Paper Theater turns its spotlight onto San and the Kodama.

Animation may be a 2-D medium, but the best works have a sense of place to their atmosphere and artistry that makes their characters feel like they could leap off the screen. A new arts-and-crafts kit from Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku, though, provides that sensation in a more literal sense.

This Princess Mononoke design is the latest in Saitama Prefecture-based toymaker Ensky’s Paper Theater series of compact papercraft kits. By layering cutouts on top of each other within the frame, a sense of depth is created without the need for any 3-D glasses or other optical trickery.

▼ The layers we used in making a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Paper Theater kit earlier this year

This new Princess Mononoke kit is especially beautiful, with the monster princess herself, San, atop one of her lupine pals on a ride thorough a forest where the canopy is thick enough to create deep shadows, and also provide ample seating for a dozen-plus Kodama nature spirits.

The new kit is priced at 2,970 yen (US$19.80) and stands 16 centimeters (6.3 inches) tall when assembled. It’s not the only Princess Mononoke Paper Theater, though, as Donguri Kyowakoku also has a kit featuring Ashitaka and Yakul…

…as well as kits for other Ghibli anime including Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away.

Construction times vary by kit, but the last Paper Theater we made took us about three hours to complete, a perfect amount of fun for a rainy afternoon or chilly winer night, and with Paper Theater kits being lightweight and flat before assembly, they’re also great, easy-to-transport souvenirs to bring back for Ghibli-loving friends. The whole lineup can be ordered through the Donguri Kyowakoku online store here, and if you’re looking for more Ghibli art this winter, Ghibli Park has just kicked off its Howl’s Moving Castle-themed winter illumination display.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku, SoraNews24, Donguri Kyowakoku (2, 3, 4)
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