073 4 A better question might be ; should it get better ? Spirited Away has been accepted as a masterpiece by the film industry , anime fans and those who blindly believe what they are told . It sure sounds like I'm about to pick a fight , but actually I'm getting a little introspective and asking you to do the same . I could easily write a 10 page essay about anime , this film and the state of the art of animation . I'll try to avoid that here . However , after watching this film with my family , a big pile of question appeared . This is both a testament to this films power and to the fact that many people just don't like or understand this style of film art . I am once again divided on my opinion of a film . The only way to cut through the fog in my brain is to ( once again ) break my thoughts into pieces .
- WHAT I THINK OF THIS FILM
Artistically speaking , this film is brilliant . My family was divided about this film . My wife had problems with the jerky animation style . My 10 year old daughter loved it . My 6 year old son did not like it . We all thought it was a bit too long ( especially near the end ) . I don't know what you would take out . I think there might be some scenes that could have been removed to little negative affect if we never knew they existed . But knowing they exist precludes the idea of removing them . The one thing we all agreed on was the whole river spirit revelation . We gave out a collective HUH ? This is pretty typical in anime ; if the story doesn't get you there , take a shortcut . That was probably the only unexpected thing I could criticize . The other thing I found myself criticizing was the actual animation . I know what anime is and I know why it is , and I sort of expected it , but this film really got me thinking about the state of anime and why it hasn't moved to another level .
- A QUICK EDUCATION
Disney style animation is what is known as Full animation . Simply put ; for every 24 frames in a second , there are 24 unique drawings to complete the required motion . By this , you get a very smooth , natural feeling motion . In anime , which uses mostly limited animation , in the 24 frames of one second there might be 12 drawings or less in some cases . Anime will actually use a static image with a moving camera to imply motion . The result is a somewhat choppy or jerky motion . This is all done to save money due to tight budget constraints . Though financially cheap , these techniques have been mastered to a very high level .
- WHAT I THINK OF ANIME
I think that good anime challenges how animation looks ( see Animatrix for a compilation of great examples ) . Bad anime is pure trash . Good anime artists really have a knack for capturing the essence of the human form even more so than Disney . Characters seam to develop effortlessly in anime ; one little act or a short phrase or a telling reaction immediately establishes character . In Spirited Away even minor characters have strong presence . The best anime has characters we can all identify with very quickly . This film produces that in spades . Western animation is not so adept at this . I find the limited animation distracting at times . It is because of this that I don't watch a lot of it . I enjoy artistic as well as technical achievements . Sometime anime is fully animated ( almost by accident ) . It's at these times I realize how much more brilliant anime could be .
- WEST V EAST ; THE $275,000,000 GORILLA IN THE CORNER
I've actually read debates that compared Western Disney style animation to anime ( I would argue this was like debating the merits of chocolate ice cream vs . vanilla ice cream ; fairly pointless . However , things have changed enough in recent years that the debate can not be so easily dismissed anymore ; not if you are being honest with yourself . Spirited Away cost $17MM to produce . Its global box office receipts totaled $275,000,000 . Who knows what the DVD sales total is ? The same year this film was released , Disney's Brother Bear made $250,000,000 . Disney has not released budget information , but I'm certain it cost more than $17 million . This begs the question ; is it time for anime to take the next step into full animation ?
- WOULD MONEY KILL FREEDOM
Like life in general , the more money there is at stake , the more pressure there is to succeed . Some might argue that the really cool stories and audacious subject matter that anime produces would not happen if a big budget were put on the line . I would argue that $17 million is a big risk ; in for a penny , in for a pound . That's why I limit the idea of fully animated anime to feature films . It's worth the risk . People revere anime for what Disney does not provide ; fearless , unsafe stories and edgy visuals . Is it such a stretch to think we won't pay to see what everyone complains we don't get ? I think the market place has spoken .
- EXCUSES OR REASONS ?
Given the financial success of the anime feature films in the past decade or so , is the use of limited animation an excuse ? Or , is the art form known as anime inherently tied to the use of limited animation and the moving Manga traditions ? I'm not expert enough about anime to provide the answer , but I think it's a question worth asking . Some in the anime business talk about how they use creative techniques and limited animation to save money , as if this is how it should always be . Personally , I think anime features are ready for full animation . Doubling the budget for Spirited Away ( basically drawing twice as much art ) would still make it a huge financial success . So money can no longer be an excuse . Many people are wowed by this film in its current form . Imagine what it would be like fully animated ; mind boggling . It probably would have made even more money .
- WHAT AM I GETTING AT ?
Spirited Away has an ambitious story , great human characters ( even the spirits are human at their core ) and incredible artistic vision . Anime has set new standards for what animated films should explore and this film has kept up that trend . However , as animation , anime has stayed a step behind . Though many have come to accept limited animation as an inherent part of anime , I think it's time to raise the bar on these gloriously conceived feature films . I know these artists can take animation to levels only imagined . They have the skill and the vision to set new standards . Yet , we get excuses of low budgets . Maybe for the serials and Saturday morning fare , but not these masterpiece feature films . If Triplets of Belleview can be made fully animated , why not Spirited Away ?
If you are an artist , a fan of anime , a student of animation or a fan of fantasy I'd have to recommend this DVD . If you are a traditionalist Disney fan , then you might have a problem with the unique story telling and less than smooth animation style . I recognize and enjoy it for what it is , but I'm not going to let it off the hook for what it could have been either . The real question is ; is it still anime if it's fully animated ? I say yes . Anime isn't just about the animation techniques , but also the visual and story style .
001 4 Spirited Away is yet another masterpiece from Japan's undisputed master of animation . Although I did not enjoy it as much as Princess Mononoke , I was more entertained by this film than by any Disney movie made in the past five years . Speaking of Disney , I thought I would clear up a few misconceptions that some people have concerning this film . Firstly , for those people who complain that Miyazaki's films ( as well as other anime ) are for adults , and not children , I should point out that Miyazaki has explicitly stated that Spirited was made for young girls . ( in other words , Chihiro's age ) This doesn't mean that the film can only be enjoyed by pre-pubescant girls ( I myself am a 22 year old male ) ; it just means that you should not go into this film expecting something geared towards adults , the way Mononoke was .
Now I have noticed several people on this site comparing Spirited to Disney . Everyone seems to agree that it is nothing like Disney , because it is scary . Some parents even go so far to say that Spirited is inappropriate for children . Let me just say that you are all both right and wrong on this issue . Spirited Away is nothing like Disney as it is NOW . However , if you look at classics like Snow White , and especially Pinocchio , you'll see that these films have much more in common with Spirited Away than with , say , Hercules , or Tarzan . As far as I'm concerned , anyone who claims that Spirited is too scary for children ought to remember what Disney used to be like . In Snow White , the wicked Queen ordered the huntsman to cut out Snow White's heart . Even more telling , in Pinocchio , the main character ends up on an island for wicked children , who are mercilessly transformed into beasts and sold into slavery . Can you honestly say that this is somehow more wholesome or less nightmarish than what goes on in Spirited ? Anyone who remembers these films recognizes that Spirited Away's often nightmarish sense of morality and justice ( parents being turned into pigs for their greed ) is not novel to the American imagination , but something old , something many of us have clearly forgotten , even though we saw these very films as children ! This harkens back to a time when Americans had a much clearer sense of morality , a much greater willingness to recognize an absolute line between right and wrong . For me , this is refreshing , for you it may not be . As for your children being scared , I agree it is a possibility . I was scared when I saw Snow White and Pinocchio , yet I enjoyed those two films immensely . Moreover , they are both considered to be undisputed classics of American animation . So to all those parents who think they can comfortably dismiss Spirited Away as some alien abomination , you had better look closer to home , because it may not be quite as alien as you thought .
002 4 While Major Hollywood studios believe the audiences are tired of watching plain hand-drawn cartoons and began to incorporate more special effects into 2 - D animation , yet with disappointing results ( Titan A.E . , Atlantis , and the most recent Treasure Planet ) , they have almost totally given up on traditional animation , and focus on producing 3 - D computer animation . After a series of successful and charming CG cartoon , one could not help but to wonder : is this the end of hand-drawn cartoon artists ? ( some may argue that they could get the job as storyboard artists )
The point that they are really missing is , what is missing from the recent 2 - D animation features , is not the blasting visual effects , or floor cracking sounds . The real thing that is missing from them is a heart .
See Toy Story , A Bug's Life , and Monsters , Inc . ( all produced by Pixar Studio , who is , in the writer's opinion , superior than their rival competitors ) , while they are indeed visually revolutionary , the focus is still on story telling - story that combines humor , excitement , and ultimately family-oriented heart-warming theme .
Spirited Away is simply magical , enchanting , funny , and genuinely touching . In the beginning of the film some may be distracted by the in comparison lower frame-rate ( i.e . the character movements may not seem as smooth compare to the Hollywood animations ) , but you will not be able to help but to awe at each beautifully rendered frame . The artistic level and the use of colors in the drawing are all first class . Moreover , 30 minutes into the film , you will probably forget it is drawings that you are watching , because everything inside the screen all comes alive ! ( Perhaps because it reaches a certain realistic level , some of the scene may be too grizzly and scary )
It did not become the highest grossing movie in Japan ever for no reason , and it certainly deserves more attention it received in the western world . The ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast never fails to bring tears in my eyes , and it reminds us why we watch cartoon in the beginning . Spirited Away achieves in the same way , and it achieves it like a breeze among all these competitions today .
003 4 Chihiro , a typical slightly spoiled ten year old girl , wanders off the beaten path with her parents , and is thrust into a bewildering otherworld . Her parents have soon fallen under a malign enchantment , and suddenly it falls to her , with the aid of a mysteriously familiar boy named Haku , to rescue them . She has to decide where to place her trust , as it becomes apparent that Haku is in the service of the villainous tyrant grandmother Yabubu , who rules over this otherworld .
It is Chihiro's spirit that steers her through these uncharted waters . We watch her discover in herself and exhibit , tentatively at first but with growing confidence , all of the virtues a fairy-tale hero must learn : resourcefulness , compassion , politeness ( hey , this * is * Japanese ! ) and courage . Because we've witnessed her ordinary beginnings , we identify with and believe in all her emerging qualities . It's all done with a deft matter-of-fact touch that never cloys and never preaches . The animation is quietly dazzling . The plot is dense and full of surprises . The symbolism is as exotic as a Shinto shrine , and as familiar as the echos set up by the best fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen or old Russia .
The cream of American animation for children in recent years - films like Aladdin or Monsters Inc - have drawn in audiences with screenplays written on a double track : a simple , comforting story for the kids , and a long series of nods and winks over the kids ' heads to the adults , catering to our sense of irony and patting us on the back for catching all the topical and cinematic references . And that's been fun as far as it goes .
Spirited Away throws all that into the dustbin , goes back to the basics , to the conventions and surprises of timeless fairy tale , to a character-based humor that appeals to all ages , and to the sense of wonder that reawakens the child in everyone . It's an hour and a half of pure , funny poetry . It hits every mark it aims for . It's an unqualified classic . And it will become the first DVD I buy for my two year old grandson , even though it will have to be held in trust until he turns six , and can watch it without being freaked out by the spooky parts .
004 4 At the time of this review's writing , Spirited Away just won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature , beating out Lilo & Stitch , Treasure Planet , Spirit , and Ice Age . It also bears the distinction of being the first Japanese animation to win the award . I say , there was no contest .
Spirited Away is a fantastic and deep movie , with characters that feel very much alive , even though they're obviously animated drawings . Miyazaki , the director , deliberately instructed his animators to focus on the tiny human details of everyday actions , such as eating . The animators were actually in the studio's cafeteria , filming their coworkers . This attention to detail is what makes the movie come alive . Chihiro sits down and carefully inches her way down a steep stairway on the outside of a building . Chihiro's mother bites a strip of meat off a cooked bird , and pulls sideways with her jaw , not straight out . ( The meat doesn't streeeeetch and pop , either . ) It just seems REAL .
And then , of course , the movie really begins and things get somewhat surreal . The parade of creatures crossing the bridge is just the beginning : Robed figures wearing masks and holding fans in front of their faces , creatures that appear to be giant chickadees , weird monster-like creatures with tusks and horns and green hair . And they're being welcomed by humanish frogs . And that's just the beginning of the movie .
But , at the same time , with all these fantastic spirits and creatures , the movie maintains its human element : Chihiro . She is the only real human in most of the movie , and it is her ability to adapt , and to care , that propels the story . Chiriho grows . She learns that she has to make it on her own initiative if she wants to get what she needs .
If you're still with me , hopefully you're not of the mind that cartoons are just for kids . This movie has a PG rating for a reason . It's not for young children . There is some blood , and a few moments that would probably scare anyone under the age of 8 or so . However , this movie is for kids and adults not because of that , but because of how deep and meaningful its story is . Months after seeing it in theatres , I was still picking out pieces of theme from the film . There is a lot in here : Themes of identity and names , friendship , giving , family , greed , love , bravery , survival , maturity , and self-sacrifice .
Miyazaki also gave the story another aspect of realism : There is no clearly-defined good and bad guy . The heroine ( Chihiro ) is not perfect , though she tries hard to be strong . The ' villain ' has a warm , caring side that she reserves for only one person . The mysterious character with unclear motives takes an unexpected turn . Miyazaki refuses to paint the story in extremes of black and white . What does this mean ? He writes the story with all the detail and care it deserves , knowing you'll have to be paying attention .
All of this to say , watch this movie . I believe you'll thank me for it .
005 4 I am gratified to see that Spirited Away is finally getting the attention in this country that it has long deserved . Buried by Disney until the Academy Awards , the latest creation of Japan's animation guru is simply stunning - - the best animated feature since Snow White .
You've read the plot summaries and perhaps the idea of a Japanese film about a 10 - year old girl who gets trapped in the spirit world sounds strange . But this picture has universal appeal . I'm an 30 - year old white American male and I love this movie . The ( mostly ) hand-drawn animation is lush , gorgeous and incredibly dynamic . And how nice is it to see 3 - dimensional characters in a complex touching story that goes in unexpected directions every chance it gets ? It leaves anything produced by Disney / Pixar in the dust .
Disney has done an excellent job of bringing this movie to America . The copy is crisp and clear - - although obviously not as magnificent as on the big screen . The voice-dubbing is very good , matching the character's mouths without losing content . I had a slight problem with Princess Mononoke's dubbing because some of the celebrity voices ( especially Thornton and Anderson ) were distracting . That's not the case here . The english voices are perfectly cast ( especially Suzanne Pleshette as Yubaba / Zeniba ) .
A few notes on the DVD . The extras are OK with the exception of an outstanding Japanese TV special on the making of Spirited Away . Rather than focus on the technical aspects , it focuses on Miyazaki himself and his uber-talented group of artists at Studio Ghibli . It's definitely worth your time .
Also , some comments have unfavorably compared this version to the Japanese version . For the record , Disney is contractually forbidden from changing a single frame of the movie - - not one frame . Period . There * are * some differences in dialogue but you can watch in Japanese with more literally translated subtitles ( subtitle track 2 ) if you prefer .
Final comment : this movie may not be suitable for very young children as it has some scary sequences and is over two hours long . But for everyone else , this is an incredible movie . And for animation fans , it's a must-have .
006 4 I really didn't want to see this movie at first , but I forced to as it was my brother's birthday , and he is an animation fanatic .
Even though I'm fifteen and like to think of myself as above cartoon movies , this has quickly turned into one of my favorite movies , prompting a fifth visit to my local theater to see it . Everytime I see it , I notice something different about it , that I didn't before .
It has a fantastic plot , and really transports you to a different world where not everything is as it seems on the surface . It really absorbs you . There are sad parts , and well as funny parts , and you feel the emotions of the charachters .
Despite the PG rating , this movie may scare little kids , as there is some pretty weird stuff going on in the movie , such as people beng transformed into pigs , several monsters , dragons , and some animated blood .
This is definitely one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen in a really long time .
007 4 To begin with I can't help but agree with all the accolades for this movie . English version or not , this plays as well as any picture I've ever experienced . Over 40 years ago as a boy , I was enchanted by a special animated film ( of who's name I can't remember , and I've never found again ) . The film was about a young boy learning to be a man . He was taught by a wise man , wizard , sensei or something like that , in ways that changed his view of the world and his perception of himself . The challenges he faced were very Eastern , ( yet still universal ) and the philosophy learned has carried through my life to this day . Spirited Away is the type of movie that can have this kind of effect on young viewers . The positive experience we can draw from movies like this , can't be compared to banal animation films with dancing tea cups , and weak lessons in PC morality .
Unfortunately Disney wants to control the animation market for young children . Its pathetic efforts in the releasing of Spirited Away , and the previous Ghibli Studio movie Princess Mononoke , provide compelling evidence that Disney fears the intrusion of quality competition into its US marketplace . I had to drive over 100 miles to see Spirited Away because Disneys maximum release was 151 theaters , and that was only for a week . I would encourage any anime fan or any discerning parent to buy the DVD or video when it is released . If you should get the chance to see the movie on the big screen , don't miss it , its a real treat for the eyes and the mind .
009 4 I saw Spirited Away two times in Spain ( in Spanish , naturally ) , and it has become my absolute favourite of all of Hayao Miyazaki s films . Miyazaki is , for me , the epitome of Japanese animation and the undisputed master of his craft . He fills the screen with minute details , doing most of the painstaking animation by hand in an age of computer animation ( see Disney ) . His films are always unique both in visual style and in plot , expressing lost mythologies , alternate worlds , and the spirits that surround us . In Japan anime is not only for children , a concept which Western audiences have difficulty understanding . These are more than mere cartoons ; they are explorations of self , nature , and in some ways Japanese society ( there are frequently Japanese elements in many of Miyazaki s films although most are set in fictitious places ) .
Spirited Away tells the lovely story of Chihiro , a ten-year-old Japanese girl that is moving to a new town . Along the way the family stops to explore a mysterious tunnel that turns out to be a pathway into an alternate world filled with gods , witches and strange creatures . Chihiro s parents are transformed into large pigs as punishment for their gluttony ( there are frequently morals in Miyazaki s tales as well ) , and Chihiro begins work for the witch Yubaba while desperately trying to find a cure for her parents before they are eaten ( ! ) . She befriends Haku , a mysterious boy whom she feels some past connection to , and together the two attempt to overthrow the tyrannical reign of Yubaba .
A gorgeous film , with a beautiful soundtrack by frequent Miyazai collaborator Joe Hisaishi ( Princess Mononoke , Kiki s Delivery Service , Totoro ) . There are some elements that may be disturbing to very young children ( the threat of Chihiro s parents being eaten even as a pig s head is shown at a feast , several scary rampages , some blood ) , but overall this is an excellent , quality film that is a feast for the eyes , ears , and imagination , and a true journey of the spirit .
011 4 Released on July 20th , in 2001 in Japan , Spirited Away stayed in theaters for almost 10 months , breaking all the previous box-office records in Japan , including that of Titanic and Princess Mononoke by the same director Hayao Miyazaki . With this astonishing film about a girl's spiritual journey , Mr . Miyazaki again showed that he is one of the best directors living in the world . This animation film was also awarded prestageous Golden Bear Prize in Berlin Film Festival , and that is not a surprise at all , after you see this movie .
The story quickly is established , so don't ever be late for the show . It traces a girl's strange and fascinating life in another world , where her parents are accidentally magically transformed , and she has to survice herself and return to her own world . To do so , this pudgy-faced little girl Chihiro , now deprived of her name by a greedy witch Yu-baba , has to work at the baths where gods and sprites all over Japan come to take a rest . Chihiro's life is full of wonderful ( and often hard , even terrifying ) things , and through her experiences she learns how to live , gaining the true will and power , changing from a sulky girl languidly lying on the backseat of a car , into a lively and truely courageous girl .
That's all you have to know : you don't need to see its trailer ( English version trailer is a bit misleading ) , and just watch this masterpiece . Though there is a character called Kao-nashi ( meaning Faceless ) , who out of loneliness does something harmful to the place ; and there is an episode about a very stinking monster who turns out something very different , there are no villains , no heroes , and no so-called actions . And another strength of the film comes from its designs of the baths . It is based on a mosaic of Japanese and Western traditions ( the witch's office looks obviously Western while Chihiro and other female workers room is inspired from the texitle factory girls ' residence 100 years ago ) Incredibly , some part are even from Chinese style .
The story , some say probably rightly , goes slower in the latter half ( of the film that runs more than 2 hours ) , but Spirited Away never lets you down . It's time for any American audience to know Miyazaki's name , and that animation films are not meant for only kids , but for adults .
[ The following might hopefully help understand some part of the film . No spoilers contained , but you might read them after watching them . Al the names referred to are from Japanese original print . ]
[ 1 ] The name Chihiro is , when written in Chinese letters , divided into two parts : Chi-hiro . The first part Chi has another way of pronounciation , Sen , which becomes her temporary name .
[ 2 ] Chihiro's real name is Chihiro Ogino which is briefly seen on the contract paper she signs .
[ 3 ] The handsome boy who offers a help to Chihio is called Haku which means in Japanese , white .
[ 4 ] Haku's real name is Migihayami Kohakusui . All the Japanese audience , as Chihiro in fact was , would be surprised to hear this long and old-fashioned name , which clearly suggests his ancient and aristocratic origin .
[ 5 ] The witch's spoiled baby is called Bou ( and his name is written prominently in a Chinese letter on his clothes ) . This is shrewd naming because the word bou-ya ( which is used to call , affectinately , to baby boys ) implies too much fondness to the babies on mother's side .
[ 6 ] Chihiro's father , at the diapidated red gate , talks knowingly about the posibility of a disused theme park . It is true that Japan saw economic depression after the boom of the 80s , and his remarks , though half telling of his too much confidence , have some ring of truth .
[ 7 ] For Miyazaki's fans , there are some extra fun : see , for example , the re-appearance of Susuwatari s , tiny black speck-like creatures that carry coal in a boiler room . As fans know , they are also seen in Miyazaki's delightful film My Neighbor Totoro . And check out one of the guests at the spa who looks and moves exactly like Totoro .
[ 8 ] And those harmless Susuwatri s eat Japanese traditional , very sweet confectionary called Konpeitou made from sugar . This is the part Japanese viewers smile because of the unexpected combination .
[ 9 ] In the same boiler room , the spider-like veteran master gives Chihiro Kaisuu-ken , coupon-style tickets for train . This is also the part we would smile because we all somehow share the same experience of giving them to children who go somewhere by train or bus , or of finding very old ones somewhere in the desk .
[ 10 ] That same kind master , seeing Chihiro step on the crawling worm , makes a gesture of a knife with his hand , and touches Chihiro's hands in a unique way . This is a ( now out-of-fashion ) custom when touching something very dirty , symbolizing the total safety from the object in case , often accompanied with Japanese word Engacho ( no more connection ) . This part is also funny to us .
[ 11 ] In the opening scene . behind the back of Chihiro , you can see the glimpse of half-hidden , red-colored package of chocolate bar , which looks like one famous brand . Probably , this is a small token of thanks for the company ( famous for coffee , too ) , which joined in the tie-in campagin for the film's promotion in Japan .
[ 12 ] Finally , director Miyazaki says that the film is originally made for unnamed 10 - year-old girls he and the movieproducer are both acquainted with , and hope that those girls are delighted to see the film . No doubt they are .
012 4 This movie is the best one I have ever seen , you should get the DVD . It is not that much more expensive but the japanese dialouge is better than enlish . This movie may look a little odd but it is a mix of adventure and mystery . At first you may be a little confused but if you watch the whole thing , every single detail will be explained . This is a movie for the whole family . My brothers hate cartoons yet they loved this movie . You have too watch this movie from beginning to end , if you don't , not only will you be confused but you will blow the fantastic ending . I never cry during movies but my eyes welled up at the end of this movie . Two thumbs up to Hayao Miyazaki !
013 4 As a Japanese , I was totally fluttered by whom rated this film 5 - stars and gave kind praises to it as if it is me who are praised . On the other hand , it saddens me a little that there are some people who don't like it at all . But can't complain , I guess , as it would be natural thing .
Interestingly , though , most of those who say Didn't like it seem to just not understand the whole concept of the film that is , say , Japaneseness .
Weird , odd and grotesque creatures ? Well , some of them may be Miyazaki's creations , but the most of them are not uncommon at all in Japanese forklores . We have a milliards of gods and spirits and monsters ( most of them are harmless and good-hearted unless you are harmful to them ! ) .
While many of Japanese would say of themselves as non-religeous or rather nonchalant about religions , but , in fact , they are quite superstitious . I could say most of the Japanese are animists deep down in their souls . ( Existence of the souls is a priori here , by the way )
Some years ago , then prime minister Mori said Japan is a gods ' land . in a meeting of Shinto ( it means gods ' way ) priests and stirred a controversy among the left-wingers in and outside of Japan because the phrase was interpreted as the Divine Land like in the Christianity's sense . This was unfortunate misunderstanding since , in Japan , mountains , rivers , trees , rocks , earth , and even cooking fire-places have gods in them . Virtually speaking , gods are everywhere . Gods mean the nature itself . So , Mr . Mori said only a matter of course about Japan .
In Japan , children are ( or , I might say , used to be ) taught not to disturb or impurify those places or things or animals that have gods or spirits in them , or you may get a curse _ _ _ _ like Chihiro's parents did !
It was interesting part of this film to me that Chihiro's Mother ( and Father too , I guess ) apparently had some knowledges about those gods ' houses ( Hokora , in Japanese ) , still , they felt nothing awesome about it . It was Chihiro , who was evidently ignorant about those gods ' stuff , lazy and self-centred modern day girl , that sensed something unearthly of them and felt a strong objection to intrude into the gods ' domain , almost instinctively .
That made me think about the national identity of the Japanese that , they say , many of us have lost since the defeat of the world war 2 because the American occupation policy denied Japanese spirit , that is much based on this somekind of religious feelings every Japanese could have at the bottom of their hearts , as a dangerous thought and tried to wipe it out so that the saucy Japanese would never stand up against America .
Maybe you could say that Chihiro's parents are typical of post-war Japanese who have been educated in that left-tilted , sort of self-denying way .
But , thankfully , it has certainly remained in hearts of us . Some of us , if not all of us . That is , I think , why this film moved the hearts of such a large number of audience in Japan . Especially the grown-ups who , I think , have searched everywhere and everyday for the Japanese spirit that they can identify with their own Japaneseness .
Another significance of this film is that it has restored old virtues such as diligence , being free from avarice and respectful to your superiors , and courage those have been quite neglected recently . That is one main reason why I want my children to watch this film outside the fact that it is simplly a great fun and a joy for the eyes , although they ( especially my youngest who was 4 when she saw this film for the first time in Japan ) just admire it and watch it for a million times without telling to do so .
By the way , I was shocked by a review with 1 - star rating that says Chihiro's work experience in the Bath House as a slavedom . It reminded me an English person accusing me of using my children like slaves when I asked them to help me do the household chore . When I was young , it was perfectly nomal for the children to help their parents , I admit it is not always true these days , though .
Moreover , for the Japanese , working is not only for living but rather high-minded thing to do , I would say . ( At reast it was so just a decade ago until the bubble thing made everyone crazy . )
Anyway , finding so many foreigners love this very Japanese film makes me almost cry . It means a lot to me . Knowing entire of other people are not disapproval of your cultural origin makes me so happy . That sense of tolerance would make the world much better place to live .
Thank you all , and I am proud of you very much , Mr . Miyazaki .
014 4 This is an unqualified masterpiece . Dazzling ! A rare combination of stylish animation and engaging , brilliant , truly original storytelling that will delight young and old for many repeated viewings .
The description above ( the www.amazon.com one ) is very good so I won't repeat it here .
Left out of the description , is that the japanese and the english dialogue are somewhat different . I first saw the film in the theatres in the original Japanese ( subtitled ) , and was delighted to find on the DVD subtle differences in the english dialogue that I imagine were changed to appeal more to english ears . Not all the differences are language based . ( For instance : in the japenese version No-face doesn't really speak , he just urges people to take his gold with grunts and body language . In the english version , he has dialogue . Fascinating ! )
Pixar shows great respect in their wonderful job of translation and addition of the english voices . John Lassiter , of Pixar , is interviewed , and he discusses how impressive he feels this film is . ( There's a stamp of approval . )
Thank goodness both versions are included . Watch them both ! The subtleties are worthwhile and interesting .
What I liked most about this movie is how immersed we become in the unusual world Chihiro finds herself in , and how absorbed we , as viewers , become in Chihiro's point of view and her plight . I , quite often , felt just as she did - ignorant , scared , alienated , desparate , and overwhelmed . My heart was racing . Where was this place ? What was going on ? How was she going to get out of this ? What to do next ? I have not found these feelings to abate during further viewings .
While there are a few scary moments , I don't find them nearly as scary as the . . . queen in Sleeping Beauty or the the forest scene in Snow White . I think kids of all ages would really enjoy it . ( You might want to watch it first anyway and judge whether it might be too advanced or too scary for the little ones . )
The biggest mistake would be to think this is just for kids . It's amazing . Highly recommended ! ! I would gladly give it more stars if I could .
015 4 I just saw this movie on the big screen yesterday , and learned while skimming Amazon today that it's due on DVD in about 2 weeks ! Well , let me tell you , I'm so glad I saw it on the big screen , because a large part of the amazing film Spirited Away is its absolute beauty ; the color , animation , the look and feel of the movie SCREAM for the big screen , and I'm only sorry I saw it dubbed and not in its original Japanese . But for sure , this is one movie I will be buying the very day of its release .
The plot is nominal - - a young girl is moving to a new city with her parents , feeling isolated and a little afraid at this new venture in her young life . On the way to their new home , her father takes what he believes to be a shortcut to their house , but instead they wind up in front of an entrance to a bizarre-looking tunnel . In front of the entrance sits a stone statue that is too big for the car to go around so , curious , the parents decide to check out the strange-looking building with the tunnel on foot . Their little girl , immediately fearing something is wrong here , has to be cajoled into going - - and this sets off a bizarre adventure for Chihiro ( the girl ) that you have to see to believe ; she soon ends up all alone in a VERY strange land .
Saying more would be giving stuff away , so let me just say that Chichiro is indeed spirited away to a world where she must learn to be strong in order to save herself - - and her parents - - from being stuck there forever . On the way she meets both friends and enemies of all shapes , sizes . . . and worlds .
This is one heck of a movie , one of my favorites and candy for the eye as well as the mind . Beautifully made and well-crafted , anyone meeting Chihiro will immediately love her , and root 150% for her success .
My ONLY negative in seeing this fine film comes from the actual theatergoing experience itself - - because the film is being distributed by Disney in the USA , there were MANY children in the audience , from babies to early teens . PLEASE NOTE : this is NOT a movie for very young children , by any means - - some images might disturb them , some monsters in the film may be too intense for kids under , say , 7 years of age . One woman down the aisle from me walked out with her four daughters less than ten minutes into the film .
This is NOT a Disney movie by any means , it's Japanimation - - some of the finest I've seen , and - - as much as I also love Lilo and Stitch - - I can see completely why Spirited Away won the Oscar a week ago for Best Animated Film . A brilliant movie , it would be an honor to have it in any movie-lover's DVD collection .
016 4 I've loved Miyazaki's work for a long time . I had the special opportunity to meet and speak with him ( thru my japanse girlfriend ) opening night at the El Capitan Theater ( Disney , Hollywood ) during the filming of what we were told was to be included in the DVD Extras .
If you love Totoro , Kiki , Mononoke , this one will top them all . The movie includes characters found in previous movies , but they do not make their presence obvious . The giant Daikon Kami is just a small representation of the imagination and brilliance of Miyazaki .
This movie was originally produced for younger sub-teenage children , but as his previous works attest , a more mature audience can also appreciate the superb animation , voice talent , lip-to-speech calibration ( for the english dubbed ) and overall storyline . I have recommended numerous adult friends to go watch this in the theater , and none have come back with negative
This one is not to be missed .
017 4 I have always had inclinations to deeply respect Japan ; I feel it is one of the most capable artistic centers in the world , akin to ' 70s USA . Everything about it rings of a combination of art and technology . Much more interesting , though , is how this ties in with common Japanese themes . Just as Final Fantasy VII was a video game , it focused thematically on respect for nature . In the same vein , Miyazaki's Spirited Away ( another phenomenal movie ) manages to do this through an animated medium .
This theme occurs again and again in Japanese cinema in notable works such as Akira and Neon Genesis Evangelion . It , quite honestly , never gets old . This is what makes Spirited Away special . While it addresses modern life , it does not focus on the impersonal nature of technology . Spirited Away's focus is entirely its own . Spurred by the depressed indifference Miyazaki found in 10 year-old girls he knew , he created a portrait of a young girl , Chihiro , overcoming obstacles . It's a simple story , designed only to encourage Japan's newest generation . But , what makes it great is the art with which this is accomplished . I call this movie a portrait because it lacks a Western-style plot . It has no distinctive beginning and no end . What causes Chihiro's disillusionment is unknown , and her story does not necessarily end upon leaving the abandoned amusement park where the story takes place . This reflects the Japanese belief that nothing really ends , and serves as a problem for those unaccustomed to this viewpoint . Likewise , there are some complaints about the story from other reviewers that I urge you to dismiss based upon some simple explanations about the movie .
First , many note the anti-Western themes . Really , Miyazaki avoids these . Rather than casting blame on others , he avoids classifying Chihiro's original condition as having any cause . This isn't whiny , it's art . Rather than giving in to the audience's primal inclinations to insist that an adverse condition in the individual ( Chihiro ) is caused by the negative input of society , Miyazaki instead focuses on Chihiro's triumph . In short , this is more of an uplifting movie than some sociocultural blame game . If you want proof of how controlled Japanese animation can be regarding anti-Western sentiment , watch Grave of the Fireflies ( from Studio Ghibli ) . It's hard to find , but it's easily the best war movie I've ever seen ( and it features no battle scenes , another amazing instance of artistic control ) .
Also , some reviews noted Chihiro's absence of greed juxtaposed against her parent's gluttony as indicative of traditional Japanese virtues . This is not so . She does not eat lustily with her parents because she thinks she will get in trouble . Note that she is entirely self-absorbed until her parents are taken captive . Only when she can no longer be disinterested and negative about modern life does she truly change . Yet , the obstacles of life do not change at all . The spirit world remains the same , although it appears in a much more friendly way towards the movie's end . The demeanor of the characters in the movie are all determined by Chihiro's outlook . Even the cold-hearted witch is shown to be a loving grandmother . And despite being easily enraged , she cares dearly for her oversized baby boy .
A note on the ratings . The movie is rated PG because it deserves to be rated as such . Here is the first sentence describing the PG rating , straight from http : / / www . . . . /
This is a film which clearly needs to be examined or inquired into by parents before they let their children attend .
And people cannot believe it's only rated PG ? PG stands for Parental Guidance Suggested . You can be sure that the movie contains some objectionable content , and if your kids don't like scary movies , then exercise some parental guidance . Don't go blaming the filmmakers or the MPAA when they are right , but you refuse to follow their recommendations .
018 4 Those who claim that this spectacular work of art is too ' weird ' or too ' confusing ' really need to get their heads checked . They obviously need an imagination or two in order to appreciate this film . Chihiro's development from a sulky , complainsome girl into a strong-willed and friendly young woman is something that's amazing itself . Unlike most Disney films , Spirited Away has lots more than just one message in the film , and each one is more deeper than you'd think . For instance , I had explain to my MOTHER what all the junk and stuff spilling out from the Stink Spirit meant !
I know a few people who dislike the whole thing with Kaonashi ( No-Face ) and the train trip . First of all , the whole deal with No-Face was that he wanted to enter Chihiro's heart , but he thought he could do it by offering her gold . He was just lonely ; which was also the theme for the trip to the Sixth Station . All those faceless ' shadow people ' looked like they were lonely too , and that whole scene with the little faceless girl watching the train pass by really gripped my heart for some reason . Combined with Joe Hisashi's beautifull orchestrated score , the scene , I think , was one of the best parts in the movie .
As many have said before me , the PG rating is there for a reason . Hello , doesn't the ' Some Scary Moments ' tag ring a bell ?
Those parents should view this film first if they're that concerned about the content , and also , they shouldn't just dismiss this as a children's film ; it can be enjoyed by anyone .
This is anime at its best , people .
Everybody who's remotely interested in GOOD cinema should see this at least once .
019 4 The latest of Miyazaki's works ported over to the U.S . via Disney's funding is probably one of the best animated films to hit American shores to date , even going so far as to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture of 2002 , and it certainly deserves it .
Set at first in modern-day Japan , the movie begins with a ten-year old girl named Chihiro moving to a new house with her parents . After a wrong turn , her father decides to make a shortcut through the woods , which leads the three to what appears to be an abandoned amusement park , where her parents find food sitting out and begin to stuff themselves like pigs . Chihiro refuses to eat and goes exploring , and as nightfall approaches , it becomes clear that this is not an abandoned amusement park , but a place thriving with activity . When she tries to find her parents to escape , she discovers that they have transformed into pigs after gorging themselves on the food of the spirits .
To survive in this new world , Chihiro is befriended by a boy named Haku , who helps her hide from the spirits until she can reach the bath house , where she must get a job from Yu-baba or be turned into an animal like her parents .
Sprited Away takes a different path than the conventional Disney film that so many are used to in animated films . For one , there aren't any musical numbers , which is almost always a plus ( the only animated films I can think of where the the musical numbers set well were Beauty and the Beast , which had but two that worked while the rest interrupted the plot , and Lilo Stitch , where the songs and story seamed together flawlessly . ) The animation is also very different , consisting of Japanese animation ( anime ) to create characters and settings that flow very smoothly .
There's more to the difference than simple audio and visual flavor , though . Chihiro is not the standard hero . She's a whiny , immature brat ( as Yu-baba puts well ) and won't stop complaining at first . It isn't until she's pressed with incredible odds and responsibilites ( some of which force her to break down ) that she can begin to grow up and face the strange world around her .
That strangeness is yet another difference . The world that Miyazaki has created here is nothing short of odd , tossing in plenty of spirits and gods of Japanese folklore , and even poking fun at some of them , such as the Radish Spirit .
Yu-baba isn't a clean villain either . In fact , she's more of an antagonist than a true villain , as she really is protecting her property and her ability to earn profit , while Chihiro is an invader , even if she is innocent , and threatens the spirits ' way of life . Some may call this evil , but they would do the same thing when put in a position of defending what they hold dear , as petty as it may seem .
There are themes and subtle symbolisms riding in Spirited Away as well . Much of it involves the effect of humans on the enviroment , as clearly evidenced when Chihiro's parents are eating the food that belongs to the spirits , or the endearing scene with the Stink Spirit . There are also things that I have yet to decipher , such as the separation between adults and children , but I really don't know . The shadow people of the train harks some sort of symbolism , but I don't know it yet ( if anyone has any theories , contact me . )
Everything about the plot and characters will take in children , adolescents , and adults . The visuals are stunning and look wonderful , only catching off when we some of the CG takes place when the train passes a house later in the movie . And then , there's the music , an absolutely wonderful score by Joe Hisaishi , who's composed scores for other Miyazaki films . Reprise , when matched with its scene , is enough to bring tears .
The DVD isn't all that great , but it has a nice animation on the menu . There are a couple features , as well as some Disney trailers . The second disc has a few extras , but much is in Japanese . The trailers for Spirited Away will seem like poor advertising for those used to American-made trailers .
The DVD features aren't important though . I wasn't even expecting a 2nd disc when picking this up , so it was really just a nice bonus . The real gem is the movie , in all it's wonder and glory , and it begs multiple viewing ( which you'd do anyway , right ? Why buy it otherwise ? ) If any movie deserves credit and attention , it's this one . All in all , Spirited Away , simply put , is beautiful . . .
- Escushion
020 4 Spirited Away was my welcome into anime , and a good one at that . Japanese animation is sometimes hard to follow and often confusing but this is very easy to understand . The creative works of Hayao Miyazaki previously include classics such as Kiki's Delivery Service , Castle In The Sky and Princess Mononoke , but Spirited Away is his latest and most acclaimed to date , winning countless awards and deservedly so . There's always been a certain magic to his movies and this is no exception .
As a family becomes lost while looking for their new home , they stumble upon a train station that leads them to an old , abandoned theme park . The young girl Chihiro has an eerie feel about the place so she's reluctant to explore and begs to go back , but as her Mom and Dad become enticed with the smell of delicious food cooking from a distance , they ignore her pleas and venture further into the shops , leaving poor , frightened Chihiro with no choice but to follow .
Her parents eventually come across plates stacked of tasty eateries and indulge themselves in it . As they try to persuade Chihiro to join them , she briskly shakes her head and , frustrated , wanders off on her own . It's then when she notices a bath house and comes to meet a mysterious boy named Haku who warns her to get out of there . As he pushes her away , darkness descends and the place no longer seems abandoned as the lights flicker on and the night comes alive with black ghosts ( or spirits ) . As she runs back to her parents , what she finds instead are her Mom and Dad transformed into pigs . Confused and scared , she races back to the entrance only to realize that it's covered with deep waters now as a boat arrives with masked figures cloaked in drapes . As she tries to convince herself that this is all just a dream as she struggles to wake up , Haku ( an oddly familiar soul ) returns to her side , giving her substance so she doesn't fade and become invisible . In time she learns to trust him and he promises to assist in getting her parents back so she can leave this place and return home . But first she must blend in and demand work from the boilerman , whom happens to have legs and arms like a spider , to escape the greed that could trap her in this strange world forever . Through a series of events she eventually becomes suspicious of Haku's motives but has no other options in saving her parents . Along the way she makes new friends , becomes a stronger person , and faces challenges that help unearth the courage from within herself .
Spirited Away has everything you'd expect from a fantasy movie , such as a dragon that reminds me of A Neverending Story and a witch named Yubaba ( with a very big head and an even bigger baby , mind you ) , but the imagination and storytelling are truly original and you never know what's going to happen next . It's a real joy to watch and the dreamy animation is beautifully realized as it's brought to life .
021 4 Like Princess Mononoke , director Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated film , Spirited Away , was inspired greatly by animistic Shinto beliefs . The story begins with a young girl named Chihiro riding in a car with her parents . While driving to their new home , they take a turn onto a dirt road that leads them to an old building . In spite of Chihiro's objections , she follows her parents into the building's entrance . They emerge on the other side into daylight and walk towards a set of buildings . The buildings appear abandoned , but when Chihiro's parents smell food cooking , they follow it to a well-stocked restaurant and begin to gorge themselves . Chihiro refuses to eat and wanders away to investigate on her own . When she returns , she finds that her parents have turned into two fat pigs . When night suddenly falls , Chihiro is further terrified by the unexpected appearance of an assortment of strange spiritual beings ; but one boy , Haku , helps Chihiro and tells her that there may be a way to restore her parents . Will Chihiro , who is later renamed Sen , be able to restore her parents and survive in the strange world or spirits and magic ?
As in Princess Mononoke , the animation in Spirited Away is intricate , amazing and beautiful . Other very interesting characters include the witch Yubaba , Sen's coworker Lin , boiler manager Kamaji , the little black creatures that assist Kamaji , and No-Face . Western viewers may find the story strange since the story contains no battles between good & evil , and also since many of the characters are inherently neither good nor evil for the most part either . Overall , I found the plot to be very engaging , as well as the cinematography and animation , and I rate the film with 5 out of 5 stars . The DVD version can be watched in its original Japanese with English subtitles , or dubbed in English , which was done well . Spirited Away is a film that children and adults alike can both enjoy and watch repeatedly without becoming tiresome .
022 4 I just returned from the theater where I saw Miyazaki's Spirited Away for the 17th time . It never gets old . I won't bother with a synopsis because most reviews can give you that . I will offer this : I have yet to see a kid in that theater who didn't absolutely love it . Every single one of them , around ages 4 - 10 , never made a sound . No one did ( except for the occasional laughter provoked by a midget bird carrying around a fat , purple mouse at its will ) . The character development and ideas expressed in this film are unrivaled by any other film I have ever seen . Miyazaki uses the character No Face to teach a lesson about the evils of greed , as well as the importance of love and friendship , hard work and perserverance , the necessity to keep our environment clean , and the will to uphold one's integrity and grow when faced with extreme challenges . If you have seen the movie , you can appreciate this : ( if not , this won't ruin anything ) . At one point , Kamaji explains to Haku that only love can break Zeniba's spell . Honestly , and I'm not making this up , as soon as he said that , this little boy sitting behind me turned to his dad and said , I love you dad . This is a powerful movie and is not to be missed . The scenes of vomiting and bleeding , while natural to most organisms , are somewhat graphic at times . I am sick and tired about parents complaining about how it was absolutely terrifying . The MPAA assigns a rating of PG for a reason . It means parental guidance ( which means use your own judgement . If the kid gets scared , it's because it's your own freaking fault ) . There is in fact a difference between PG and G , believe it or not . If you would like to stick with traditional Disney fare , expect superficial and hackneyed plots with shallow character development and no touching moments in which the filmmaker uses his imagination to epitomize human behaviours and get them across to an audience both young and old . This is the most touching and inspiring movie I have ever seen and should not be missed . It is truly a timeless masterpiece .
023 4 There's a guy in the beginning of the DVD who says , You are so lucky to be seeing this movie . I laughed out loud when I heard him say that . But you know what ? He's right .
Young Chihiro wanders into an alternate world where her parents are turned into pigs and she must save them . Does this sound ridiculous ? Yes , and in fact , the person I watched it with read the synopsis and said , Do I really want to see this ? He was very hesitant . ( And the cheesy guy at the beginning telling us how lucky we were added to the pressure . . . ) But it was fantastic . The story is beautiful and moving , the animation incredible .
I've since watched some other Miyazaki movies and not been quite so in love with them . As far as I can tell , this is his masterpiece .
I wouldn't show it to a young child though . Even though it's animated , the story is quite complicated and the monsters can be pretty scary . It's rated PG and with good reason .
024 4 This has got to be one of the best-animated children's movies I have ever seen . I was getting so tired of the typical animated children's movies . Musicals , or poorly drawn visuals , bad voice acting , with a plot that's visible from the start , is what our movie collection was comprised of . However this movie has sort of an Alice in wonderland approach to it , but the visuals and details that go into the scenes are just amazing . I saw this after watching My Neighbor Totoro . Now I am acquiring the entire studio Gibli collection . My children just adore the characters and it is a movie that really gets their attention and not just something they watch passively . I can put this in and time and time again we just can't get bored with it . If you like this movie then you will also like The Cat Returns .
025 4 Like many others , I first encountered Spirited Away when it took the Best Animated Picture Oscar , and was theatrically re-released . I originally went with some trepidation , because while I'm a huge animation buff , I've never cared much for anime . I went to see Akira in the middle of its hype , and walked out shaking my head , muttering All style , no substance . Depth of a puddle . I've since had others tell me Akira was overrated . I'm inclined to believe them .
Anyhow , Spirited Away changed my mind forever . Saw it twice in the theater , and bought the DVD the minute it ame out . What a gorgeous film . Distrubing images ? Certainly . Like ANY good fairy tale . Snow White , Pinocchio , Alice In Wonderland , Oz-these all contain bits of nightmare . But it's Good Scary as opposed to mindless fright .
Is the movie confusing ? Only if you need to have plot lines and characters telegraphed to you . If you don't like to think about a movie , by all means , run screaming from Spirited Away . But if you enjoy immersing yourself in a fully formed alternate reality , this is your flick .
And what a wonderful message . Chihiro only begins to triumph when she sets herself aside , and sacrifices for the sake of others . Some of the imagery of her sacrifice ( Haku's purging of the blackness inside ) is spirituality of a high order .
I can understand why serious anime fans might be able to nitpick this movie . It's the same with anyone who's deeply into a subject matter . But , if you're a film fan , especially one new to anime , this is a masterwork , pure and simple . Arguably one of the finest films ever made , any genre , any era .
026 4 If you watch this movie expecting to see Lion King or Alice in Wonderland , then don't waste your time . For children AND adults with a taste for something new , different and even genuinely scary - sit back , dim the lights , and get ready to take a journey the likes of which Disney animated features never quite reach .
This is not a typical Western-oriented story . It is , almost literally , the work of one man . Miyazaki is a Master of storytelling , and injects a sense of realism in this fantastical world that makes it all the more entertaining and even more memorable than some classics .
Over two hours long , there is much more story development and true scariness than many young children can stand , so take heed . Even for those who are fed up with the steady stream of anime , this is nothing like what is bombarding the airwaves . There are real characters here - some good and some bad - but no one to hate . Also , some characters that are quite scary , yet turn out to be not so bad after all . Morality even children can appreciate .
Japanese animation has come far in 40 years , when Alakazam was first Westernized for American viewing . Whomever ordered that the Disney studios were not permitted to change a single frame of this movie deserves a great deal of gratitude . This is truly a classic to enjoy over and over .
027 4 I went to see this in the theater with my teenage dughter and we both loved the movie . Princess Mononoke was my first exposure to anime , and in my opinion , Spirited Away far surpasses that movie.The animation is exquisite , with beautiful colors and motion . It absolutely carries you away to another realm . The plot is not difficult to follow , and the characters are all so memorable , it's hard to single out just one . I especially appoved of the voice-casting , as Princess Mononoke had some jarring problems with voice / character connection . I was surprised to read Suzanne Pleshette's name in the credits , as well as some of the others ; they had done such a wonderful job of inhabiting their roles . This movie was made to be aimed at 10 year olds , but it does not shrink away from mature ideas and values . Some parts might be scary to American youngsters , but it wins my approval for ages 10 and up . I can't wait for the DVD .
028 4 Miyazaki , you & #8217 ; re the king
I love your anime
My son sat still for two whole hours
Of & #8220 ; Spirited Away & #8221 ;
Chihiro and her Mom and Dad
Are for a new home bound
They miss the turn ( as Father & #8217 ; s do )
And stop to look around
Unknowingly they cross the line
Out of this mortal plane
Chihiro tries to tell them so
But her pleas are in vain
Before she blinks the sun is gone
And spirits soon arrive
A boy gives her some good advice
On how to stay alive
She makes some friends and gets a job
And mends her bratty ways
She helps to heal a river god
which earns her lots of praise
She feeds a dragon herbal cake
that frees it from a spell
and soon she finds a way to help
her friend and make him well
Her final task is very hard
No time to be mistaken
She has to rescue Mom and Dad
Before they & #8217 ; re turned to bacon
We & #8217 ; ve watched this movie many times
It & #8217 ; s never getting old
I can attest that it deserves
The millions it has sold
Amanda Richards , April 12 , 2006
029 4 Occasionally , just occasionally , a film becomes a culture in its own right , and everything it is related to falls away around it to leave it standing on its own . Spirited Away is such a film . It has taken over box office records in Japan , and not done too badly in the western hemisphere , widely being cited as one of , or even the , best animated film ever produced .
But Miyazaki's epic is not just a brilliant animated film . It is a brilliant film . All too often , animated features are great because of the animation , that is the technical dazzle and sheer fantasy nature that the animated medium allows for . And that's great . Spirited Away , however , goes further . The themes it touches on - greed , emotional attachment and the imperfection complex that blights every human being ; as well as presenting the importance of traditional values - can be found nestled in the scripts of the deepest live action films .
We quickly become immunised to the sheer weirdness of the world presented to us in this film , and that helps us identify with the characters that we might otherwise struggle with .
The plot is summarised well above , but to give a brief outline ( which falls massively short of doing the film's complexity justice ) ; I don't want to ruin the sheer surprise of the exotic , and downright bizarre nature of the spirit world ; suffice to say it'll leave you dumbstruck and inspired by the attention to detail that has gone into it . Essentially , the film follows Chihiro , a ten year old girl , who , along with her parents , is transported magically into a world of spirits and sorcery . When her parents are turned into pigs by a cruel spell , she must battle her way through the politics and intrigue of the society she has been stranded in . Helping and hindering her along the way are the friendly but icy spirit Haku , and the greedy sorceress Yubaba . Chihiro must find her way out of the spirit world alive , and with her parents restored to human form . Confused ? You will be , so the trick is to let go for two hours and allow yourself to become immersed in the fantasy of this spirit world .
You come away from this film feeling like you've learnt something , feeling like you've had a good time , and absolutely certain that you're going to watch it again . This is the hallmark of a good film - shelf life - and in this respect Spirited Away is timeless . Like all truly brilliant motion pictures ( e.g . Where Eagles Dare , The Sting , Crouching Tiger : Hidden Dragon ) , you come away with a substantial number of questions , and a need to have a repeat viewing to start to answer some of them .
Purists will prefer the original Japanese version , but the dubbed English version has made the film accessible to many more ; and , as it's an animated film , the dubbing is considerably less obvious than with live action films . As an animator , I have found a repetitive draw to this film for inspiration and ideas ; but as a regular movie-goer , I simply find it a truly excellent , must-see flick .
030 4 I can't believe I didn't get this sooner ! I would see the promotions for it on television when I was eleven when it first came out , and I could kick myself for not getting before I became a teenager . A lot of my imagination has deteriorated within that time , but I'm really glad I ended up buying . Being a fan of My Neighbor Tortoro and Kiki's Delivery Service as a kid ( which both inspired me majorly ) I was wondering if Hayao Mayazaki was same one who created Sprited Away . Doing a little research , I found out it was the same man , so I got the DVD expecting a fantasy , and got something out of my own imagination that got me back to remembering how I used to have so much fun with my own imagination back then .
Chihiro ( american voiced by Daveigh Chase from The Ring ) isn't too thrilled moving away to another town . New school , new friends , and a new house . It's not easy for someone who's just entering into her pre-teens . But when her parents accidentally take a wrong turn , the three find themselves in a seemingly abandoned amusement park . Her parents find some food left out in a restaurant , and when you see food you know someone has to be there . But when Chihiro comes back , she finds her parents have undergone a transformation , and strange shadows going up and down the sidewalks of the once abandoned place . Yet now that darkness has fallen , Chihiro knows something about the place is different , and if she wants to save her parents and herself , the only way out of the place is going straight through it .
I don't want to give away too much because if you give away something , you give it all away . Hayao Mayazaki must take these own ideas from his own childhood imagination , because his artwork , and where the plot goes is too amazing to be anywhere else . Being a wannabe author , Mayazaki's work has inspired , and I'm sure for any child who sees Spirited Away or any of his other breathtaking movies will be swept out of the world , and back into their own imagination .
Sprited Away is one of the more detailed and well thought out movies of his . Some of them are very easy to figure out , and some of them take a little while , but they deliver just as they always have . This one brings in a little bit of everything , and doesn't really need all explained , but as the story goes on , things fall together , and as a fantasy , you shouldn't think logical . When something comes out of the imagination , nothing is ever logical again .
The voice talents are amazing . I was surprised to find out that the highly acclaimed horror remake of a japanese thriller The Ring would have the same voice of Samara ( for those of you who have seen it ) in another remake . Coincidental ? Daveigh Chase did good as little Chihiro , but of course the original is always better . I didn't listen to the japanese voice , but just in case I didn't like the new american voices , it's always good to switch on the subtitles , and change to the original japanese voices . That's what I really like about DVD's .
Spirited Away definitely has a good many laughs , but for kids who don't understand them it may be good , but for the adults , they'll be laughing until they can't breathe with the inside jokes all throughout the movie . The DVD also has a good variety of things to choose from unlike the sad DVD for my neighbor Totoro . I hope Mayazaki comes out with more like this , though . He's so highly underrated it's not even funny . At least there's a good number of us who appreciate him .
031 4 This Film is a masterpiece . Forget that it is Japanese . Forget that it is Animated . Buy it now . Because when you watch this movie you will forget all thoose things as you enter a new world that is incredible . The only drawback is that the film is not for younger children . But older children and Adults will be stunned at how good this film is .
032 4 This is a great movie , but it is obviously not for everyone , especially those who lack a creative spirit . I read one review that downcasted the Japanese for not making the characters look Asian enough ! And another said that this movie is too different and weird . How sad . Others complained that this movie is too scary for kids ( it says right on it - PG : For Some Scary Moments ) . And indeed there are ! Don't rent it for your 4 - year olds and complain about that it if they get scared . Anyway , to my opinion about the movie :
BAD : This movie isn't perfect , and there are a few MINOR things that bothered me . First , the noses . When Chihiro turns sideways , her nose looks oddly shaped and flat .
And last , the relationship between Yababa's sister and Chihiro wasn't developed enough . They share a scene with each other for about 5 minutes before Chihiro has to leave , and they are saying their good-byes as if they have been with each other for years !
GOOD : The creativity of this movie is astounding ! That's probably why some people don't like it . Maybe it's just too creative for some people . ( Look at our music industry , for example . Since when did people enjoy a little creativity in music ? But I won't go there ) . Anyway , there are a lot of weird creatures and spirits and a talking frog ! You should also see some of the food the parents eat , as well as everything else , but there are too many things to type about .
And also the originality of this movie . . . I haven't seen any movie even remotely like this one . If you have noticed the protaganists and antagonists , they are not the typical good vs . evil . Like Yababa ( the main antagonist ) . I don't think she is evil , although she does unlikeable things . She is , however , trustworthy and she takes care of her giant baby ! And the protaganist ( Chihiro being the main one ) is at first unlikeable ( her screaming over everything . . . sheesh ) , but you grow to sympathize with her and like her throughout the movie . And one character ( No-Face ) switches from neutral to protagonist to antagonist to protagonist again .
Also , the weird plot and setting ( they enter this other world that seems to be in another world . . . ) . It's kind of hard to explain without giving everything away . You really have to see it for yourself .
And the dubbing / voice acting was actually all right ! I really liked the voices for all the characters , from the actor for Chihiro who really puts emotion into her character , and to Yababa with her throaty voice . Everyone was perfect .
Also , I'm really glad with Miyazaki , because it feels like he was making this movie for himself ( this movie does not follow any formula like in a lot of American movies ) . There are a lot of climaxes and resolutions in this movie and it feels as if he made up this movie as he went along , which in this case is a good thing .
Overall , a great movie . Just don't complain about this movie because it has violence or the characters didn't look Asian enough . That's what G movies are made for - people who cannot enjoy creativity and a piece of art that was made for Miyazaki's pleasure . This is definitely not for close-minded people .
033 4 What a glorious , glorious labour of love . After watching it , I felt like hugging myself . Calling this film an ' animation ' and thus lumping it together with the childish fantasies turned out by lesser talents doesn't do it justice , for this work of art deserves comparison to the best in any genre .
This is a film that has complex imperfect heroes , no villains , trials more internal than external , a world more vibrant than our own , a spirituality so deep as to reach the metaphysical , and yet will delight a girl of ten as much as a lifelong moviegoer of ninety . It is also surreal in tone , lyrical in composition , invokes tension and suspense without malevolence , and the filmmaker achieves all of this in an animated cartoon . ` Spirited Away ' is a work of sheer genius .
This film has pity and compassion , love and redemption , hidden strength and discovered courage , turbulence harnessed to an inner harmony ; but it never strikes a false note nor succumbs to maudlin sentiment . Through gentle humour and understated dignity , it shows so much respect for the intelligence of its audience that I wanted to kiss the director's hand .
Calling this film a fairy tale just won't do . Unlike western animation , its magic is deep down , at the very roots of its make-believe world , so deep that it is worked into the very fabric of the story . There is no faerie flying around sprinkling pixie dust , no bubbling cauldrons , no evil-incarnate stepmother and no goodness-personified prince charming ; nothing so obvious or so crass . Instead , the world of spirits into which our little heroine lands is as natural as breathing . In this world , humans are the intruders , and as gross material entities , it is we who bring disorder and upset to their realm .
It is not easy describing what makes this film so special , because the reasons range from the very small to the very large . At the small end , the film's eye for detail is simply marvellous . Even the act of a little girl putting on her shoes is given such character that we pause to admire the filmmakers ' respect for children . At the large end , this film shares with us a journey of spiritual awakening . Our little heroine grows over the course of the film from a self-pitying self-absorbed little mouse into a loving openhearted daring soul .
But a word of caution : this is not standard cartoon fare . It assumes an intelligent audience and therefore dispenses with a paint-by-numbers plotline . Indeed , it isn't even about plot but about character , places , feelings , moods , and most of all , themes . For example , a recurring theme is that of purging . Various characters throw up throughout the film and this may disturb the fainthearted . But , if one is familiar with oriental thought , expelling poison to cleanse oneself is a common cultural theme and does not provoke the same disgust that it does in occidental cultures . Indeed , after our little heroine replenishes the river spirit , his gift to her is the medicine of purging . Later in the story , she saves a number of her friends by putting it to good use .
Obviously , this is a film that must be approached with some thought . Unlike most western animations , one cannot view it while idling in neutral . It has much that is beautiful and transcendent , but it also has terror and pain , and it demands our most careful consideration . Those unwilling to invest the required effort will get nothing out of it and had best stick with Bambi . Yet , for all its demands , this is a film that remains accessible even to children . Younger viewers may even have an advantage over their parents because they will approach it with open minds unconstrained by western styles and conventions . For them , the film's symbolism may not be apparent , but the filmmakers have applied such symbolism so gracefully that it will still be felt if not noticed , and this will be all that matters .
This film rewards open minds . To fully appreciate it , one must cast away ones preconceptions about animation . Western practice and tradition has sadly fenced animation into a marginal niche by considering it children's fare that is incapable of higher artistic expression . ' Spirited Away ' is Hayao Miyazaki's exuberant response . It deserves the same consideration and accolades that we habitually heap on ' real ' films and is frankly so far above the excrement endlessly churned out by Hollywood that it inhabits a different plane . This film deserved the Oscar in 2001 , not for ' Best Animated Film ' , but for ' Best Picture ' . It really is that good .
034 4 Hayao Mayazaki's stunning work takes the boundaries of traditional cel animation and stretches it to a point no Western animated movie has in quite some time now . The film owes a lot to Lewis Carroll as much as it does Osama Tezuka . Chihiro is a reserved apprehensive girl who is transported to a world of large fuzzy gods and old Japan-style theme-parks turned marketplaces and bathhouses . Transformation is a large theme in the film : river gods transformed by human pollution ; humans transformed into pigs ; Chihiro transformed by her domineering employer into ' Sen ' .
Like Mayazaki's eco-fable ' Princess Mononoke ' , this film's Romanticism allows for morals to play through in very clever ways . Characters are more complex than first glance and each has a redeeming side no matter how grotesque . The imagery is stunning at times . Rich Mannerist color schemes with elaborate set designs unfold for the nearly flawless animation to take place in .
Having said that , the only flaw in this DVD package is the credit Disney tries to take for some of it in the Bonus Footage . As usual , the Mouse talks down to their audience in their sophmoric and superfluous explainations . English-Version Producer John Lassater comes off like a big dope that ( thankfully ) Mayazaki can see through . Who cares about Kirk Wise or any of the other Disney directors that had almost nothing to do with the film itself ? Skip instead to the Nippon Television documentary that takes you through Studio Ghibli and the final tense months of production . This segment where the animators and staff work round the clock offers a candid view of the animation film process . The film itself transcends its Western distributor and shines as something very distinct and touching .
035 4 We just rented Sprited Away and I am buying it today because my whole family - 6 and 3 - year-old kids included - want to watch it again and again . As lifelong animation / comics fans , my husband and I were overcome with the beauty of this film . The artwork is superb ! The storyline , infused as it is , with Japanese myth and legend , is engrossing and deliciously perplexing . I know just enough about Japanese culture to follow along - I think . As for previous posters ' opinion about the film being too scary for children - well , I suppose that depends on your kids and your parenting philosophy . My kids were gripped by the movie , and yes , scared at parts . Even I was freaked out when Chihiro comes back to find her parent's turned into pigs , just as night falls and the spirits start to wander . But they were fascinated as well . ( And my three-year-old boy loves nothing better than a good stink monster or a scary No-Face ) . And I think they take note that this girl ( I imagine her as being about 9 ) conquers her own fears to master her environment , make friends and ultimately save her parents . I suppose in a world milk-fed on Disney pap and feel-good network TV , Spirited Away is too much for some Americans . However , I'm one parent who's happy to expose my kids to films of this quality . Not to mention myself .
036 4 I often find that the movies that win awards ( particularly Oscars ) are not necessarily the movies I wish to see . Sometimes , in fact , I have never even heard of these award-winning films . No , I am not referring to foreign films or documentaries or the winner of the Most Obscure Film from Kazakhstan prize . I'm talking about the big awards for movies of which I should have at least heard .
Five movies were nominated for this year's Best Animated Feature award . Included in the list of nominees were such films as Lilo Stitch , Ice Age , and Treasure Planet . The only nominee of which I had heard nothing was Spirited Away , a Japanese film dubbed into English . Obviously , this chapped my delicate sensibilities , so I immediately arranged to view the film - to my complete and utter joy .
Spirited Away is the story of Chihiro , a young , selfish girl who is thrust into a surreal world of talking frogs , witches , dragons and spirits . Through her attempts to rescue her parents who have been turned into pigs ( that'll teach them to eat the food of the spirits ) , Chihiro learns lessons about friendship , bravery and love . I'm not doing the story justice , simply because I don't feel that I'm up to the task .
If I was forced to describe Spirited Away in ten words or less , I would have to call it Alice in Wonderland embedded in Japanese mythology . Unfortunately , it is the Japanese mythology that is the only fault . And , though it pains me to say it , the fault is mine - I am simply not well-versed in that type of literature .
Japanese audiences loved this movie . With its original theatrical release in Japan in 2001 , Spirited Away became the highest grossing film ever for that country . I loved the movie , too , despite my admitted short-comings .
That being said , I would recommend that parents screen this film before showing it to younger children , as some scenes may be a bit frightening . For the parents that do watch the film - don't be surprised if you enjoy the film more than your kids . I suppose that's as good a reason as any to rent it for them . . .
037 4 If you liked Princess Mononoke , you will find this to be a rewarding feature to watch as well . I loved it !
Spirited Away follows a young girl , Chihiro , who's family has moved into a new area . In the process of trying to find their new home , the family arrives at a secretive tunnel hidden away from the main road . Her adventurous father decides to investigate the tunnel , and leads his family into what he believes to be an abandoned amusement park , where , strangely enough , they find a single restaurant cooking up strange but tasty dishes . Still Suspicious , Chihiro wanders off while her parents dig in , and finds a hot springs bath house , where she meets a young boy called Haku . He warns her to leave , and in so doing , finds her Father and Mother turned into pigs by their gluttonous feeding frenzy !
Needless to say , the young girl finds herself trapped in a strange place where 8 million gods come to relax at the hotsprings , where she ends up being employed to stay alive .
Personally , I would rate this film PG - 13 due to some graphic situations , but reccomend it for the entire family !
This feature is full of beautiful imagery , timely action and the right touch of romance without being ground into the senses .
I found myself spirited away by Spirited Away ! ^ , ^ | / , ,
038 4 Sorry , as great as I thought T . Nakajima's Spotlight review was for this wonderful movie ( great idea to give tips for non-Japanese viewers ! ) , he made an error in his Tip #4 , Haku's real name .
And as I love Haku's gentle ( JAPANESE ) character too much , and Chihiro and Haku's relationship is so vital to the story , I had to correct it and add additional insight . ( Also Disney BUTCHERED the English version giving Haku a commercialized Hi ! I announce the rides at Disneyland ! voice with butchered dubbing . . . . sob ) .
OK ! So the correction :
[ 4 ] Haku's real name is Migihayami Kohakusui . All the Japanese audience , as Chihiro in fact was , would be surprised to hear this long and old-fashioned name , which clearly suggests his ancient and aristocratic origin .
This is incorrect .
Haku's real name is . . ( drum roll please . . . ) NIGIHAYAMI KOHAKUNUSHI .
( nee-gi-ha-ya-mee ko-ha-ku-nu-shi )
And he is , in case you missed it , a river god . Nushi , in Japanese denotes deities and spirits . Haku was the god that protected the Kohaku river until ( urban development ) filled the river and it was no longer . See Miyazaki's message here ?
Chihiro tells Haku that her mother once told her that she fell into a river when she was a child . She remembers this when she clings onto Haku's horns ( when he is in dragon form ) . It brings back the memory of when she fell in the river and Haku guided her back to shore , saving her life . She says the river no longer exists because they built apartment complexes over it ( in Japanese , called mansions ) , but that the river was called . . the Kohaku river ( Kohaku-gawa , kawa / gawa = Japanese for river ) .
There is a fan on the web who managed to transcribe Haku's entire name to be Master of the peaceful and swift-flowing small white river . ( . . . ) which I think is pretty close to the fact . Haku , means White , in Japanese . Plus I mentioned the Disney travesty for more than one reason . The original Japanese voice for Haku , is that of a YOUNG boy ( well , young god boy ) . Haku , is a young river spirit , as far as spirit years go , hence he is a young boy in human form .
It would be worthwhile to see the subtitled version of this movie , as even not understanding Japanese , you may catch the softer inflections in his voice when he speaks to Chihiro , and also enjoy Chihiro's young , NON-whiny voice .
039 4 Spirited Away could never be confused with a traditional Disney flick . After taking a wrong turn on the way to their new house , Chihiro and her parents stumble upon what they believe is a deserted theme park . In a terrifying scene , they are ripped apart - the parents transformed into obscenely greedy pigs and Chihiro literally fading away . Rescued by Haku , the apprentice to the witch Yubaba , Chihiro soon discovers she is trapped in a bathhouse for spirits and gods . Many hilarious , other frighteningly evil , these spirits give the bathhouse an eery surreality that Chihiro comes to embrace .
Using his considerable talent , Miyazaki has once again created an inspired , stunningly animated film . Those raised on Disney might find themselves off-balance without the moralistic overtones , but Miyazaki does not create his films for young children . As with ? Princess Mononoke , ? this film is far too intense and complex for those under eight . Miyazaki's films are about story and visual delights - and ? Spirited Away ? is no exception . His characters are well-defined and multi-dimensional , often charming in an off-beat way . Chihiro makes an irresistible heroine , and Haku is a magnetic , appropriately mysterious hero . Even the comedic giant baby ( I laugh as I think of him ) fills the screen with life .
The dubbed version of this movie is actually better than most dubbed versions of Japanese movies , with added lines to help those not familiar with Japanese culture orient themselves . For example , the Sumo-like radish god is named in the English , but not in the subtitled version . Also in the English , the parents grunt like pigs before they morph , foreshadowing their fate in a way the Japanese language edition does not . Although I ? m a purist and always prefer the original language version , those watching the dubbed will still be rewarded .
I highly recommend this film for everyone over eight years old . Don't confuse animation with simplicity because Spirited Away is anything but two-dimensional . Treat yourself to this remarkable film . I doubt you'll regret the entry into Miyazaki's fantastical world .
040 4 The other day I ran into a friend of mine at a gas station / video store . She was asking me whether a certain family movie was appropriate for her 3 - 4 year old daughter . I said yeah ( even though it's not the greatest movie ) and I got to thinking whether to suggest a Ghibli film . Problem is is that most of them aren't exactly for all ages since there's no dance-y numbers , obvious comic relief and easy to follow plots . So we have Spirited Away , which despite being an excellent film , might not be the first one you should use to test your kid ( s ) on Studio Ghibli films .
Chihiro and her parents are travelling when they come across a tunnel . They go through it to end up in an abandoned town which has a lot of food . Everyone except Chihiro eats only for them to turn into pigs . Eventually , she ends up in a bath house which caters to gods and they're not particularly interested in humans . She has to somehow manage to escape the bath house and get home with the help of some friends .
Now just to clarify what I meant in the first paragraph , this is a 2 hour film and its quite packed with information and characters . Not to mention it's pretty much a talky film with no songs , or gags and jokes a la Shrek or even Toy Story . In many ways , you can consider this more a film for 8 - 13 year olds than 3 - 4 . They'd probably like how colorful it is but this isn't like Dora the Explorer or Spongebob where the accessibility for a child is instant . As for the scary scenes mentioned , it's not really a big deal , depending on their tolerance . Let's put it this way : did they survive the dwarves hunting the Witch in Snow White or the Ursula fight in Little Mermaid ? Yes ? Then they'll handle it .
There's plenty to like here . First , the animation is of course great , largely hand-drawn which is certainly even more impressive watching it . And like Miyazaki characters , there's no black and white / good and evil characters which makes them all the more human and likable . Although some might not like Yubaba which qualifies has one of the more instantly unlikable characters . The voice acting like the other dubs is likable but I usually click the Japanese option right away . Not that I'm against English dubs , in fact that's how I watched Fullmetal Alchemist , it's just I tend to prefer the original .
What should you watch first ? Well Totoro is probably likely as well as Kiki's Delivery Service but oddly , the most kid friendly is probably the Cat Returns since there's very little scary parts and it's not plot-heavy . But Spirited Away is rightly an animated classic you should watch .
041 4 After seeing Princess Mononoke on DVD , I became an instant fan of Miyazaki's films and style of animation . I saw this movie when it was released to theaters here in the US , having seen the ads for it and knowing it was going to be good .
It wasn't good , it was great ! So many fables in the U.S . have been told to death that to see this movie was a literal breath of fresh air . It is such a wonderful new take on the old story of the hero being required to grow up and mature in order to get out of whatever situation he / she has been thrust into .
Chihiro / Sen is someone that any young girl can relate to . While she starts off seeming bratty , it's not because she's really a brat . Her family has moved , something that's all too familiar to many young children , and what young girl wouldn't be angry at her parents after being yanked away from her friends without so much as a how do you feel about this ? She just wants to stay where she's comfortable and safe .
From the outset , Chihiro is required to act in ways that would be difficult for anyone , never mind a young girl ! How well would you react to the sight of a boiler keeper who looks like a cross between a man and a spider , with little puffs of soot scurrying about as his helpers ? And in the same night , find yourself having to face down a foul-tempered witch to ensure you don't suffer the same fate as your parents ?
Every girl ( and boy ) has to learn to grow up - - to come to grips with the fact that the world can sometimes be a harsh place , and that you still have to live in it and do the best that you can ; to learn to stand up for yourself with no one there to help you ; to be responsible for what you ( or those with you ) do ; to come to understand that other people besides yourself matter . Chihiro learns all of these things and more , and changes from a timid , somewhat self-absorbed person into one who has a deep inner strength and faith in herself and who cares deeply about the people she has come to know . This is a story that sends a powerful message , one that will stay with the people who watch it .
I have a four year-old daughter , and I can't wait to show this DVD to her when she's a little older . Her younger sister will see it , too , when she's old enough . I'm betting that this will become one of their favorite movies , and that they'll want to watch it over and over again .
042 4 And there's a reason for that . Although the DVD is made by Disney , the movie is licensed by Disney , and the promotion ( such as it is ) of this movie is done by Disney , this is * not * a Disney movie . And thank God for that .
First , allow me to start with the animation . True , it is not as smooth as a lot of American animated films in several places . However , it is still very smooth often enough , and never drops below an acceptable framerate . In addition , it far more * detailed * than most American animation . . . yes , there are less unnecessary movements in segments , but there is far more detail in images . American animation rarely has many shadows on characters or moving objects , instead having one base color for every ( moving ) object with another one to tell you that even though it * looks * like a hunk of concrete , it really isn't supposed to be . The art in Spirited Away , although stylized , is far more detailed . . . most moving objects obey a three-color rule ( one base color , one color for highlights , one color for shadows ) , and far more effort is put into details and backrounds than in any Disney film .
The dub is . . . well , it's servicable . Apparently matching voices to animation is far more difficult than doing it the other way around , so the voices are somewhat stilted in places . Disney also ruined an entire plotline , and a rather important one at that , so as not to confuse the little kiddies . . . or something like that , because they completely undid a major mystery of the story right off the bat , probably to try to hit the little kids in the audience over the head with the answer .
The Japanese language version , on the other hand , is excellent , although the subtitles aren't the most accurate translation . Voice acting is believable and so on , and the writing is top-notch .
Oh , and the soundtrack * rules * . You have to buy this if you like orchestrated music * at all * .
A lot of parents are complaining because it's too confusing and too negative for little kids to see , they say . You see , this movie does not coddle its viewers . In most Disney movies , the plot goes something like this : A beautiful girl is forced into a life of horrible servitude ( which does not stop her from constantly smiling , dancing , singing , and generally having a wonderful time for the first eighteen years of her life ) , and then is put to sleep until some random guy with a good smile comes along and even though she's never met the guy they decide to spend the rest of their lives together .
This story is very different . In the beginning of the movie , Chihiro is severed from her only potential allies , her parents . However , rather than mope around going , Oh my paws and whiskers , whatever shall I do ? , she realizes that she's going to have to stand up and figure things out for herself , and in the meantime she has to survive . It isn't easy , because this is nothing like her previous coddled existance . . . people are not all sugary sweet to her , and she's forced to work hard . . . and generally , she's forced into a life of servitude , and she does not get the chance to sing or dance or smile about it . She meets a nice guy , but he has some sort of mystery behind him , and also works for the opposing side . . . however , in the end , through her own strength , and with a little encouragement she manages to ( a ) save the guy she's grown to love and knows well and ( b ) save her parents , and free * herself * from her problems . There is no happy ending , she does not live happily ever after . . . rather , she has to grow up , and instead of living the rest of her life doing nothing must return to the real world , and deal with whatever problems come her way .
Chihiro is a rapid departure from previous children's heroines , because previous heroines did not really do very much . The moral of their stories was that nothing could ever be so bad you couldn't be happy , and that other people would solve all your problems for you . Chihiro , though , teaches us that things won't always be all right . Problems will come up , and times will not always be sing-song-along happy . . . however , if you work hard you yourself can solve your problems , and although you won't have a fairy-tale ending , you'll be able to live happily enough in the real world , with no problems so great you can't solve them .
This is why I love this movie so much ; because the only thing Chihiro gets from other people is encouragement . She has to deal with things for herself . Not only do you have great animation , a great story , and a really really REALLY AWESOME SOUNDTRACK * cough * . . . excuse me there , got a bit carried away . . . it also offers a lesson . And again , unlike other films , it does not hit you over the head with it . . . but if you chose to grab it , you may .
044 4 Outside of Family Guy and South Park , I'm not exactly hot on animation . My favourite films are usually adult in content , be it the philosophical ramblings of Fight Club , the surreal film noir of Mulholland Drive or the intense yet touching Irreversible . So naturally I was sceptical when my friend asked if I wanted to watch Spirited Away , a Japanese Anime that I assumed was for kids . It looked like something to watch with your girlfriend or something .
How wrong I was , because Spirited Away isn't just the best animated film I've ever seen , it has quikcly risen to being one of my favourite feature films ever . Gorgeous animation , drenched with mood swings ( from happy to sad to angry to confused ) and filled with subtle details , Spirited Away captures the beauty of love , the frustration of being misunderstood , how frightening it is to be thrown into a new situation , the greed of humankind as well as showing how a little human kindness goes a long , long way .
Spirited Away follows Shihiro ( aka Sen ) as her family unwittingly wander into a spirit world and treat it with utmost disrespect . Her parents are held captive by the head honcho Yubabba while Sen must learn the ways of the spirit world in order to win them back and return the real world . I won't give anything awy , but she starts of a frightened and pathetic little girl and finishes a strong , intuitive young woman .
This isn't a kids films with enough charm to win over the rest of us , its a genuinely wondorful piece of work with messages that apply to everyone . Leave reality at the door and get lost in this fascinating world of the spirits .
045 4 I sat down to watch this Anime , shortly after I watched Princess Momonoke for the 47th time , and was beginning to think , could anything ever hope to top the beauty and splendor of Mononoke ? From the moment the DVD booted up , I knew the answer .
Yes something could be better than Mononokem and that something is Spirited away .
The story is gripping , with enough humor to keep you chuckling , and enough drama to keep you wanting more . The animation is beautifully done , giving you the impression of a fantastical world , that somehow manages to have roots in reality .
The character of Chihiro is loveable , and one that you can develop a real sense of empathy for . She has real emotions , and expresses them freely .
Watch this DVD , And prepare to be amazed .
047 4 This movie is amazing . Incredible . It is worthy of endless superlatives . I rented the DVD for my daughter and wound up sitting transfixed at what I was witnessing . Maybe the creator got hold of some slightly toxic puffer fish , because the concepts in this film are so bizarre and wonderful that I think they MUST have been hallucinogenically induced .
This is now on my Must-Buy list , but not for my kids - for me . Had this film been available to me when I was twenty years younger , and still experimenting with mind-altering substances , I may have watched it every single day . It is transforming . I love movies that transport me to another realm , and few are able to do that .
The spirit baths , the herbal soap tokens , No-Face , the tiny fuzzy black ball creatures that bring Sen her shoes , the wonderfully creative and strange characters , all of it combines for an experience I won't ever forget .
If you don't like this film , you were ripped off . Someone stole your creative soul .
048 4 This was the first Miyazaki film that I saw , and I was captivated by the story as well as the artwork .
The story involves a young girl named Chihiro . She and her family stumble into the spirit world wher her parents are trnasformed and held captive . Chihiro must find a way to stay in the spirit world and save her parents . Miyazaki paints a wonderfull spirit world that is beautiful , amazing , scary , and funny . From the soot workers to Chihiro , the characters are great .
My children also loved the film . I recommend this DVD to parents and children . Another Miyazaki filem that is a must see is ' Castle in the Sky ' .
049 4 Hayao Miyazaki has had it rough with American audiences . The master director has only been glimpsed briefly by American movie-watchers once or twice in the nineties . However , he did manage to secure a somewhat small stateside followings with the releases of Princess Mononoke , My Neighbor Totoro , and Kiki's Delivery Service speckled throughout the nineties . Finally , he has received the ultimate recognition that he has had coming in Spirited Away .
Now , for those of yout oo lazy to read the back of the DVD here's how the story goes . Chihiro is a little girl who is at a very odd point in her life ; her family is moving to a new town . On the way , her family decides to take a detour and winds up in a strange land that her father dimisses as an amusement park gone under . However , night falls and the place comes to life . Spirits of all shapes and sizes start emerging from the woodwork . Chihiro is frightened for her life , tires to get away , but can't when she realizes her parents have been turned to pigs . A benevolent spirit , Haku , helps her out by getting her into the Bath House of the Gods , the property of one evil witch named Yu-Baba . She gives Chihiro a job , but takes her name as colateral , giving her the suffix Sen . From here she learns about herself in an alien , yet familiar , world populated by gods .
The story is very much similar to the works of Lewis Carrol , but works on a more Eastern way of thinking . The spirits presented here are mainstays in Shinto folklore . In this , Miyazaki provides the viewer with a world so far into the imagination yet at the same time , hitting close to home . It's a sense of creativity in something that has been around for eons that makes them wonderous . The spirits / gods / kame are infinitely more enjoyable than any deity that has come across Western screens . From the spider-like Kamaji , to the inky No-Face , and ( my personal favorite ) the oozing Mud God .
The characters are much like Miyazaki's other movies . His traditional heroine who grows strong through out the movie , and the wonderous side characters that support her . Each character is used for all intents and purposes . Not a single character wastes screen time . If you've ever seen a Miyazaki film , you know these characters are easy to relate to and fun to love .
The music is everything I would expect from a Ghibli film . Hisaishi Joe has been conducting for twenty years and shows no sign of losing his touch . His melodies are a mix of emotions that add onto the action on screen .
The animation is gorgeous . There is no doubt about that , Miyazaki's films always have an aura of perfection , especially in the art and animation department . Even his older works like Lupin III : Castle of Cagliostro and Future Boy Conan age better than most anime their time period . The whole world in Spirited Away looks like one gigantic , colorful portrait . Key word ; Beautiful .
In the end , I really can't stop praising this film enough . The fact that it garnered the 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature should do more service to the film than I could . I can finalize this all by saying that Spirited Away is the best film you can buy for yourself , your loved one , or your whole family . With something for everyone this film proves once and for all , Hayao Miyazaki is truly a master of anime .
- RW
050 4 It is unfortunate that we do not have more movies like this . A lovely heart-wearming story , filled with strange creatures , however not too strange to feel completly out of this world . The heroine feels completly real , so much so that one cheers , laughs at , and sometimes gets frustrated by her ( but mostly cheers ) . There is a magic that the film has that envelopes you and takes you to this beautiful , magical world . One can almost feel the cool breeze or smell the noxious ' stink spirit . ' Just a completly wonderful story , I just wish that I knew more about japanese culture so that I would enjoy it more . Then there is the animation . Again , absolutely wonderfully done , a pleasure to watch . Disney has not come out with a film this good in a very long time . Highly recommended .
051 4 This has become my favorite movie . I rented Sprited Away on thursday evening , watched it , with great amazement at today's advanced animation technology . I couldn't get it out of my head all week , untill I finally bought it .
The animation is superb , the characters really grow on you ( Chihiro is adorable , as she grws greatly as a person , alongside with a bunch of whacky characters that make you laugh and cry at the same time ) I loved the lenght of this movie , so anyone who thinks that 125 minutes of pure bliss is intimidating , really shouldnt think that .
This is a true work of art , worthy it's oscar time a hundread and I cannot stop watching it . Great stuff .
052 4 I love this movie when I saw it in the theaters and so did everyone I took with me . Spirited Away was playing in a select number of cities and theaters so when I saw a poster for it I jumped at the chance . I went to go see it in Japanese the first few times and all the otakus were there . The whole place was packed with adults who had Japanese dates of were wearing anime t-shirts . When I went to see it in English , however , there were kids that were 8 yrs old and below . . . mostly in the range age of 4 - 6 . That was really bad . The first 30 min into the movie kids started to cry and go out of the theaters and start to talk . By the time the movie was over more than half the theater was empty . Now that might have been a freak event but I would not recomend this movies to yongsters . . . I dont think the little girls want to see a wolf-dragon snarling blood or a black ethareal body with a mask stare at an equally scared girl . . . So dont watch it with the kids watch it for yourself . Five stars for anyone 7 and up . . . dont let the young ( 5 and below ) watch it because it might scare them !
054 4 I loved this movie , and I think you will too . This movie stands on it's own against even the best American blockbusters . This movie is not just for Anime buffs . In fact , I have yet to meet anyone who saw this movie and didn't like it .
The plot of this movie is simple , it's about a young girl brought to a mystical land and her journey there . However , the beauty of this movie is not in the plot , its in how this plot is brought to life through the characters and scenes of this movie . Each scene is skillfully crafted and filled with emotion . The detail is simply amazing .
The only tripping point about this movie , perhaps it's only flaw - but even then not significant - is it lack of explanations . This world in which the girl , named Chihiro , enters is never really explained in the story . This isn't a bad thing though , once your swept up in the world it won't really matter why it is there . In fact any explanation of the world might have ruined the story . It's suppose to be foreign and mysterious .
If you love cinema , you owe it to yourself to check this movie out .
055 4 This is the type of movie that has everything . The artwork is magnificent and the story is very creative . My friend ( who likes anime and I DO NOT ) convinced me to watch this . I don't know how but I got through like3 hours of anime while I usually hate it .
People who say they don't like this aren't into culture and would probably thrive better with spider-man and other typical american-violence oriented stuff with weak stories . Either you like it or hate it , and if you hate it you should still know why this is great .
Then I look at our american highest grossing movie like finding nemo about a kidnapped fish . Spirited Away is what a real good movie is .
056 4 The first Anime movie I ever saw was Princess Mononoke , when my friend forced me to watch it at her tenth b-day sleepover . I loved that so much , that when SPirited Away came out , I made my mom see it at the first show that wasn't sold out - 9 : 30 PM at the Pavilion in Prospect PArk . I was completely blown away .
This movie tells the story of an whiny , slightly spoiled girl named Chihiro ( Daveigh Chase , Lilo and Stitch ) who is extremely unhappy about moving to a new place . On the way there , her father gets the family lost on a detour . The family finds themself at the entrance to a tunnel . Upon walking through , the come out in a train station . But when Chihiro's father follows his nose to an apparently abandoned but full concession stand at an abandoned amusement park , he and Chihiro's mother start stuffing their faces . When Chihiro , apparently not hungry , goes to explore she meets a young man who warns her to go go back through the tunnel before it gets dark . Then , when Chihiro returns to get her parents , she finds they have been horrifically transformed-into pigs ! Chihiro then goes to the same young man-Master Haku , for help . She gets a job working in a bathhouse in the spirit world ! While there , Chihiro must use her own brilliance to outwit the wonderfully nasty witch , Yubaba who owns the bath house , defeat the clever , lonely monster , No-Face , and think back to her childhood to help haku find his name , all in a brilliantly crafty , beautifully drawn and voiced , and expertly told .
Susan Egan does a remarkable job as Lin , Chihiro's ( Sen ) caretaker and advisor , while Jason Marsden ultimately brings life into Haku . Suzanne Pleshette makes the devilish Yubaba and the motherly Zeniba seem real , while David Ogsen Stiers , voices the spider-like boiler man Kamaji . But by far , the best voice in this film was that of Chihiro ( Daveigh Chase ) her adorable , high pitched tone fits Chihiro perfectly .
If you like anime , this film is a must-see . Better by far than Princess Mononoke ( even though that was really good ) By the way , if you think that Haku's voice sounds familiar , he sounds like Riku from Kingdom Hearts
057 4 In the past year Spirited Away replaced Titanic as the highest grossing film in Japan and won a Best Animated Oscar . Unfortunately many Americans have never heard of this wonderful film .
The recent imports of Anime ( animation from Japan ) such as Pokemon , Yu Gi Oh and Digimon , have given American audiences an incorrect image of anime . In many cases these shows have been completely reworked for American audiences . As a result many of the rich and complex story lines are diluted down into fast moving action with little plot . It is no wonder many adults relegate Anime to children's cartoon .
Luckily masters such as Hayao Miyazaki are still showing the amazing powers of animation . Spirited Away , arguably his best work ever , is the story of a young girl , Chihiro . She and her parents are moving to a new town . Along the way they take a wrong turn and end up in a spirit land . The center of this magical land is a giant bathhouse where the spirits come to realize and rejuvenate themselves . The bathhouse is run by Yubaba , a witch with again head , a giant mole , a giant baby and a twin sister . When Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs , she must take a job in the bathhouse cleaning tubs in order to save herself from the same fate . Chihiro must overcome her fears and find the strength to save her parents and get them all home .
The spirit world is populated with many fanciful creative the like of which we have not seen since Alice fell down the rabbit hole . But don't worry , extensive knowledge of the Japanese Religion Shintoism is not required to enjoy this film . Simply know that they believed everything had its own spirit from radishes to rivers .
If you did not get a chance to see this movie in the theatre , this is your opportunity . The film is a sweet , funny and slightly trippy story that is sure to delight .
Read a review of the whole DVD at shelikesdvds.com
058 4 Not enough can be said about the greatest animator to come along in the last 40 years . Writer and director , Hayao Miyazaki , is responsible for animated classics such as My Neighbor Totoro , and Kiki's Delivery Service . That's not to also mention perhaps the greatest animated feat since Disney's Fantasia , Princess Mononoke . At the 2003 Academy Awards his movie Spirited Away received the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film , with help from well over 100 top-ten lists from some of today's most well known critics .
Chihiro is the typical ten-year-old ; especially when it comes to moving to a new house and a new way of life . Already frightened and unsure about the future Chihiro is confronted with a new challenge when her father misses the turnoff to their new home and winds up at the entrance of a seemingly abandon theme park .
It's an abandon theme park . . . they built them everywhere in the early nineties . Then the economy went bad , and they all went bankrupt . This must be one of them . . .
Dusk approaches as Chihiro's parents decide to investigate . They cross a long field of grass and soon pickup on the scent of food lingering in the air . After several minutes of looking they find several steaming dishes of food at a counter . Chihiro's parents decide to help themselves , even at the requests of Chihiro to leave . Paying no attention to her Chihiro decides to go for a walk and shortly after runs into the mysterious young character , Haku , who hastily insists that she leave before dark . But it is too late . Large , ghostlike shadows begin to appear out of encroaching dusk . Chihiro runs to where her parents are eating only to find two enormous pigs where her parents once sat . Horrified , Chihiro calls out their names to no avail . She tries to run away , only to find the field she had crossed earlier , is now a lake .
It is here that Chihiro encounters an enchanting new world that will test her own abilities , and make light of the ones within her .
I know most folks are thinking this is another one of them coming of age stories . And maybe you're right . But you're wrong to grade Spirited Away by same criteria as the Hollywood same-old-same-old . Yes , the movie is animated , which probably sends most people's thoughts of the movie straight to the kiddie realm , and I'd have to say you're wrong again . Hayao Miyazaki is heavily credited for re-inventing the definition of animation . Though his characters are drawn , the essence they encapsulate is so much more than people give credit for . His stories are deep , enthralling , and touching . They strike at the very chord of human imagination , and all its capacities .
After the first five minutes of this movie , I forgot I was watching cartoon characters and began to see them as real people ; which ironically happens in just about all of Miyazaki's films . Miyazaki redefines the genre of animation by giving thought into every aspect of his work . The backgrounds are rich in detail and deep in soul . Every shot has been specifically placed to tell the story in its amazing entirety . In fact Miyazaki personally checks and re-checks every drawing that will be placed in the final cut . Animation allows the plot to shine and Miyazaki's original concepts to surface in a way that has never been done before . This is a man that takes pride in his work , and it is a fact that is strongly evident in every epic he creates .
Although the movie places a strong emphasis on entertaining the younger crowd , several subtle messages are placed in various points throughout the film . One example would be that of the character No Face who offers those in the bathhouse with gold . We later find that No Face is actuality a monster who eats other spirits . I believe this is representative of opportunities that are too good to be true . If you're not careful they'll take you down with them . Also , Kamaji , the boiler room man , at first tries to dissuade Chihiro from getting a job by proclaiming that there are none left . However , we find that Chihiro's adherent persistence eventually gets her a job . And perhaps the most evident is that of Chihiro signing away her name to the witch Yubaba for a job . Yubaba gives her the name Sen , and as we work our way through the film we find that Chihiro begins to forget her old name until she is helped by Haku . In this way symbolizing the thought that we must never forget who we are , regardless of circumstance .
With this movie Hayao Miyazaki has again teamed up with famous Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi . Hisaishi does a great job at articulating screen to sheet ; every note resonates with the essence of the movie . I heartily believe that the movie could not have reached its full potential without the musical direction of Mr . Hisaishi .
This is an excellent DVD set worthy of any cinematic collection that strives for greatness . By far this is the best-marketed and extra-featured DVD that any of Miyazaki's movies have enjoyed in the states .
But perhaps the most enjoyable feature is the Nippon Television Special - The Making of The Film ( Spirited Away ) on the bonus disc . The television special shows the inner workings of the Studio Ghibli animation company . The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound gives a more lifelike feel to the film , and the included original Japanese language track is always on the checklist for hardcore anime fans .
The only downside of the DVD set is the Spirited Away introduction by John Lasseter at the beginning of the movie . Disney's last hope in taking some credit for Hayao Miyazaki's work . Ah , but I digress the movie speaks for more than itself and is one of the finer things in life that make it so enjoyable .
Miyazaki San , you never cease to amaze . . .
060 4 I don't know anime but I know what I like . I liked Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away , and a lot of other people must have too , because this particular anime won an Academy Award .
Chihiro is moving a to a new house , and soon she'll have to start a new school too . She is not happy about this at all . On the way to their new house in their car , her father decides to take a shortcut through a forest full of strange shrines and statues . The road they take ends all of a sudden at a tunnel , which they follow through to what appears to be an abandoned village full of restaurants . They find one of these restaurants filled with delicious food , which Chihiro's parents sit down and begin to eat . Chihiro tries to get them to stop but they don't , and soon turn into pigs . Night falls on the town , and the restaurants become filled with spirits , come to feast and to relax . It turns out that this place is part of a bathhouse complex for spirits , run by a very large headed woman . Chihiro doesn't want to be turned into a little piglet girl , so she is forced to get a job at the bathhouse . While she works in this thriving colourful place , she will meet many strange and interesting beings , make all sorts of friends , and uncover several mysteries . Changing schools is easy compared to all this business !
It seems to be a trend in Japanese films I've noticed that they don't really explain what's going on in great detail . The ins and outs of things are really only divulged on a need to know basis . They expect you to catch up as you go , which is basically what Chihiro , our main character has to do too in this strange world . There are stacks and stacks of ideas here . It's a very colourful , very imaginative place , with full of weird and fascinating creatures and beings . They don't only look interesting , but many of them have a very interesting motion , if that makes sense . They move in a unique way , thanks to some clever animation . Check out the Stink Spirit and the mud and gas flowing from his mucky body . Check out how the boiler man uses his four-arm strength without batting an eyelid ( not that you'd be able to see his eyelids , he's wearing glasses ) . The score is good too , orchestral , though unlike some recent Western films , doesn't get in the way and does actually enchance what's going on .
I've been going through Miyazaki's back catalog of films lately , and I'm noticing a few themes and motifs going through his work . Here in Spirited Away we have a dramatic scene around a simple flight of stairs , just like in Howl's Moving Castle , which he'd do later . Also like he'd go on to do in Howl's , there are curses that transform people and people who can turn into flying creatures . There's a lot of flying in his films , actually ( Nausicaa , Porco Rosso ) . I kind of thought Porco Rosso too when I saw the parents turned into pigs . What an odd world the man must have going on in his head . Got a few more to hunt down and watch of his , and I very much wonder what I'll see next .
Anyone interested in a good fantasy , interesting animations or some fresh imagination , I recommend you check this film out .
061 4 Firstly , Spirited Away won an American Oscar for best animated film , not to mention other awards earned around the world . Secondly , there are few places where you can find a professional review that actually says something bad about this movie , and if you do it's because that reviewer obviously doesn't understand anime as its fans do . Spirited Away is one of the top films ever , in my book . It blends everything that makes a story great , including lovable characters , a magical world , and a story that will melt you from the inside it's so warm . Plus , it appeals to both adults and children .
The story centers around a little girl named Chihiro who's in the middle of a move to another part of Japan , and she obviously isn't happy about it . But during the drive to her new home , her parents take a pit stop and they end up in a deserted city . Only this city isn't as deserted as they think , and they are suddenly drawn deeper into the city by the delights it offers . Chihiro , ever the pessimist , doesn't partake in all the delights her parents do , thus saving her from the curse placed upon them , but that also leaves her alone in this new world of magical monsters and spirits . All she can do to save herself , and hopefully her parents , is work for the master of a bathhouse . During her time in this world she meets a strange boy - - who is also a dragon - - that seems somehow familiar to her . It's her meeting with the dragon that ends up changing the place she made for herself in this world , and so starts her adventure to save the ones most dear to her .
As is the wont of Miyazaki , he places a young girl at the head of the story , and kind of lets her tell it , only in this case Chihiro is by far the weakest of his female leads . It's fun to watch her grow and change into something she wasn't before . This story is filled with symbolism and themes , which means it must be paid attention to , as there is something to be learned in this film . That makes it ideal to both children and adults alike .
Disney did an excellent job with the DVD as well , and the obvious love put into this film becomes apparent after watching the documentaries on the disc . The voice actors and those responsible for getting the rights to the film put everything they had into it , and it shows .
This is an anime for everyone , and I'd recommend it just that way . Everyone should see this movie . If we could accept anime as easily as we do other types of entertainment , Spirited Away could become a film as legendary as the Wizard of Oz or Disney's classic Alice in Wonderland , as it shares traits from both .
062 4 This is considered one of the best ( If not the best ) Anime ' films ever made and its cinematic storytelling at its finest . Not since Akira has an animated film made the impact like this . This was created by the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki who is considered a god in terms of Anime ' and its his wonderful stories and imagination that makes him so special . This is the story of a ten year old girl named Chihiro who is traveling with her parents to their new home and she is sad that they have to move . Her father takes what seems like a wrong turn and they come across a structure with a tunnel in the middle . They all get out and walk through to the other side and Chihiro's father recognizes it as an old park that has gone under over the years . They come across another structure with food set out and Chihiro's parents waste no time in helping themselves to as much food as they can eat . Chihiro discovers to her horror that her mother and father have turned into pigs and she runs off to try and find help . She encounters a boy named Haku that takes her into the strange world where spirits and witches habitat and he tells her to find someone named Kamaji and ask for a job . She is looked down on as a human but she manages to find Kamaji who has eight legs like a spider and he gets her a job . Chihiro works with Lin who is an older female and she shows her what to do and where to sleep . Chihiro helps out cleaning and delivering but at night she sneaks out to talk with Haku who is helping her get her parents back and to be able to go home .
Miyazaki has such a broad sense of imagination and this is reflected in his other films like Princess Mononoke and Kiki's Delivery Service and this film is probably even greater than those two . This film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and it certainly deserved it . One of the joys of watching Miyazaki's films is that you have no idea what so ever has to what will happen next . The characters and events take the viewer on a strange and fantastic voyage that has never been seen before . Yubaba the witch has a giant baby named Boh , Haku turns into a flying dragon and Kamaji has these dustball / spider things carry lumps of coal to a furnace that heats everything . One of the big highlights of this film is the Stink Spirit that is this giant glob of river mud and Chihiro helps it get clean . While she does this she helps pull out all the junk ( Bicycles , assorted metal , etc . . ) until we see what this spirit really looks like . This is the type of animated feature that children should view and this is not to knock American animated films but the Japanese concern themselves more with the stories . Children should view films that will enhance they're imagination but unfortunately most of the crap they are forced to watch is usually something that they can guess as to what will happen next . Miyazaki had no plans to make another film but happily he is working on another one ! This is a great animated film and it should be recommended viewing for children although adults will love this also .
064 4 For many years , Hayao Miyazaki has been regarded throughout the world as a visionary on par with Walt Disney . It is rather ironic that his presence in North America consists of a devoted cult following because his films have barely been shown here because of Disney . The studio has the distribution rights to all of Miyazaki's films on this continent and has sat on them for years or released them direct to video with little to no fanfare . This changed with Princess Mononoke which generated such a critical buzz that Disney ended up releasing it in a few theatres .
It paved the way for Miyazaki's next effort , Spirited Away , which is the most successful film in Japanese history ( it grossed over $200 million before it was shown in North America ! ) . Despite Pixar's John Lasseter championing the film , Disney still gave it a limited theatrical release ( compared to their own titles ) here in North America . This made its surprise win at the 2002 Academy Awards for Best Animated Film all the more of an upset . Now , Spirited Away is out on DVD on a two-disc set .
From the haunting image of a riverboat full of lights that drifts along the water at night to the amusing sight of little balls of soot dancing along the floor and carrying tiny lumps of coal , Spirited Away is full of images that are as stunning as anything this side of Disney . Characters flying gracefully through the air is but one of the many flights of fancy that populates Miyazaki's movie . It is this sense of wonderment and the feeling of experiencing a waking dream that recalls the original Fantasia .
One of the most refreshing aspects about Spirited Away is its to appeal to people of all ages . It stresses character and story over merchandising , which is such a novel concept in this day and age . One really gets the feeling that this movie was made by a true artist who has something personal to say .
Aside from the movie itself , the first disc also contains a superficial featurette entitled , The Art of Spirited Away . John Lasseter and some of the American voice actors are interviewed and praise Miyazaki , however too much emphasis is placed on the English translation and not enough is spent examining the film .
Disc two begins with Behind the Microphone , a featurette on the American actors who provided the voices for the dubbed version of Spirited Away . This extra feels like Disney is patting itself on the back a little too much . Select Storyboard-to-Scene Comparison takes a few scenes and allows the viewer to go back forth from the storyboards to the final product . While this is a nice feature you cannot have both on screen at the same time for a true comparison . The strongest supplement is Nippon Television Special , a fascinating look at Miyazaki and his crew making Spirited Away . It clocks in at 40 minutes and almost makes up for the superficiality of the other extras .
The extras on these DVDs are obviously targeted towards newcomers to Miyazaki's world . This is fine but in the process , Disney is alienating his more devote fans . However , the stunning transfer and the option to enjoy the movie in its original Japanese with English subtitles , more than makes up for the lack of substantial supplemental material . This movie is required viewing not just for fans of animation but for film buffs in general . Spirited Away is an important film that is destined to be regarded as a classic in years to come .
065 4 Spirited Away is my favorite movie ! It is rated PG , but only for Scary parts . What really makes me mad is that people let there kids see the movie and blamed it on the movie that there kids where scared . Well , DUH ! ! ! If your kids are young , then don't let them watch it ! It is rated PG for a reason ! I'm sure you will enjoy the movie if you see it . Everyone else I knew did . Somebody said when they saw it in the theatre , the audiense stood up and applauded . . . Yah it is sorta weird , but not weird enogh to make it bad.When me and my cousins saw it . . . we where all speechless when it ended . We just gaped at the tv . That is how good it is . So watch spirited away . You'lll love it . I just know you will .
067 4 Considered Miyazaki's masterpiece , Spirited Away is one of the better animated movies that I've seen . The only other Miyazaki film I've seen is Castle in the Sky , and this Spirited Away blows Castle away . This is a superior film . Much of today's American animation is grounded in reality ( even if you have talking lions and space aliens ) . Nothing feels foreign or truly magical . Miyazaki truly has a sense of the fantastic . Images and characters in his work are truly foreign and magical . Spirited Away is perhaps the best example of this . There is a No-Face character ( a mostly fluid black shape with a mask ) that has no characteristics that we can identify as human ( as a contrast , Stich from Lilo and Stich is a space alien but isn't too far off from human emotions and motivations ) . No-Face is an interesting , and occasionally frightening , character .
The story follows Chihiro , a young girl whose family is just moving to a new city . On the way to the house the father takes a shortcut . The short cut is a dead end , but there is a pathway through some buildings . The parents decide to investigate ( over the objections of Chihiro ) . After passing through a tunnel they come to what they believe is an abandoned amusement park . . . . with the smells of cooking food . Hungrily , the parents chase down the smell and see a large amount of food laid out on a countertop . The parents sit down and eat , cajoling Chihiro to do the same . She runs away , and is warned by Haku ( a more important character later ) to get out before nightfall . She runs back to her parents but only see two large pigs gorging on food . . . . right where her parents were . She runs , frightened , but ends up not being able to get out . She finds herself in a magical world where there are very few humans ( who work nearly like slaves for a bath house ) . Haku helps her get a job in the bath house , saving Chihiro from being turned to a pig like her parents . The movie is her experience in the bathhouse and how she tries to rescue herself and her parents .
This is a fantastic movie , and deservedly won the Best Animated Film Oscar at the Academy Awards .
068 4 Kiki's Delivery Service was good . My Neighbor Totoro was cute . Laputa , Castle In The Sky was great . Princess Mononoke is one of my favorite movies of all time - - an absolute jaw-dropping achievement . Now , we come to Spirited Away .
This is without question the best anime movie I have ever seen . It made me laugh ( the soot balls are adorable ! I want one ! I want all of them ! ) ; it made me cry ; it made me giddy ( whenever Sen and her friends triumphed over Yubaba ) ; it surprised me ( can't say anything without giving stuff away ) ; and it just moved me like no other anime has ever done .
Sen is a real , believable character who acts like a ten-year-old WOULD act if put into this situation . She is lost , confused , sad , angry , sarcastic , beligerent , kind , innocent , and friendly , all at the same time . She doesn't flinch in front of Yubaba , but gives in to her emotions after seeing her parents in the pigpen . She deals with the Stink Spirit without having to be prodded , and faces the angry No Face knowing that he could attack . She is not particularly beautiful physically , but by the end of the movie she is beautiful in other ways , including that way . She is not brave or daring - - she tries to stop her parents from exploring , and she doesn't partake of the food herself ( which is a good thing ) .
Lin is one of my favorite characters . Like Toki from Princess Mononoke , Lin has an attitude and a sharp tongue and is not afraid to use it . She is sarcastic , insulting , and borderline cruel to most , but to Chihiro / Sen she is almost like a big sister . I love what she tells No Face ! ( Those of you who have seen the movie should know what I am talking about . )
Haku is too wonderful for words . And his other form is SO awesome ! He's handsome , kind , and I love his voice !
Anyway , Get the movie ! Watch it ! You'll love it !
069 4 I'm writing this after having seen Spirited Away for the second time . It is simply a wonderful movie . For the moviegoing viewers that get their dose of anime from Dragonball Z , this movie may be disappointing . There are no transforming robots , no busty , big-eyed heroines , or letcherous schoolboys being hit with giant hyperdimensional hammers . For parents looking for something to take their kids to , this movie requires a little consideration . I've heard many parents complain that it's too scary for their kids . Indeed , it may be a bit visually dynamic for your average preschooler , but it's no worse than the kind of stuff you're letting them watch in Ren & Stimpy or the aforementioned Dragonball Z . I've seen more parents buying kids the 8 - Mile DVD than taking their kids to see Spirited Away . Bear in mind that PG is not the new G . PG still implies there are things in the movie that may require parental guidance . Parents should keep in mind that animation is viewed as an art form in Japan , and that not all animated movies are kiddie fodder such as Disney fare and Pokemon . On the whole , I would say Spirited Away is no scarier than Disney's early Snow White , or their adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame . This , however , definitely is not Bambi .
Many folks may also be put off by the talk of Spirited Away being a weird movie . IMO , Spirited Away is kind of a Japanese version of Alice in Wonderland . I won't go into the details of the movie , which you can easily find other places online . One must keep in mind that this is a * * Japanese * * film , and what is weird to Western moviegoers is not so to Eastern viewers . The film draws heavily on its Japanese roots , incorporating storytelling elements from Japanese literature , theatre , folklore , and even Shinto and Buddhist elements .
Visually , the movie is a feast for the eyes . Even if you don't care much for the story , the backgrounds are breathtaking . This is not a cartoon that is cranked out for the purpose of merchandising , but an animated feast that is lovingly crafted to convey a story . To say this movie is a mere cartoon is like saying the original Mona Lisa is a suitable placemat for a TV tray .
Spirited Away is a breath of fresh air among animated movies that are little more than FX extravaganzas . It is a movie that tells a story about the power of the human heart to prevail in even the most inhuman of situations . Conflicts are not resolved with swords and scorcery , but with compassion and insight . This is a movie that demonstrates that the knowledge of who you are as a person is more valuable than mad kung-fu skills or catching them all .
To sum up , Spirited Away is , as I have come to refer to it , an animated hiaku .
070 4 First of all I would like to add my own spite for Disney's handling of this film ! If they had put even HALF of the promotion behind Spirited Away that they did for their own poor quality films such as Lilo and Stich , then they could have made hundreds of millions off of this films ! BIG mistake Disney !
Anyway , this is one of the greatest films of all times ! The characters are full of life and emotions , which is rare to see in an animated film . The artwork is flawless and beautiful and it has the most original story concepts of any movie from the past 50 years . I cannot emphasize how great this movie is . If you are a fan of classic films such as Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz then you will absolutely love this movie . This movie is a classic that will be enjoyed my children and adults . I also recommend checking out Miyzaki's ( the directors ) earlier works such as Princess Mononoke and Castle in the Sky !
071 4 A beautifully realized excursion into a magical world . My attention never wavered as I was struck by one completely unfamiliar concept or scene after another . Often fantasy works leave me a bit cold with the Shakespearean posturing and ambiguous dangers that any variety of spells can be used to bail out of but , this matter-of-fact tale of wonder needs no pretensions and achieves majesty quite easily .
072 4 I'm not a huge fan of anime , in fact , the only ones I really enjoy are made by Studio Ghibli ( the exception being Metropolis . )
This is a classic anime film , winner of many awards , that I consider to be one of / if not Miyazaki's best film .
It's not really a movie for children either . It's rated PG for a reason , and while it is animated , many scenes are probably quite disturbing for children . It isn't really advertised for children either , from what I've seen , it's just that it is animated , so parents are automatically going to assume they should take their children to it . One must understand that in Japan , animation isn't considered just a children's art form . It is highly respected by many adults and teenagers . And there is a lot of Japanese culture depicted in this film that many Americans will not understand . I didn't understand a lot of the things said in the film myself . It's actually kind of sad , because I know a lot of parents are going to see this movie advertised , see that it is from Walt Disney Studios and when they take their children to see it , they will find that it is not typical animated fare , and will be very disappointed by it . But for adults who know what to expect , they will be amazed by the plot and animation of this movie . I have several friends who are not fans of anime ( and in fact some have spoken against it . . . ) , who saw this movie with me and really enjoyed it .
Anyways , the dubbing in the movie is fantastic ( and I have seen the Japanese version ) , the soundtrack is amazing . The animation is stunning and the plot is very different , but great .
There is a reason it has won so many awards , is so critically acclaimed , loved by many animators and the best selling movie of all time in Japan . If you go in knowing what to expect , you will be amazed .
Overall , it is a masterpiece of animation . While I don't think all children will be scared by the film , a parent should definitely view the film first to decide whether it is appropriate or not for their kids . It is a very different type of movie , with a deep and weird plot . But if you go in expecting this , you will probably be like my friends and I , who were entranced by the young girl , Chihiro , adventures in the land of spirits .
I will definitely be picking up the DVD for this one when it comes out in a few weeks .
074 4 There are many outstanding aspects about this film that contribute to place it among the best anime productions I have seen in my life . It all starts with the animation , since the attention to detail in Miyazaki's work is seldom experienced . I could not help gasping when in one of the scenes I saw the perfect reflection of Chihiro on the window of a train in which she was traveling . These are the kind of details that give the production a realism that is really hard to find . The second crucial element is the story itself , which is proof of a prodigious imagination , and which without a doubt can be experienced several times without generating boredom in the spectator . Finally , and maybe this is the most striking aspect of all , this is a movie that can be appreciated by audiences of all ages , because there is something to take away for everyone . I can only imagine how interesting it will be for my daughter to watch this film as a kid , teenager and adult , since there are things to discover at each level of maturity .
Chihiro , the main protagonist of the story , is a ten-year-old girl who is moving with her parents to a new city . She is the typical kid nearing adolescence , and therefore , is unhappy with the world , her parents in particular , and shows no interest in anything . When looking for their new house , a wrong turn leads them to a mysterious place that looks like an abandoned theme park , but when night falls quicker than expected , Chihiro finds herself all alone in a world full of spirits . There are no words to describe the astounding magical world in which she is immersed , and the transformation the character undergoes is as mesmerizing as it is revealing .
When a few years ago I watched
Princess Mononoke
I thought I had experienced Miyazaki at the top of his game , but this film gives it a run for its money . Bottom line is that both works should be required watching for every fan of the genre . People that are looking for an introduction to anime can find no better place to start than with Spirited Away . The only drawback is that it will create a tough benchmark for future experiences to match .
In terms of the Extras , the disc that has the film , also has a piece on the Art of Spirited Away , where Miyazaki shares some of the secrets behind his inspiration and peers and coworkers talk about the wonderful qualities of this magnificent director . In most cases I would say that the praise was scripted and disregard it as such , but in this case it really rings true , and it is entertaining and insightful to watch . This segment also includes commentary on the challenges faced with the translation , and on the steps that were put in place to conserve the original intent of the film . This is extremely important , especially in the anime / manga genre , where sadly , lousy translations that mangle the product are not uncommon .
The Extras in the additional disc were not really worth watching , and I felt like they were there just as a way to make this a two-disc edition . Nevertheless , the rest of the product is so outstanding that I could not bring myself to lower my rating .
075 4 Normally I wouldn't have bothered writing this review ; after all , Spirited Away has close to 700 5 - star reviews on Amazon already , so who would ever bother to read mine , even if they dug it out from beneath all the others ? But having just rewatched this movie for the bazillionth time - - I've honestly lost count by now - - I found myself motivated to sit down and write a review that may never be read , simply because I love the movie so much . ( If you're reading this , thanks ! )
Let me start by pointing out that I'm a huge fan of all of Hayao Miyazaki's works , but Spirited Away is easily the best of them all ( at least until his next movie , which is scheduled to be released in Japan in the summer of 2008 ) . Let me also point out that you don't have to be a fan of anime to enjoy this film . To be sure , the plot does draw very heavily on the Shinto faith and its associated stories and legends ; but even those who have never heard of Shinto can watch and enjoy Spirited Away . The reason is simple : In spite of its religious trappings , the movie is at its core a story of love , sacrifice , and growing up . In the beginning , Chihiro is whiny , depressed at having to move to a new home , and generally incapable of seeing anything beyond the tip of her nose ; she complains a lot , doesn't do much of what she's told , and generally seems determined to make the worst of everything . Of course , she's learned her lesson by the time the credits roll , but the movie never feels the need to hammer that lesson home for the viewer ; like the best of storytellers , Miyazaki-san is a master at delivering the medicine with just the right amount of sugar . The universe itself , as fantastic and whimsical as it is , is so beautifully presented that even the unbelievable seems completely plausible ; CGI is used in a few instances , but only in small amounts , and even then the computer graphics blend with the traditional animation almost seamlessly .
Which brings me to the movie's other major selling point . Spirited Away is truly a sight to behold , full of colors and movement that would have made Walt Disney lock himself in his bedroom and never speak to anyone again ; light and shadow and colors are used with impeccable skill , and when combined with the work of what has to be the most talented foley team in history and music by the unparallelled Joe Hisaishi , the result is a movie that you can quite literally lose yourself in .
It's hard for me to say which voice track I recommend more ; on one hand , the original Japanese with subtitles is a little bit closer to Miyazaki-san's original intent , but on the other hand , the voice acting on the English track is so spot-on that , if such a thing as perfection could be said to exist , it would be fair to just go ahead and call it perfect . ( The English vocal track also fills in some of the gaps for American viewers who aren't familiar with the customs and trappings of Shinto . ) Since the movie was released in the US by the Walt Disney Company , the vocal cast is star-studded , a rarity for an anime release ; John Ratzenberger's brief poetic interlude near the middle of the movie ( improvised on the fly in the recording studio ) is particularly noteworthy , and hilarious to boot , as is David Ogden Stiers ' performance as Kamaji . Of course , the Japanese voice acting is beautiful too , so you really can't go wrong either way .
In the end , there's very little that could be said against Spirited Away . There is violence and bloodshed , to be sure , but it's of such a fantastical quality that I honestly don't see most viewers over six years old having a problem with it . Plus , the main character , for all of her initial flaws , turns out in the end to be incredibly bright and resourceful ; this is a hallmark of the works of Hayao Miyazaki , an avowed femininst who believes that women and girls are every bit as capable as any male . Since I happen to agree with him , I can't recommend this movie highly enough . To anyone who's sick of the sort of cookie-cutter garbage that's marketed as good family viewing nowadays , Spirited Away will provide all the relief you'll ever need .
077 4 This is a wonderful movie for anyone , not just kids , although it is one of my daughter's favorites . I know some reviews have recommended it for kids over 12 , but she got it when she was 2 and has never been frightened by it . She actually really likes the no-face monster !
This movie really brings you into this remarkably detailed spirit world and you are loathe to let go at the end - - I'm here hoping for a sequel - - not just because of the engrossing story , but because Miyazki always manages to make such strong , intelligent female leads in his movies , and it works as a perfect counterbalance to the let the prince do it for you brand of movie girls traditionally are stuck with .
Chihiro is a little sister doing it for herself , and telling a remarkable story at the same time .
078 4 Spirited Away is the imaginative story of a young girl in the midst of major change in her life . Her resistance to this change is transformed into character by a job at a bathhouse for the spirits . The movie is beautifully done , a class above most others . Spirited Away is full of fun and excitement , examples of challenge and growth , unique fantasy and humor . My young daughter loves it and watches it regularly . I highly recommend Spirited Away to everyone .
079 4 I can't understand how people can be giving this a review of one star . So many are justifying it by saying that they are a fan of anime but it's not Miyazaki's best work . . . Hello ? ! This is the largest grossing and most successful film in Japanese box office history ? ! ! ! That surely will give you some indication that this film was appreciated by a LOT of people . There are also reviews stating that this film is too scary and emotionally scarring for younger viewers . . . I can't think of a single moment where i felt mildly frightened . Granted , the scene where she first enters the spirit world could be ' scary ' for some younger viewers but no more so than something along the lines of E.T . . and yes , there is a bit of blood in the film ( dragon blood i might add ) - well anyone who's watched Japanese animation will know that this is not so uncommon and truly not something to get overly worked up about . I would reccommend this film for any viewer of any age . At the end of the day . . it's your call - nobody's forcing you or your children to watch it but bear in mind it was recently voted #3 in the top 100 cartoons of all time . Surely part of you wants to check this out ? I just cant help but notice this film recieves almost solely 5 or 1 star ratings . . and those giving it one star give the impression of being unimaginative , uncreative and unwilling to bother with a film that requires some thought to fully appreciate it for what it is . The artwork is immense . Enough said
080 4 It is the rare work that can transport one to a completely new world both familiar and strange . It is an even rarer work that speaks to both children and adults . In my personal opinion , the American public does not demand quality from its artists - - sure , there is the occasional serendipitous work that manages to find financing and an audience ; however , in large part it takes an artist of great perserverance and no small amount of luck to reach the audience .
Based on this work alone , Mr . Miyazaki's movies are on my instant purchase list . Other reviews adequately treat a summary of the story and the various strengths of the work - - I would like to just state that it is our responsibility to demand and support art of this magnificent quality . This is art that affirms life and teaches that virtue is its own reward , that moderation and patience can conquer difficult problems and that sometimes we need to have terrible experiences in order to discover our inner strength . ( And , it is a fun movie to watch . )
I can't think of a better family movie . At once entertaining and instructive , its only negative for me was that this work exposes most other movies as utterly worthless dreck .
081 4 Wow - - - 689 reviews - - what needs said has BEEN said . This movie changed everything - - Anime is NOT a collection of cartoons for kids and geeks , it is something amazing , something more , that can be expressed in no other way . This movie changed everything and Miyazaki changed my views on animated features ( for which I am thankful ) . Read the other nearly 700 - plus for details , read this one for pespective . Wonderful - - if not slightly too short , who could want this to end ! ?
082 4 This movie is so beautiful - - full of dreamlike mysteries.I'd like to point out , however , that many of the mysterious elements are only mysterious to non-Japanese . Like our movies , this one is full of allusions to religious and folkloric traditions that a native takes for granted . For me , the wonder is heightened by my mental comparisons - - what is common to both traditions and what is new and mysterious to me ? What are the elements that I need to explore further ? This film made me wish I had more time to do some research or maybe even visit Japan . . .
083 4 The thin line between imagination and reality , and the use of a cavern to cross the forbidden limits leads us immediately to the same roots of the mythic fact : Once you have decided to break the line watch out for the consequences .
Shijiro and her parents are in a happy picnic and suddenly the curiosity will empower them and you will assist to one of the most memorable imagination exercises in decades . The multiple adventures lived by Shijiro will work out as a frame and will show us some little details , but profoundly revealing such as the awful spelling of her parents on pigs when they have not obeyed certain rules of the game inside this weird world .
Excellent work , innovative , fresh that reflects a deep artistic commitment . New airs from the East , will convince you the cinema is able to reinvent itself time after time , this is the intrinsic quality of the art , in last instance .
A must for all the family , but much more than a simple children story .
A journey to the dense brumes of the imagination !
084 4 Spirited Away is the film that first turned me on to the work of Hayao Miyazaki . The first time I saw it was as a weekly arthouse feature at my local cinema , and I was blown away by the beautiful storyline , appealing characters , and sweeping animation and musical score . At the time , I thought that Pixar had done a fantastic job with the dubbing .
A couple of years afterwards , I bought the DVD and watched the original Japanese version , and have never felt the same about the English dub . While the vocal performances are quite good , the writing manages to muddle and stink up the original dialogue . Sometimes the changes are subtle : god in the original becomes spirit in the dub ( I admit to knowing no Japanese ; perhaps the Japanese word is the same for both ? ) . Other times , it's more blatant . Disney seems to have felt the need to dumb this film down ( Americanize it , if you will ) to the point where they added explanatory dialogue to fill in what in the original were great moments of silence . Obviously I can't tell you what they are without disclosing spoilers , but some of the mysteries of the film are ruined by this over-dubbing , and more than one transition is destroyed by it .
Fortunately for us , we have DVD technology ; and this particular release is excellent , in that it gives us the dubbed version in addition to the original Japanese with its own set of more literal subtitles . These subtitles sometimes go too quickly , but this film is so beautiful that it bears repeated viewings anyway . Highly recommended DVD release .
085 4 Wow . . . just wow . . .
Since it won the best animated feature at the 2002 Academy Awards , I have wanted to see it .
And I must repeat :
Wow . . . just wow . . .
Never before have I been affected by a movie like this . This is one that will stick with you days on end , long after you're done and returned it to the video store . It will have you lying awake in dreamless nights , thinking . . . thinking about everything . . . pollution . . . relationships . . . your family . . .
Spirited Away grabs you right from the beginning : You see Chihiro , an annoying ten-year-old girl whining about having to leave her old house behind and transfer to a new school . Her parents , however , feel the exact opposite . In fact , the thought of starting a new life excites an adventuresome spirit in them . Chihiro's dad , therefore , decides to take an old , dusty road , hoping it will eventually lead to their new house .
From this point on , it gets truly amazing . The moment the lights go down on the old abandoned amusement park , Miyazaki's art and storytelling advance to a whole new level . One instant that really stands out in my mind is when Chihiro discovers her parents have transformed into pigs . The look , the expression , the lighting , the mood , the scenery sincerely brought an extreme emotion to the viewer - - I felt as disgusted and afraid as Chihiro did .
As the narrative continues , I was entirely absorbed in the wonderful cast ; I can't choose a favorite ! There was the mysterious Haku , the eccentric Lin , the treacherous Yubaba - - all made me want to squeal Oh ! How delightful !
And everything I thought was wonderful before builds up the the astonishingly poignant ending . This is the tale of one girl's journey to maturity . Spirited Away is a masterpiece - - and that's an understatement .
Fifteen Thousand stars out of ten
087 4 I just rented spirited away last friday and even though I've watched it twice it is so awesome . it is delivered beautifuly with really nice characters that go so well together . and it is a really intresting story about a girl at first doesn't know what is going on and is whiny and compling but then really has to grow up and make sure her parents don't stay pigs forever . it is also kinda a romantic movie with what's going on between chihrio and haku I mean it's kinda sweet and sappy .
088 4 This and Princess Mononoke are the two best animated films I have ever seen . This is a film I would happily watch with the kids over and over . Of course , being a Miyazaki film , it's beautiful . That's a given . And what everyone has said is true : it IS like a Japanese Alice in Wonderland . But I love Alice in Wonderland , so a Japanese version ( which , storyline wise , is just as creative and still different in many ways ) is fine by me . It's like nothing in American theatres , so it will feel completely fresh while your watching it . It's a masterpiece .
089 4 I totally fell in love with the story of Spirited Away , the storyline was like nothing i've ever watched . Spirited Away was better , in many aspects , than Princess Mononoke . The character development is very interesting , and the characters themselves are very endearing . Animation-wise , Spirited Away was beyond excellent .
090 4 Its amazing how an animation can have such an effect on a person . It's really a very good movie , not recommended for young children as it can be quite nightmarish .
But crammed full of moral lessons and loveable characters . . .
Entertaining , touching and unpredictable , a combination not always found in animations .
Also a great for anime lovers .
It centres around a young girl lost in a world for spirits and trapped in their bath house as a servant bound by a contract with the witch that owns the place .
Trying to save her parents and friends she learnns valuable lifes lessons and so did I as a veiwer .
092 4 An excellent story with a superb animation . This movie will appeal to all children and adults who like to be surprised .
093 4 A wonderful story where an 8 year old girl gets stuck in a spirit world , which can be a very frightening place . But with courage , ingenuity , and a little help from some new friends , she can find her way home . Chihiro is a bit like Alice in Wonderland , but where Alice seemed to remain untouched by her experience ( which makes it more suitable for very young children ) , Chihiro grows more confident and brave as she faces her fears .
A four-year old watching this can find the stuff of nightmares , so I do not recommend this for K or Pre-K kids .
094 4 From Hayao Miyazaki , comes one of the best anime movies ever made , if not the best . It was the winner of Best Animated Feature-national board of review , Winner of Golden Bear Award Best picture - 52nd Berlin International Film Festival and Winner of Best animated Film-New York Film critics Circle . It is the highest grossing anime / movie in Japan of all time .
Chihiro and her parents are moving to a new town , when they take a shortcut and find themselves in a world full of sprits who hate humans and Chihiro parents are turned into pigs ! To save them she must work in the bathhouse under the evil witch who rules the bathhouse . She is taken on an amazing journey , discovering a wonderland she didn't know could exist and summons her own strength she never knew she had !
Spirited Away is rich in beautiful animation , a richly done story , breathtaking music and a world that only Hayao Miyazaki could create ! I recommend Spirited Away to anyone , anime fan or not , children and adults . Spirited Away is not to be missed by anyone .
095 4 Miyazaki's follow-up to Princess Mononoke is a masterpiece . I loved both films for very different reasons . Spirited Away is the tale of a pre-teen girl searching for her own identity and finds herself through her adventures in an abandoned theme park transformed into a land of spirits and gods . It is magical , insightful and humorous , all at once ! The art , the music , the dialogue are all memorable . A fantastic film for ages 8 - 88 .
096 4 I am in my thirties . I love this film and I asked my dad to watch it with me . He was very reluctant at first because he disliked anime . I asked him to watch just 15 miutes of it and he could quit after that . He became so enthralled by this film that he watched the whole movie twice in succession ( once in England and once in Japanese with the English subtitle ) !
Nearly every scene of the film is a beautiful painting . It is all hand-painted with great care , unlike the usual American anime that is computer generated . The painting in this film is typical of the oriental style - - the paintings try to capture the essence rather than the exact likeness .
I feel this is the greatest film that I have seen in recent years . It teaches very valuable life lessons without preaching . Though Chihiro is not very outwardly beautiful , the inner strength of her heart makes her truly shine . I was deeply moved by this story .
097 4 Spirited Away is a wonderful , gorgeous movie . It is the best anime I have ever seen and it may just be the best movie I have ever seen . I waited until the DVD release so that I could watch the version in Japanese , with subtitles . Even my five-year-old brother , who can't read yet and is therefore usually bored when I watch anime , sat through the entire thing in Japanese several times and loved it .
Chihiro is an average ten-year-old girl who is moving , and like most ten-year-old girls in this situation , doesn't want to . She sits in the back of her car , depressed , when her father makes a wrong turn . They enter a tunnel and go into a mysterious town , where her parents begin to eat the food . Chihiro looks around a bit , and then a strange boy comes up to her , yelling at her , Get out of here ! It's almost night ! Go back across the river , hurry ! Chihiro runs back to her parents to find they have turned into pigs ; it is getting dark and strange creatures are roaming about . Naturally , she is frightened . The boy , who is called Haku , tells her to find work with Kamaji , who in turn tells her to go to Yubaba , the witch that rules . Chihiro gets work , and her name is changed to Sen .
The journey that Sen / Chihiro embarks upon is amazing . She meets the most interesting cast of characters , and by the end , has everyone on her side . From Haku , who she feels a mysterious connection with , to the odd Kao-nashi ( No-Face ) , the world is inhabited with the most interesting people and . . . creatures . Chihiro's biggest journey is her journey as a person . She becomes very different from who she was before . I think this movie should be mandatory viewing for every young child before they can grow up into the sad young children of today . ( Okay , I'm not * that * old myself , but anyhow . . . )
As for the younger set . . . parents should determine whether it would be scary or not for their child . I think most children would be fine with it , but I would recommend parental viewing of this DVD first if you are unsure . My brother , who is scared of many things and has nightmares , enjoyed the movie very much .
I would recommend this to anyone , also the soundtrack , which I own . It's very beautiful .
099 4 I've never been stoned or drunk in my life , but from what I've seen of others , the feeling cannot be entirely dissimilar to a viewing of Spirited Away .
This is a work of purest and brilliant imagination . A Yellow Submarine with Pinnochio-quality animation .
I won't attempt to describe the plot - it's like trying to describe a dream that you can't quite remember . Suffice it to say that this film doesn't have SOMEthing for the entire family , it is a film that young children , teens , and adults can all FULLY enjoy without embarassment or self-conscience . A perfectly realized other-world saga on the level of Lord of the Rings , but without the gore .
The new century is but a few years old , but this will probably be in the Best of the Century when they start compiling such lists 90 years hence . This is the Wizard of Oz for the third millennium .
100 4 Whilst I agree with the reviewer who claims that the Disney dub of this movie is rather insipid compared to the original story , he fails to mention that the original soundtrack is available also with a decent subtitle translation . I would reccomend all adult viewers and children of a sufficient reading ability to stick with the original Japanese soundtrack , it is vastly superior in terms of mood and storytelling .
The extras on this DVD are a mixed bag , but there are many of them . ' Behind the Microphone ' and ' The Art of Spirited Away ' are both Disney efforts and lay on the cheese rather thick . There are a few points of interest in these documentaries regarding the process of translation , but at the end of the day they are both rather mundane fillers . Most annoying is the assertion in , ' The Art of Spirited Away ' , that :
People have said that the characters in Spirited Away are based on Japanese Myth , but they are actually based on people Miyazaki has met .
Whilst it may be true that the personalities and characteristics of the characters are based on real people , the characters themselves are 100% based on Shinto Buddhist mythology . Disney seem to be distancing themselves from this fact , perhaps in order to deter religious extremists who may look upon Buddhism in a negative light and give Disney a hard time .
The Nippon TV special is excellent . It provides a remarkable view into the workings of Ghibli Studios and the creation of the movie itself . It shows a corporate animation giant being run like a family business with remarkable success . I wonder if any Disney staff are jealous ?
Stroyboard to Scene comparisons are another welcome addition . The only extra I would have like to see added would have been a commentary by Miyazaki . The TV special more than compensates though .
On the whole Disney are to be congratulated on presenting Spirited Away ( ' Sen to Chihiro ' in Japan ) letterboxed and in its entireity , unlike Fox's apalling treatment of ' My Neighbour Totoro ' . Just stick with the original soundtrack and you're in for a great time .
Oh yeah , the film itself . . . . It's an absolute classic .
101 4 I've been a fan of Miyazaki films long before I became a fan of Japanese animation . Miyazaki always seems to be able to tap into the themes we all recognize and while weaving into it surprise and the sense of the fantastic , grounds it firmly in the way life really works .
When Mononoke Hime ( Princess Mononoke ) came out in 2000 and blew me away , it seemed to be the culmination of all the excellent work Studio Ghibli had come out with over the years , such as My Neighbor Totoro , and Nausicaa , Valley of the Wind , seamlessly merging new technology with traditional animation methods and of course , a wonderful , haunting soundtrack . I was wondering how long it would be til the next Miyazaki masterpiece came out , and how it would up the ante again on animated features and storytelling .
This year Miyazaki pulls through again with his gift of adding truth to fiction in the way he really cares about how little girls really behave , and gives many of his characters unique subtle mannerisms that round them out and make them much more real to us . However he also breaks the Ghibli heroine's mold with 10 - year old Chihiro , who is pouty , whiny , scared and having difficulty adjusting to moving to a new place . Not a tough , self-sufficient girl like Nausicaa , or San from Mononoke Hime , nor is she sweet or pretty like Sheeta in Castle in the Sky .
However . Miyazaki proves to us that even snub-nosed , spoiled 10 - year old girls can grow up to be rather likeable people , and Chihiro , despite the odds , manages to wade through her fears and selfishness to come out much wiser and a little less selfish and afraid in the end . While it seems nothing else has changed and life goes on , Chihiro keeps for herself the gifts she gets from the experience , even if no one else knows about Yubaba , the bath house , or Haku .
I believe it's worth getting the DVD because apart from the merits of the film itself , the DVD allows us to look into the work that went into the creation of Spirited Away inside both Disney and Studio Ghibli , from the English Dubbing to the sleepless nights the animation crew worked through to meet their deadline , to the creation of the soundtrack . Disney did a good job dubbing this film in English but I am particularly grateful for the fact that they added in the option to watch the film in the original Japanese track with English subtitles .
102 4 The other night , my girlfriend and I are heading to the theatre to see Spirited Away . Yes , it's still playing in some theatres . We saw the film when it first came out , and it was her first introduction to the worlds of Hayao Miyazaki . She had no idea what I was taking her to see at the time , she just had to trust me . In fact , I had no idea either ; all I knew was that I saw there was a new Miyazaki film and it was playing in theatres . Of course she liked it . Is it possible to not like this film ? But anyway , as we were going to see it again , I kept thinking to myself how you can never fully appreciate a Miyazaki film until you've seen it at least twice . Spirited Away was the only film of his I've seen once .
I own this film on DVD , but I've only seen the special features because we just went to see it on the big screen . Funny thing is , it cost more for us to go to the theatre the other night than it did to buy the DVD . How many films would you do that for ? It's that good !
I'll spare you a synopsis as they are over abundant . Instead , let me just tell you this film is a bit bizaar . People compare this film to Alice in Wonderland because it has that same bizaar quality to the setting that could only seem to make sense in a dream . If you are unprepared , it can make the film harder to digest , but I assure you it doesn't take away from the story at all .
The first time I saw this film , I thought it was good , but not the best of Miyazaki's films . Seeing it again , makes me doubt that assessment . Miyazaki's films are so full of details and nuances that you easily miss many of them the first time around especially as you are distracted by his wild imagination on screen . I wish I could put into words how magnificent this film is . You simply must see it , and see it again !
Keep in mind the film's PG rating . It may not be suitable for young children . Disney may be the one distributing the film , but it is not a Disney film . In other words , don't just shop for this film for your kids . Get it for yourself .
103 4 This is a wonderful movie . It isn't as deep as princess mononoke but it is wonderful just the same . I saw it three times in the theater in under a week , that's how much this movie moved me . It's not just a movie it's an experience . As an extra little bonus for anime fans the dub is very good , something I could watch over and over . ( At least I thought so ) One word of caution is I could see serveral younger veiwer being scared by some of the scences , so those of you with young kids at home are advised to watch this movie before showing it you your kids .
I have only two complaints about this DVD set . One being I have some issues with the literal translation subtitles , though my Japanese is limited , I feel they could be a little more accurate . ( A Spanish language track also would have been a treat )
My other is issue is the selected scene story board accsess is simply for 1 scene . I would love to see storyboards for the entire movie like what was included for laputa , kiki , and the Japanese release . You can watch the story board with english or Japanese dialoge but be warned there are no subtitles .
Over all this is a great movie and a great DVD . I'd give the movie 5 stars and the DVD 4 stars for reasons explained above .
104 4 Spirited away is a Japanese animation about a 10 year old girl who travels with her parents to a new house . On the way they discover what seems to be an abandoned theme park , which the parents explore . It turns out to be a magic world , in which the young girl has to use her own rescources to initially survive and then to rescue her parents .
The film is one of the most succesful Japanese films to be made in recent times . It is no surprise as not only is the story involving but the animation is beautiful . Rather than using computer generated graphics the film consists of the old style animation in which drawings are used to create the scene and movement of the characters . Each scene is carefully painted and the detail showing such things as the growth of moss on steps is painstaking .
The film is also interesting as it is based on a mythology which is Japanese rather than Western . Whilst there are a couple of characters called witches , the Magic World is Japanese and features the eight million gods of the Buddist mythology . Somehow this makes the plot of the film totally unpredictable and no cliched . With Western story conventions , characters behave in stereotyped ways . Witches are evil , fairies are good . In this film the motives and actions of the characters are far more complex .
After seeing the film some time ago and thinking about it the one thing which comes back though is the beauty of the animation . Even the closing stills are little works of art in themselves .
105 4 Personally , I prefer Princess Mononoke because of the complexity of its story . Nevertheless , the beauty and wonder of Spirited Away can not be denied . The plot of a girl making her way without her parents has been done before , but Miyazaki proves the tale can still be fresh . Chihiro / Sen is a wonderful character : a petulant and occasionally bratty child who becomes brave and learns to rely on herself in a dangerous and strange world . I also appreciated her sweet romance with Haku , a young man who helps her and soon turns out to be much more than he seems . But not only Haku , Chihiro ends up facing many strange and wonderful creatures in the witch's bathouse . A lake God polluted beyond recognition , a many-armed man who works the heaters , an enormous baby who is turned into a mouse . . .
All of these characters and this world is created lovingly by Miyazaki . The animation , which remains mostly hand-drawn , is a wonder to behold . The characters move so fluidly and realistically , and the designs of some of the gods is unlike any seen before . After watching this film , the viewer feels like they have journeyed through an entirely new world . It's amazing .
The movie also features a beautiful score that's both magical and haunting . I loved it .
DVD features for the movie are also top-notch . My favorite was the Making of which gave a look at the animation process in Japan and a glimpse of Miyazaki in action . The interviews with the American voice actors were also interesting , but on the whole I prefer subtitles .
This is a wonderful movie that I recommend to all . Even non-anime fans .
106 4 Wow . The second you see the first spirit , your eyes will fall out of their sockets and won't go back in until the credits stop rolling . This imaginative world full of amazing characters is the most beautiful , unique thing I have ever seen . To top it all off , the story will touch your heart , even if it seems a little corny at times . A must see .
107 4 I never counted myself among the fans of anime , and I still don't : but Spirited Away may have me looking into more quality anime titles as I try to locate outstanding films by Japan's reigning master director / animator , Miyazaki .
The plot rehash : a 10 year old girl , Chihiro , and her parents stumble upon a portal between our world and the realm of spirits ( which strongly resembles a Japanese town of about 100 years ago ) . The parents make the mistake of eating the food there and then pay the price by turning into pigs immediately . Chihiro has to navigate her way through this weird alternate universe and put herself into the employ of a powerful sorceress in order to find a way of getting herself and her parents back to their home . Along the way she learns to be stronger and discovers new resources within herself .
Simply put , I believe this is the best animated film ever made . Spirited Away not only has incredible visual detail and realism ( with hardly any help from CGI ) , but takes the familiar plot of a fairytale-like story and transforms it into a journey enjoyable by kids and adults alike . In fact , everything was so superbly and magically rendered that I was able to forget myself under its spell - as if I were re-entering childhood . Yet on a note of caution to parents , there are some scenes that young children might find scary , involving spirits , monsters eating people and all sorts of strange beings . Miyazaki never forgets his cultural roots in Animism even while creating a masterpiece that resonates with such universal power . This is no Disney film indeed ( although Disney may have led many American consumers to believe that , Pixar was only responsible for the English dubbing and distribution within the U.S.A ) .
I will end up owning this dvd for my private collection to enjoy time and again with my ( elementary school-age or older ) children . I suggest you treat your family to Spirited Away as well . It's just brilliant !
- Andrea , aka Merribelle .
108 4 In my opinion this doesn't necessarily make the movie better . I supposed I was expecting to see this movie and be utterly blown away a la Princess Mononoke , and in some ways I was . It moved me and made me think , and the movie's artistry let my imagination soar free just as with Mononoke .
However , my first impression is that the coherency in that earlier Miyazaki film is missing here . Being that this and Mononoke are the only two films of his I have seen , maybe this kind of movie is really more of his style and he isn't usually as lucid or accessible as he was with Mononoke , yet I still think that film set a standard for storytelling , emotion , and beauty that few , if any , movies have matched since . The plot progressed at a thrilling pace , and the conclusion was perfect and utterly satisfying .
Spirited Away , on the other hand , doesn't progress nearly as smoothly . In fact , the only real ( coherent ) plot development occurs in the first 45 minutes or so of the movie , with the changing of Chihiro's parents to pigs , her introduction to the bath house , her meeting with Haku and Yubaba , and her meeting with No Face . After that , to a certain degree , the movie seems to meander plot-wise . Though characters are put into dilemnas here and there , you never really get the feeling that they're in true danger , or that any of the plot elements really are that crucial . Despite the fact that I admire the gray-area nature of good and evil in Miyazaki's films , I think it would've served the movie's plot and development better if Yubaba had been more maliciously cast . Might be fault of the translation , but I don't know . . .
There are some elements that make little sense with the overarching themes and plot line of the movie , as well . No Face is possibly the biggest example of this . He / she / it just seems to be thrown in to add meat to the plot , and little more . It's an interesting diversion , but it makes little sense with the story , besides highlighting the theme of greed , possibly . Which brings me to another aspect I didn't like so much : themes of maturation and love were ( pretty ) well dealt with , but the theme of greed was probably too overdone , especially with Chihiro's parents turning into pigs and No Face's handing out of gold to everyone .
Being as I've viewed it all the way through only once , it might need some time , but so far I just don't see the coherency of Mononoke here .
109 4 Disney for the past years , has botched the releases of Miyazaki movies . Princess Mononoke is a prime example of a botched Disney Release . But what most anti-dub anime purists don't realize is that , even though disney practically ignores this owned publishing right , when it comes to dubs they are excellent . The entire thing is very well casted an on par with the original japanese voice overs . Each voice fits the characer acurately . The Dubs story is also very well and acurately translated , my compliments to disney writers . Another smart move for disney was to keep the original Japanese track with which has created the movies original buzz . My only hope is that the purists would for once actually . . . listen to the dub . As for the Subtitles they are a direct translation , and actually stray from the dub version a bit to acurately portray all the chinese mythology which didnt completely transition in the english version .
The movie itself is worthy of an Academy Award . it tells the story of a young girl on a quest for in a words knowledge . She meets many allies as well as enemies along the way . The whole thing wraps this somewhat simple story into a more complex arc with the addition of classic oriental mythology . It uses a very well-done orchestral track by Joe Hisaishi , as well as the classic animation of Ghibli Studios to top of this excellent story . This is definately a must-have for any family , anime-fan , or people in search of the perfect movie .
111 4 I really , really loved this movie . I don't think it's fair to keep calling it a Japanese version of Alice in Wonderland , though . To be honest , I think this is much , much better than Alice in Wonderland , but also I think that the two movies just have too many differences between them - - Spirited Away is more of an adventure movie grounded in certain rules of logic ( even if those rules may be very silly ) . Anyway , read all the other rave reviews here if you want to know how great this move is . Pure magic , great fun for any age , a good movie that you can watch and lose yourself inside .
I'm writing this review as a warning to parents . Although this movie is sure to be enjoyed by children , there are several scenes that you may want to approach with caution . Although much of the movie is beautiful , some of it is also very grotesque , including some scenes in which vomit and sludge spew forth in floods . While that might just be dismissed as childish gross-out stuff , there's another scene that could be very difficult for some children to handle .
At one point , Sen wakes up and sees a dragon flying around , being chased by thousands of flying paper things . When she rescues it , she finds that the dragon is covered in ( and coughing up ) blood . Although there aren't any graphic , gory scenes of violence , there is a lot of blood splashed around on the walls . There are also several close-ups of the blood dripping out of the dragon's mouth . If you have very sensitive children , or if you just do not want them to see this , then be prepared for this scene ( it lasts for several minutes , but once it is over there is no more blood ) .
No matter whether or not you may view this as a child's movie , it is still an absolute treat . Even if you are a parent and do not want to show it to your kids , then buy it just for yourself !
112 4 This movie , the ( deserving ) winner of an Academy Award for Best Animated Film , got far less attention than it deserved in the fall of 2002 ( when Disney famously botched its release - - its peak theater count was somewhere around 151 at a time when even outright flops like Extreme Ops could muster up more screens for a week or two ) . In fact , when it arrived in my town in the early part of November , there was almost no advertising , and the theater didn't even bother putting up a poster for it - - and the place was packed .
And it was packed each time I went back to see it . . . and packed again when it returned to theaters at the end of March .
Make no mistake : This is a movie that audiences love . Don't be scared off by your preconceptions about anime , or comments like it's too frightening for my kids . Every kid over the age of five I've seen watching this movie ends up loving it - - including boys ( one of them , an eight year old , ended up bouncing up and down in his seat at the end , telling his Dad , I knew you'd like it ! I told you we should see it ! How can you not like enthusiasm like that ? ) . This isn't some sort of hyper-violent pornography - - it's a movie about people doing what people do , even when those people happen to be giant frogs begging for tips . It's funny , smart , a little scary , and one of the few movies that can be called sweet without the added caveat May induce severe diabetes and tooth rot .
( As for you anime fans - - well , doubtless you've all seen it , and you've got your opinions . But I for one prefer this movie to Princess Mononoke , for the simple reason that Mononoke is an easier film to admire and be in awe of than to actually like . Mononoke is more important , and definitely not a family film - - but Spirited Away is more enjoyable . Both are must-sees . )
The only complaints that I have is that , first , Disney stuffed so many . . . trailers onto the first disc ( of which only three , the ones for Kiki's Delivery Service , Castle In The Sky , and Finding Nemo , were of any interest to me ) is that the video quality is somewhat impaired - - it's a good transfer , but with some edge enhancement . Secondly , apart from the making-of special that aired on Japanese television ( which gives us the rare treat of seeing Miyazaki-san at work ) , the extras on Disc 2 are definitely not worthy of something Disney calls a feature-packed deluxe special edition . Only in the dreams of Disney's marketing department . There's barely more than ninety minutes of content on disc 2 , and considering that 28 minutes of that is taken up entirely with trailers and commercials ( which get very boring very quickly - - like , say , after two or three minutes ) , and another 45 with the Japanese making-of special , what's left isn't really worth watching more than once . Still , Disney did at least include subtitles and the original Japanese audio , if you prefer your animation subbed , and they also were nice enough to present the movie in anamorphic widescreen ( where a lot of studios would have said , family film , and done a blah 4 : 3 transfer from flawed elements ) . This film is a must-see and a must-own .
113 4 To put it simply , this movie is brilliant . If you take any part of this movie and separate it from the rest of the parts it would still be pretty good . The drawing and animation is wonderful here , the soundtrack is incredible ( includes my favorite song ever ) , and the plot is exciting and even scary .
The first thing I'd like to say is that if you know how to read , please throw away the dubbed listening choice . The voices are much worse and don't fit the characters as well . In the original Japanese everything flows much nicer , and the characters feel more real . Read the subtitles , because this is a Japanese movie , and not an American movie . In English it feels like Disney , which it is very clearly not .
Many people , however , do compare Miyazaki to Disney . The two are very different . Some say that Spirited Away is scary . It's not more scary than my personal scariest movie , the Little Mermaid . But in reality , you can't compare the two . The drawing styles are so different , and where Disney is most often awkward , Miyazaki flows and is very pretty .
The movie itself has a nice plot that's quite easy to follow . One thing leads to another , after all . Chihiro is trapped in this other world and wants her parents back . Now we ask the question , how ? And this is precisely the movie .
There are no boring parts . I mean it . Nothing . The one scene that someone might consider dull is one of the best , because it is just so beautiful . The plot glides smoothly , going from one thing to another . It is funny , exciting , sad , scary , and cute all at once .
So I'm recommending . I mean , REALLY recommending . It's a wonderful movie that the first time I saw I fell in love with . It's not the kind of movie where with each viewing you discover something new , but it's brilliant nonetheless . It's an incredible film with incredible animation and an incredible plot . I can't recommend it more . Buy it , watch it . . . It's wonderful . Anybody who claims that this movie isn't a masterpiece may be right . It may not be , though I believe it is . But that doesn't mean it isn't amazing . Everyone can agree on that . Just use subtitles and don't watch it dubbed .
Watch and enjoy .
114 4 Magical !
This is truly a work of genius . Like The Wizard of Oz , The Lion , the Witch , and the Wardrobe ( the book , at least ) , and the song , Puff the Magic Dragon , it takes us into another world , strange and frightening , yet oddly familiar . And when we leave it , we are a little sad and eager to return .
The film is full of mysteries ( Thank you , Tsuyoshi , for helping with some of them ) and difficult to understand , and that is perhaps part of its appeal . Fundamentally it is , I think , a coming-of-age story , with Chihiro forced to meet great challenges without the support of her parents for the first time .
Indeed , Chihiro's parents have in a sense abandoned her by indulging themselves to excess . Therein lies one of the film's lessons : ultimately we must rely on ourselves . Her parents illustrate another theme of the film : Attempts to classify people as good or evil are bound to fail . Everyone , however good , is capable of vile things ( the mindless gluttony of her parents , the violence of Haku ) , and those who seem irredeemably evil ( the dangerous No Face and the cruel Yubaba ) are quite capable of good . This is much closer to reality than the cookie cutter figures of so many more traditional films , including those intended solely for adults , and of so many politicians and talk show hosts who define and dismiss our enemies as evil doers .
A related message is illustrated by the stinking river god : We are as we are chiefly because of our environment , which includes how we are treated by others . When the abuses of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to light , many people excused the actions of our troops by saying , There are a few rotten apples in every barrel . The eminent social psychologist Philip Zimbardo replied , It isn't the apples that are rotten , it's the barrel . It is no coincidence that it is the gentle , respectful Chihiro , not the powerful and violent Yubaba , who tames No Face .
Some parts of the film may frighten the youngest children . I remember a nephew who at age ten always closed his eyes when the Wicked Witch of the West appeared in Oz . But we cannot forever close our eyes to the things that frighten us , and films such as Spirited Away help us , children and adult alike , open our eyes . That's partly why we call them magical .
115 4 A fantastic movie , full of wonder and other fantastic things . It's very imaginative and creative and you won't find yourself regretting it . I've been a fan of anime for a long time and this one is especially good . Appropriate for children too in my opinion .
Miyazaki really is a master at what he does . All his movies are wonderful .
116 4 It would be difficult to find a better example of anime . The story is nearly complete , the artwork interesting , the dubbing is well done , and the entire presentation is superior . This has to be the anime to which all others are compared .
117 4 All of the movies by this director are wonderfully imaginative . Spirited Away was our first introduction to studio ghibli and since then we've watched ( and eventually bought ) almost all of the titles available in English . Some of this movie may be a bit scary for very young or sensitive children , but with parents to explain what's happening and to remind that it's pretend , it should be fine .
118 4 This is a wonderful story for viewers of almost any age ( assuming parental supervision , of course ) . The animation is marvelous and no detail is overlooked . The music and voices are perfect for the story . This is a film that should not be missed . Highly recommended !
119 4 This is for kids the way Harry Potter was for kids : it works for all ages . People who say this is too scary for children ought to remember the dementors or the character deaths in the Potter series and ( as another reviewer has said ) the older Disney movies before deciding that their children would be too frightened . It tells a great story for kids , about growing up and accepting responsibility , and yet manages to be a great fun movie for adults , too . Glad to see that Disney is discovering anime , maybe it will give them some ideas for ways to improve their own recent films ( Tarzan , anyone ? )
120 4 Once in awhile a movie comes along that instantly draws you so deeply into another world that you just don't want it to end . Where every shot , every frame , is a surprise . Where you marvel at how someone could come up with such a complete universe where you never want to leave . . .
My friend watched Spirited Away and then she called me and said in a reverent tone , you really have to watch this . I'm going to save the netflix DVD until you can see it . I don't care for japanime , so two weeks went by before I finally got around to watching it . But from the moment the film started , the house could have burned down around me and I would not have stopped this movie .
The story is about a ten year-old girl named Chihiro , who is traveling through the countryside with her parents on the way to their new home . Taking a shortcut , they get lost in the forest and ends up at a hillside tunnel . The parents decide to go exploring , but end up in a strange , deserted village . Chihiro is separated from her parents and left alone to discover that the world in which she now finds herself trapped is the spirit world . Spirited Away is about her journey home . Along the way , she meets a panapoly of fantastical creatures , must work as a slave in a bath house and battle the unknown evils of the spirit world - all the while struggling to retain the memory of her former life , her parents and her name , which she needs if she is ever to escape .
I can't recommend this film highly enough . There is more inventive genius wrapped up in this film that I can't wait to watch it again , knowing there will be plenty of new discoveries awaiting me . Even if you aren't a fan of Japanime , this film is sure to please .
122 4 A magnificent tale from perhaps the world's greatest living animator , Miyazaki's Spirited Away finds a bewildered young girl plunged into an alternate world a la Alice in Wonderland . But Miyazaki's humanistic spin on this kind of through-the-looking-glass fable makes love the most powerful spell of all . With his gallery of fantastic creatures - - a sludge-heap river god , a lonely No-Face monster , an octopus-armed boiler-room attendant - - Miyazaki wrings magic , humor , and endless delights from every scene . Spirited Away will captivate anyone with a sense of wonder and a love for flights of fancy .
123 4 A hidden Disney treasure that didn't get much press . A wonderful story and excellant animation in the Japanese style of Anime . Totally swept me away and I am thrilled to own it and be able to watch it when ever and where ever . There are some slow parts in the plot , but overall its a very touching story . Definately tempts me to try more Anime by the same director .
086 4 I pesonaly like Ghibli studio movies because they are out of ordinary or make ordinary look unordinary . Like Princess Mononoke or original Naussica ( pardon if spelled wrong ) anyway this 1 is a great follower because it is very good like animation extras on dvd and story itself .
I am sure u read all the story from other reviews but just to refresh ur memory its about a little 10 year old girl who exidentaly ends up in spirit world tough luck kiddo . Her parents were turned in pigs for certain reasons and herself she starts to work for the spirit hotel in order not to be a pig herself as far as apropriance for kidds i dont think its anything bad to see .
And the plot is well i dont realy know cause i am not much in plot stuff its basicly a selfish and stuborn girl goes through changes in charachter . What i mean is she goes from saying NOT FAIR to Thank you very much . Over all movie is almost perfect and i see no flaws cause i am not picky 5 stars babe !
P.S .
Realy although movie is good without a question just rent and find out save some money if not like the movie in outcome .
053 4 I am not a big fan of anime movies . . . . . I do not know much of the director or the makers of this film .
What I can clearly tell you about this film is that . . . when I left the theatre . . . . I had to ask myself . . . .
mmmm . . . . . . where was I for the past couple of hours ?
It could have been my mood that day . . . . but I doubt it . . . . .
I usually walk out on boring movies . . . . . and sleep through the ones that make you think too much . . . ( you know which ones I am talking about . . . )
But spirited away literally took me away . . . I watched as my spirit was right there in that strange land with those strange characters . . . it almost felt like one of those very vivid and strange dreams you have as a child when you eat too much chocolate before bedtime . . .
Am I making any sense here ? What I'm trying to say is :
SPIRITED AWAY IS AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY ( and / or ) DREAM
: : : : : especially for those who miss having a child's imagination .
059 4 Chihiro is nervous about moving to a new town . But her parents make a detour and find themselves in a strange place . They discover what they believe to be an old amusement park . Chirhiro's parents are soon turned into pigs and she is swept into an unusual new world .
SPIRITED AWAY is a masterpiece of animated storytelling that will capture the heart and mind of all who see it .
110 4 I have wanted to see this flick since I had heard of it in Japan . I have always been a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli , since I've seen Totoro , KiKi , Princess Mononoke , etc . The story is also very good to this movie and revolves around a bathhouse , I won't spoil too much though ! I also did like the music that went to it , it was so addicting , and all the cute little things that Hayao Miyazaki added in ! Overall I suggest if you like ani.me you should see this !
076 4 This movie is amazing . Not only is the animation gorgeous , but Miyazaki really uses his imagination . It's enjoyable for adults and kids alike . One of the best animated movies I have ever seen .
091 4 This movie should be in everyones dvd collection . One of the best animes in a while brought to you buy the people who created Princess Mononoke . Do yourself a favor and get this movie .
124 4 We have watched this cartoon maybe a thousand times . What an amazing tale . Just like all Miyazaki's works , it is smart , mysterious and kind . We are pulled into strange world of spirits , where the main heroine fogoes transformation , and grows spiritually . Prepare yourself for dragons , heights , monsters , and witches galore . Imagination goes wild in this classic , highly recommended .
Animation isn't just kiddie entertainment . It is a serious art form . It can make your imagination soar , and show you things that are impossible for any live action movie . Both of those things are done with every Hayao Miyazaki movie , but SPIRITED AWAY , like PRINCESS MONONOKE does something else . It has a combination of a powerful story , characters that I really care about , and all these astonishing eye-popping visual scenes that caused me to completely forget I'm watching the movie . I truly felt like I was IN the movie . That's my annual requirement for the best film of the year .
Those visual images I cannot describe without spoiling the movie for you . I also cannot give you any background of the story . I began watching this film without any real knowledge of the story except for this . A little girl finds herself in a world like The Wizard of Oz , and Alice in Wonderland . Period . That's all I knew , and that's all I will tell you about it .
I have seen and own six of Hayao Miyazaki's movies . THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO ( 1980 ) is a hilarious action comedy that also introduced me to the world of Monkey Punch's Lupin the 3rd . CASTLE IN THE SKY ( 1986 ) was just released and is also a visual wonder . ( It is clearly an influence on the animators of Disney's Atlantis ) MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO 1988 ) is one of the all time greatest children's movies available and one of the best films I ever saw . ( As a video clerk it is one film I'm constantly recommending for parents with very young children . ) KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE ( 1989 ) is an entertaining and terrific family film . And PRINCESS MONONOKE ( 1997 ) I've already talked about . The best film of 1999 ( when it came out in America ) Now SPIRITED AWAY ( 2002 ) . No wonder Hayao Miyazaki is an animation god at the Disney studio . He has claimed he made this movie for 10 year old children . That may be the youngest age limit for the audience , ( It's PG rating is appropriate , because some scenes may scare the littlest ones . ) but the audience is far bigger than that .
SPIRITED AWAY didn't do anywhere near the business it did in Japan : The biggest hit of all time in that country . And I bet it was one of the biggest hits in countries all over the world before and after its American release . It would never have come here had it not been for Pixar's John Lasseter . And I hope that he will continue to bring other Miyazaki films to the US that were never brought here , including NAUSICAA IN THE VALLEY OF THE WINDS ( 1984 ) , ( a movie that is considered to be one of his greatest films , but was practically destroyed in a severely edited version in 1985 ) , and PORCO ROSSO ( 1992 ) Both of those films and any future Miyazaki movies should be brought to American films . We haven't seen anywhere near enough of this animation master's work .
Disney has done a wonderful job in bringing this movie to DVD . Like PRINCESS MONONOKE , it is a film that demonstrates the sharpness and attention to detail that DVD can bring you . And the sound is actually better in SPIRITED AWAY than the other film . PRINCESS MONONOKE had a rather muffled English version . It was good , but the Japanese version sounded more dynamic . The English version of SPIRITED AWAY is so good in sound quality that the Japanese version is only slightly better . Thus , I found I could enjoy both versions equally . Only small changes were made to the dialogue , and none to the images .
If this review has made you interested in seeing SPIRITED AWAY , that's great . And believe me , don't refuse to see it just because you hate animated films . If you are someone who hates this genre you're probably watching the wrong animation . Check out SPIRITED AWAY , then see all the other Miyazaki movies I've mentioned .
( note ) A splendid book about Hayao Miyazaki is available by Helen McCarthy : HAYAO MIYAZAKI , THE MASTER OF JAPANESE ANIMATION .
008 4 amazing movie i have seen in a long time . i only went to watch it after reading awsome review from critics and watching it win the oscar for best animated feature . never did i expect to be totally enchanted by this wonderful film . the animation is simply beautiful , the story is heartbreaking and touching , the characters are ones you will never forget . my ten year old sister would not stop talking about it and even I could not help but think about it . as a word of caution , there are some gross and really creepy moments that will scare little children and the entire movie lasts well over two hours . but don't think for even a second that this is a children's movie . the complexity and rich detail makes this a masterpiece of artwork . this movie , with its adorable and moving nature , is destined to become a modern american classic even though it is japanese anime . i just wish that more people would go see it and experience this magical treat for themselves . this really was worth my time .
010 4 In 2000 I was introduced to the world of Hayao Miyazaki when Princess Mononoke made its debut on DVD . That movie was so incredible I chose it as the best film of 1999 . ( I missed it in theaters when it was playing during its Christmas run ) . After that , I watched every Miyazaki movie available on video . I never thought he could possibly make a better film than PRINCESS MONONOKE , but he has done it with SPIRITED AWAY , It's the best movie of 2002 .
Why did I choose this movie as the best film for that year ? Why not ? Remember in 1992 Disney's Beauty & The Beast was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards , the only time that has ever happened . And since then , Disney has learned what the Japanese have known for decades : Animation isn't just kiddie entertainment . It is a serious art form . It can make your imagination soar , and show you things that are impossible for any live action movie . Both of those things are done with every Hayao Miyazaki movie , but SPIRITED AWAY , like PRINCESS MONONOKE does something else . It has a combination of a powerful story , characters that I really care about , and all these astonishing eye-popping visual scenes that caused me to completely forget I'm watching the movie . I truly felt like I was IN the movie . That's my annual requirement for the best film of the year .
Those visual images I cannot describe without spoiling the movie for you . I also cannot give you any background of the story . I began watching this film without any real knowledge of the story except for this . A little girl finds herself in a world like The Wizard of Oz , and Alice in Wonderland . Period . That's all I knew , and that's all I will tell you about it .
I have seen and own six of Hayao Miyazaki's movies . THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO ( 1980 ) is a hilarious action comedy that also introduced me to the world of Monkey Punch's Lupin the 3rd . CASTLE IN THE SKY ( 1986 ) was just released and is also a visual wonder . ( It is clearly an influence on the animators of Disney's Atlantis ) MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO 1988 ) is one of the all time greatest children's movies available and one of the best films I ever saw . ( As a video clerk it is one film I'm constantly recommending for parents with very young children . ) KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE ( 1989 ) is an entertaining and terrific family film . And PRINCESS MONONOKE ( 1997 ) I've already talked about . The best film of 1999 ( when it came out in America ) Now SPIRITED AWAY ( 2002 ) . No wonder Hayao Miyazaki is an animation god at the Disney studio . He has claimed he made this movie for 10 year old children . That may be the youngest age limit for the audience , ( It's PG rating is appropriate , because some scenes may scare the littlest ones . ) but the audience is far bigger than that .
SPIRITED AWAY didn't do anywhere near the business it did in Japan : The biggest hit of all time in that country . And I bet it was one of the biggest hits in countries all over the world before and after its American release . It would never have come here had it not been for Pixar's John Lasseter . And I hope that he will continue to bring other Miyazaki films to the US that were never brought here , including NAUSICAA IN THE VALLEY OF THE WINDS ( 1984 ) , ( a movie that is considered to be one of his greatest films , but was practically destroyed in a severely edited version in 1985 ) , and PORCO ROSSO ( 1992 ) Both of those films and any future Miyazaki movies should be brought to American films . We haven't seen anywhere near enough of this animation master's work .
Disney has done a wonderful job in bringing this movie to DVD . Like PRINCESS MONONOKE , it is a film that demonstrates the sharpness and attention to detail that DVD can bring you . And the sound is actually better in SPIRITED AWAY than the other film . PRINCESS MONONOKE had a rather muffled English version . It was good , but the Japanese version sounded more dynamic . The English version of SPIRITED AWAY is so good in sound quality that the Japanese version is only slightly better . Thus , I found I could enjoy both versions equally . Only small changes were made to the dialogue , and none to the images .
If this review has made you interested in seeing SPIRITED AWAY , that's great . And believe me , don't refuse to see it just because you hate animated films . If you are someone who hates this genre you're probably watching the wrong animation . Check out SPIRITED AWAY , then see all the other Miyazaki movies I've mentioned .
( note ) A splendid book about Hayao Miyazaki is available by Helen McCarthy : HAYAO MIYAZAKI , THE MASTER OF JAPANESE ANIMATION .
043 4 This movie is unbelievable . I am a 10 year old girl , and this movie is absoulutely AMAZING . The music really drew me in , and even though it was complicated , and I was puzzled at times , it still was . . . well . . . amazing . It really appalls me how some people disliked it . it was creepy , yes , and scary at times , but still great . Only an absoulute GENIUS could have thought of this plot . At times , I cried at the magnificence of this INCREDIBLE movie . If you don't enjoy being thrilled beyond belief , STAY AWAY . I may just enjoy watching this masterpiece becuse of the Diney Cinderella and Snow White I was forced to watch , but I see I am not alone .
The plot - ( CAREFUL , MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS )
There is a girl who is moving and terribly unhappy about it . Her family and she come across an empty party or carnival near a washinghouse .
There is a stand comepletly stuffed with food . The parents start eating , despite the daughter's warnings . To her dismay , her beloved parents are turned into pigs . Then she is put into the spirt world in the washinghouse , without any memory . So , she must find her name , save her parents , and help a mysterious boy and crazed spirit while in the disguise of a simple washing girl , with the supposed purpose of replenishing the spirts .
HIGHLY RECCOMENDED !
063 4 I'm not a big fan of Anime , in fact I hate anime . But for some strange reason I love Miyazaki's films .
When I first saw this , I just rented it to see what all the hype was about . In just 2 days I watched it about 20 times . It's a wonderful film that makes me feel as though there's a Chihiro in all of us.After seeing this I have rented just about every Miyazaki film we have in our Family Video . And yes , I know doesn't make since that I hate anime , but love Miyazaki's films.I will not try to explain the movie because I can't tell it as good as Miyazaki can . I haven't seen all of his works , but I would definatly recommened CASTLE IN THE SKY , KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE & PRINCESS MONOKE ( Only because these are the only ones I have seen so far ) I would recommened this to anyone . It's really worth your money .
