Renowned Chinese actress Zhao Liying, who provided the voice for the character “Kodama” in the 4K remastered version of the classic animated film “Princess Mononoke” by Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki, shared three hand-drawn artworks gifted to her by Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli chairman Toshio Suzuki on April 29, sparking a frenzy on social media.
In the artworks, Zhao Liying’s image was depicted in Miyazaki’s iconic fresh and whimsical style, capturing both the wild vitality of the character “Kodama” from “Princess Mononoke” and the childlike dreaminess from “My Neighbor Totoro.” Miyazaki’s message to Zhao while presenting the artworks was, “Zhao Liying, please feel the vitality together with Kodama.”
Expressing her gratitude when sharing the artworks, Zhao Liying wrote, “The forest nurtured her, and this time, it’s her turn to protect the forest! Thank you to Grandpa Miyazaki and Grandpa Suzuki for the gifts! ‘Princess Mononoke’ will be in theaters on May 1st.” The post received a flood of comments from fans offering congratulations and support, with many expressing their excitement for her voice acting in the film.
“Princess Mononoke” is a Japanese animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli, telling the story of a young warrior, Ashitaka, who encounters the magical princess raised by wolves and gets embroiled in a conflict between humans and the forest. The film premiered in Japan in 1997, grossing over 20 billion yen and still ranking among the top ten highest-grossing films in Japanese cinema history.
Before the official announcement of her voice acting role in “Princess Mononoke,” Zhao Liying had already won two major awards for her performances in the Chinese drama “The Wind Blows in Changlin.” Transitioning into film roles, she garnered attention with characters in films like “Joey Yen’s Worry,” “The 20th Rule,” and “The Road of Fire,” landing in the top three of the most discussed film female character list on Weibo in 2024.
Recently, she challenged the role of a “female prisoner” in the film “Sunflowers” directed by Feng Xiaogang. Zhao Liying’s immersive performances have strongly resonated with audiences, elevating her from “playing roles” to “becoming the character.”
Studio Ghibli’s casting team had previously shared that they were seeking a voice artist who could convey a sense of “wildness” rather than technical perfection. Zhao Liying’s slightly husky voice, explosive power, and strong delivery of lines aligned perfectly with the character’s trait of “using roaring instead of tears.”
To authentically capture the wildness of “Kodama,” Zhao Liying devoted three months to studying wolf howling audio, learning breath control from dubbing masters, and even straining her vocal cords due to her intense recording sessions.