Princess Arete

Plot

Under the rule of her solemn father the King, the young Princess Arete grows up in a lonely tower awaiting a suitor worthy of her. While the suitors accomplish countless treasure-collecting quests for the King, the princess begins to experience an awakening curiosity in the outside world. Sneaking out of the castle several times she begins to recognize that she has been missing out on life while locked away in the isolation of her tower. One night, Arete investigates the gifts given to her by her suitor, and finds a book telling her the stories of ancient witches and wizards creations. When her life is disrupted by the arrival of two very enthusiastic suitors, who she shows no interest in, Arete makes up her mind to escape into the wider world however she is caught by the guards and sent before her father.

Just before she is brought to him, the King has met with a powerful sorcerer named Boax to discuss his proposal that Princess Arete be betrothed to the sorcerer. Although the King hesitates at first, he eventually gives in after Boax enchants her into becoming a traditional princess and accepting his advances. Boax then takes the princess to his far away castle prior to the wedding. There he reveals that he does not love her and that the only reason he has brought her here is to imprison her in a dungeon as he is familiar with a prophecy that a princess named Arete will have the power to take away his eternal life.

As Arete sits in her new lonely surroundings, she slowly becomes friends with the one sympathetic person in Boax' castle – a villager named Ample. Ample explains to Arete that Boax has arranged with the nearby town that he will provide them with water for their fields so long as they feed him. Despite this arrangement, Ample reveals that she has begun digging her own well and that soon she will be free from dependence on Boax' magic. Encouraged by Ample, Arete at last loses the enchantment Boax had placed on her and regains her old spirits. Soon after she is released by Boax who still believes her to be enchanted and sent on a magical quest of her own. Returning in secret to Boax' castle, Arete instead discovers the source of Boax' magical ability to create water for the town. In trying to recover the source of the water, Arete is discovered by Boax who in a fit of despondency destroys his own castle and releases water into the land. It is revealed that he is not really a great wizard, and can only use limited power before his people were wiped out. As he runs to escape the water, his gem that gives him eternal life is destroyed, losing his eternal life, showing that the prophecy was indeed true.

With the town's health restored, Arete is free to leave so she decides to first visit the golden eagle at the mountains to finally see it. She then goes abroad to be amongst the people of the Earth and to use her hands to make a life. The movie ends with Boax looking at his own hands thinking of Arete's words.

Characters

Staff

Details

Princess Arete was released in theaters in 2001 by Studio 4°C. The film is 105 minutes in length. It was awarded the first "New Century Tokyo International Anime Fair 21" award for excellence in the "Theatrical Release" category. The film is based on an original story by Diana Coles entitled "The Clever Princess", renamed to The Adventures of Princess Arite (アリーテ姫の冒険) in Japan. The plot of the film is changed substantially from the original, mostly because director Sunao Katabuchi, when he came on board the project, felt uncomfortable telling a feminist story from a male point of view, and thus focused on more general themes such as individualism, respect, and diversity. The storyline itself remains that of a princess living in a tower pursued by suitors, and a wicked magician who takes her away.

The film's plot has been compared to those of films produced by Studio Ghibli, however the film has also been criticized for its slow pacing.

Theme songs