Princess Mononoke (1997)

Princess Mononoke grossed $169 million globally, making it Japan's highest-grossing film of the year, with a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score—10 points above the average for Studio Ghibli films. It outperforms Spirited Away in moral complexity, tackling ecological conflict with no clear villains, a rarity achieved by only 5% of animated features. The film's epic scale uses over 140,000 hand-drawn cels, rivaling the average animated production's $50 million budget, offering artistic ambition that surpasses Toy Story.