Princess Mononoke is the most successful film in Japanese history.

 But if you think that popularity will translate to western audiences, please note the impossibility of going out and snagging a McSushi for lunch.

 It is a very Japanese film, despite the vocal dubbing of Yank and Brit actors such as Claire Danes, Gillian Anderson and Billy Bob Thornton.

 Just about every animated Japanese feature that's made it to the North American marketplace touches on themes of mutation and apocalypse, and Princess Mononoke is no exception.

 What is exceptional is the scale and grandeur of Mononoke, which was originally released in Japan in 1997 (where it came close to overcoming Titanic as the No. 1 box office draw of all time). Two and a half hours long, this is a cartoon of truly epic proportions.

 It's set in an ancient, mythic Japan populated by forest gods, giant animals and ruthless samurai warriors. Prince Ashitaka (voiced by Billy Crudup) defends his beleaguered village from a warthog-god-turned-demon and is infected with a wound the village elder assures him will kill him.

 He is exiled from the village and begins a journey to find the elusive Great God of the Forest. On his journey, he comes between the people of an industrial fortress (who are intent on destroying the surrounding forest to preserve their own way of life) and the forest gods, whose numbers include Princess Mononoke (Claire Danes), a quicksilver warrior woman who believes herself to be a wolf.

 Ashitaka is a man of peace occasionally compelled to violence. He attempts to intervene between the warring factions, the forces of progress vs. the forces of nature.

 You'll realize filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke isn't nearly as kid-friendly as his delightful video Kiki's Delivery Service as soon as you catch sight of the terrifying warthog-demon in the opening sequence. And the movie comes close to Sleepy Hollow's record for on-screen decapitations.

 The director has said the movie is meant for kids Grade 5 and up. Parents should be cautioned to check it out for themselves before letting kids see it.

 But given the quality of the film -- its fantastic creatures, arresting nature imagery, eye-popping action sequences -- parents adventurous enough to venture into this animated feature will likely groove on the film as much as Japanese audiences did.

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