka and San decide to coexist and continue working towards peace between humans and the forest.
