Studio Ghibli Reveals 90 Never-Before-Seen Princess Mononoke Illustrations in New Official Art Book
Image by James RichardsonStudio Ghibli is opening its archives for a huge new art book revealing previously unseen artwork and early ideas that eventually became Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved Princess Mononoke.
The new “Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Collection Vol. 7: Princess Mononoke” features 258 illustrations from the movie’s development, including 90 never-before-published images and an early version of the story that was dramatically different from the finished film.
Originally released in 1997, Princess Mononoke followed the young warrior Ashitaka as he became caught in a conflict between the inhabitants of Iron Town and the gods of the surrounding forest, including San, a young woman raised by wolves who fiercely opposed humanity’s destruction of nature.
The movie recently inspired a huge fan-designed LEGO set recreating its mystical forest, which has now reached the official LEGO Ideas review stage after gaining 10,000 supporters.
Image by James RichardsonThe new book is the seventh volume in publisher Iwanami Shoten’s ongoing collection of Miyazaki’s original image boards, which has already explored the development of movies including Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro and Porco Rosso.
Miyazaki initially conceived Princess Mononoke as a fantasy story resembling Beauty and the Beast, featuring a mysterious creature and a princess in a setting very different from the movie audiences eventually saw.
This early concept was developed into a picture book published in 1993, featuring illustrations and accompanying text written by Miyazaki himself, with the intention of eventually adapting the story into an animated feature.
However, Miyazaki ultimately abandoned the original direction, believing its central themes had become outdated, before returning to the project following his work on the short film On Your Mark.
The resulting movie took a much darker and more ambitious direction, exploring the complicated relationship between humanity and nature through the conflict surrounding Iron Town and the ancient forest.
The new art book reproduces the complete collection of early image boards alongside the text of the original picture book, allowing readers to explore this alternate version of Princess Mononoke and trace its transformation into the finished film.
Other illustrations reveal abandoned character designs and scenes that never appeared on screen, including artwork showing San with an almost smiling expression, offering a different look at the fierce young warrior.
The book also documents the development of the movie’s locations and characters, including the industrial settlement of Iron Town and its leader Lady Eboshi, whose role became central to the conflict between humans and the forest gods.
Alongside the extensive artwork, the new book includes an interview with longtime Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki, who discusses the creative struggles behind Princess Mononoke and the changes that shaped its final story.
The collection has even received a recommendation from ONE PIECE creator Eiichiro Oda, who has frequently expressed his admiration for Miyazaki’s work and contributed a special endorsement for the publication.
“Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Collection Vol. 7: Princess Mononoke” will be released on December 3, 2026, featuring 184 pages and priced at ¥6,600 (approximately $41 USD / £31 GBP), with orders available through publisher Iwanami Shoten and participating Japanese book retailers.
The publisher has also confirmed that the eighth volume in the series will explore the development of Spirited Away, with its release scheduled for June 2027.
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