Spirited Away (2001) User Reviews

Strange, touching and beautiful

[gogoschka-1 · 10/10 · 26 December 2013]

Personally, I've never seen anything as original in an animated film as in this deeply mythical fairytale. What a surreal idea for a movie! It's hard to find an adequate description (because I also don't want to spoil this in the slightest way) but this film has a sense of "otherness" to it - for lack of a better word - like none I've ever seen. And the strange, mythical nature of this film - apart from the amazing artwork - is probably one of the main reasons for its appeal to me.

Maybe the themes of the story don't feel quite as strange to an eastern audience because they fit to a certain degree with some eastern/Asian mythologies - to me, this beautiful piece of wonder was something new. And a profoundly moving experience.

Outstanding animation; funny, weird, scary and touching at the same time, this unique work of art is one I can't recommend enough. 10 out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

A stunning, intoxicating, magical masterpiece

[shanebuckland · 10/10 · 4 November 2002]

There is simply no denying that Miyazaki is the Godfather of Japanese Animation, time and time again delivering works of such incredible beauty, such stunning visual and sensory delights, such mastery of storytelling, that one can only be left speechless. Overwhelmed. Intoxicated with wonder. Such is the magic of Spirited Away.

Much like Miyazaki's previous feature Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away is an epic fantasy that deserves no better medium than the stunning animation work of Studio Ghibli. This multiple award-winning masterpiece has grown to become the largest grossing film in Japanese history, and rightly so. From the moment our child heroine Chihiro enters the bath houses we are literally bombarded with an overwhelming sense of detail and rich, lavish colours rarely - if ever - seen in Western animation. Scenes such as Chihiro running through the field of flowers, the marvellous landscapes seen from the train, Haku and Chihiro soaring the skies above, and Chihiro running across the pipe to climb the walls of the bath house are nothing short of breathtaking, and undoubtably some of the most lavish animation ever to hit the screen.

The world of Spirited Away is bustling with life; unique, quirky, instantly lovable creatures jostling about their daily activities and tasks in the bath houses, dancing across the screen like leaves caught in a playful summer breeze. The inventiveness of Miyazaki's character designs is wonderful to behold, in fact not since classic tales like Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland and The Neverending Story have we been able to fall hopelessly in love with such original, quirky, magical, and fantastical characters. The viewer is plunged headfirst into another world for nearly two hours and one cannot help but be completely and utterly captivated.

The music and original score is stunningly beautiful, the original Japanese language track of such high quality that one wonders why someone could insult the work by producing a dub track at all. With a plot differing in its complexity on so many levels, from the basic storyline to the omnipresent universal themes, to the riddling of Japanese history and fable throughout, children and adults alike will be mesmerised from start to end. A magical, awe-inspiring, tearful, laughter-filled, heartfelt journey through a land of sweeping fantasy and dreams. Prepare to be Spirited Away......

Dub or sub?

[Balibari · 9/10 · 18 October 2004]

Last year I saw Spirited Away on it's UK release. I've never been a particular fan of anime, and it didn't really occur to me that I was watching a foreign language film dubbed into English (or 'American'). I can't imagine seeing a live action foreign language film dubbed into another language, but hey, this is a kids cartoon, what does it matter? Up to a point it didn't, because I loved the film. I enjoyed it so much I set about digging up the Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki back catalogue, in the process Sprited Away was filed away as one of the lesser Ghibli's - still great, but compared to Laputa, Grave of the Fireflies and a few others, it seemed a little weak.

BUT... I recently re-watched it on DVD with the subtitles and found the difference unbelievable. The film came alive like the other Miyazaki's I've seen. It seemed infinitely more layered, detailed, intelligent and witty than I remembered. Could it be that retaining the intended performances (even if the words are unintelligible) can make that much difference? Maybe the dub was just poorly done? Or was it just because I was now versed in the language of Ghibli? As a little experiment I decided to re-watch some of the film with both the English subtitles and English language dub in order to compare, I ended watching the whole thing out of morbid fascination. It's simply amazing what a difference there is. Entire scenes change. It's not just that subtle emphasis is shifted or the same points are made in a different manner - in the dub, the subject of whole conversations and scenes are changed, and often to some flat and uninteresting hokum. Relationships between characters are changed, their motivations and personalities are changed, the difference is shocking.

I appreciate western, and particularly American audiences can be put off by subtitles. And cinemas are less likely to show the film anyway. It's pointless to be all righteous when, fundamentally, you just want people to see the film. Unless they do, this treasure trove will remain undiscovered, and maybe finding it will encourage people to conquer the 'subtitle demon' (as Miyazaki might call him). But the problem is the quality of these dubs, and the liberties taken with the source material. Of course, without speaking Japanese, who can say it's not the subtitles that are way off? They're probably written by westerners too. But the dub just stinks of Disneyfication. Saturday morning generic nonsense. The challenging, uncompromising and emotionally ambitious nature of the film is severely watered down.

A fair question might be, 'if it's so bad why was it so successful?' The success is evidence of the films staggering quality. Even so, it hardly challenged whatever Jerry Bruckheimer movie was showing at the time. In Japan it's the biggest grossing film in history. 'Go figure,' as Chihiro wouldn't say.

An Amazing Achievement in Animation.

[Le-Samourai · 20 July 2004]

'Spirited Away' is the first Miyazaki I have seen, but from this stupendous film I can tell he is a master storyteller. A hallmark of a good storyteller is making the audience empathise or pull them into the shoes of the central character. Miyazaki does this brilliantly in 'Spirited Away'. During the first fifteen minutes we have no idea what is going on. Neither does the main character Chihiro. We discover the world as Chihiro does and it's truly amazing to watch. But Miyazaki doesn't seem to treat this world as something amazing. The world is filmed just like our workaday world would. The inhabitants of the world go about their daily business as usual as full with apathy as us normal folks. Places and buildings are not greeted by towering establishing shots and majestic music. The fact that this place is amazing doesn't seem to concern Miyazaki.

What do however, are the characters. Miyazaki lingers upon the characters as if they were actors. He infixes his animated actors with such subtleties that I have never seen, even from animation giants Pixar. Twenty minutes into this film and I completely forgot these were animated characters; I started to care for them like they were living and breathing. Miyazaki treats the modest achievements of Chihiro with unashamed bombast. The uplifting scene where she cleanses the River God is accompanied by stirring music and is as exciting as watching gladiatorial combatants fight. Of course, by giving the audience developed characters to care about, the action and conflicts will always be more exciting, terrifying and uplifting than normal, generic action scenes.

Through Chihiro, Miyazaki is clearly (but non-patronisingly) talking to youth of Japan. There's a certain sense of revile about the youth of Japan at the moment. Many people consider them to be ill-mannered and baring no respect for their elders or their forefathers. They are simply bi-products of their material world and consumerism. 'Spirited Away' taps into this. At the start Chihiro is a selfish, spoiled, whiny brat. But as she plunges deeper into the spirit world, she becomes more independent, more assured, more respectful and learns some manners. No Face, a black figure with a white mask, is the catalyst behind Chihiro's transformation. Once he is let into the bathhouse, we are no longer tourists – the story propels forth. Watching No Face prey on the greed of the workers is a terrifying delight. The three main characters in Miyazaki's youth allegory are Chihiro, No Face and Bô. All of these characters are disconnected with their world. They are lonely, misunderstood and largely ignored. But when they go on their journey together, they united and become stronger individuals.

Miyazaki also talks about the ecology of Japan. What was once a beautiful; grassland has now turned into the Asian New York. That The Last Samurai had to be filmed in New Zealand to get a turn of the century Japanese look speaks volumes. The River God sequence is an unsubtle but unpretentious commentary on pollution. While these two themes are very much current in Japan, they are also universal themes – which makes 'Spirited Away' a universal story that most of us can connect with. I'm willing to bet everyone reading this has at some time seen bicycles lying on a lake bed or have had a child talk to them disrespectfully. Sure these themes aren't advanced philosophy. They are everyday issues told in an inventive, fun way.

The animation is wonderful, if not as smooth as Disney's works – but there's something superior to that. 'Spirited Away's imperfect, but detailed world is far more fascinating than the perfected blandest of Disney's latest offerings. The animators successfully balanced the tight-rope between not-enough animation on characters and too much animation on characters. No Ralph Balski ADD antics here! The film is full of vivid images – both beautiful and horrifying. The line between those two extremes is crossed over seamlessly. From Chihiro and Haku running through an opening flower field to Haku's dragon snarling with a bloody mouth, both extremes seem to belong in the film. It's also excellently done with the characters. Kamaji can be seen as a scary, daunting figure at the beginning, but soon he seamlessly changes into a humble, wise figure. Yubaba also seems to be able to turn from kind to witch with the snap of a finger.

The sound on the film was expertly done. The sounds perfectly match the on screen actions and objects. My sub woofer got a wonderful workout when Haku swoops Chihiro past the bridge at the beginning. And while I don't speak Japanese, I think the voice actors did a wonderful job of conveying their personality and emotions true their voice. Joe Hisaishi's music is sublime, definitely one of my favourite scores. His main piano theme is simple and evocative. His thunderous action music hits the viewers on the chest like a hammer. Like all great scores it heightens the greatness of a scene about three times. The score, unlike many American composers', is unobtrusive. It plays excellently with the scenes, but never overbears them. A lot of the time the it is barely noticeable, a sole piano plays softly in the background evoking a dreamlike/lullaby quality.

'Spirited Away' is a simply a modern masterpiece, easily one of the Top 10 films of the new millennium. It works on a multitude of levels; a social commentary on Japan, a homage to ancient Japanese/Russian mythology, a moral film for both children and adults. But most importantly, it is a simple story brilliantly told by a great filmmaker who appears to be at the top of his game. 'Spirited Away' works much like a relaxing journey. Pop in the DVD; leave this world for two hours and when you will be almost certainly enriched and ready to take the trip again.

Best animated film I have seen!

[supertom-3 · 10/10 · 2 April 2004]

This is a wonderfully imaginative and fantastical children's fantasy. It is easy to see why it was perhaps the critical hit of 2002. The film is glorious to look at. It is a testament to old fashioned animation techniques that seem to be resigned to foreign animations. Of course there is some use of computer imagery for certain shots but they blend seamlessly and the overall artistry involved is superlative.

This is the first Hayao Miyazaki film I have seen and I will certainly watch his others. The story plays on many elements successful with kids films, that transport you back to your own childhood and also allows the young audience to connect with the themes in the movie too. The story centres around Chihiro, a young girl about to move into a new place and who feels insecure about the new environment she will be living in. These fears become a part of her encounter with a strange abandoned amusement park that she and her parents find when they reach a dead end in their car. At the park they find that their is a stall that is seemingly open, with glorious displays of mouth watering food. There are no people about but Chihiros parents decide to gorge themselves on this bounty and pay later. As Chihioro explores she comes across a strange boy who warns her to get out before dark. It is too late however, because as night falls, ghosts are awakened, and then by the time she gets back to her parents they are turned into pigs. She then finds that the route she came from is gone and she is now trapped in this place, her only allie being the boy she met earlier. She is told to get a job at the centre piece of the park, a bath house run by Yubaba, an evil power mad witch. This is a bath house for the spirits and Chihiro has to find a job there before she is found and turned into an animal herself, then unable to save her parents.

The story is imaginative and the characters and animations endlessly unique and strange. This is just so much more creative than Hollywood. The characters are likeable and we become engrossed with Chihiros adventures inside this bathhouse, and the characters she comes into contact with as she tries to get her parents back as humans and whilst trying to get back to the human world. What I also loved in this film is that the animation gives it a real sense of cinematography, the drawing makes the film stand out in a way that American animations rarely do. Another film I think of that looked really good was Bellville Rendezvous. Another great point in fact the best part of it, is the fantastic score. It really is uplifting and very original. This is just great film making. *****

I disagree with Gazzer-2

[sailvane-1 · 10/10 · 12 January 2005]

Actually I dislike his or her comments badly. If you didn't get it watch it again. This is not a piece to just entertain, the creator has put his own feeling and I believe life experience and the fear always buried in children's mind into it. It is a comely tale that express the creator's thoughts in some way, whilst shining as a attractive animation piece with so many details that you might have ignore if you were careless. It is a rich story and I can see the efforts creators put into it in many spots and frames.

e.g. While Chihiro was walking towards the garden where Haku told her to meet him, she passed some stairs where she can see an island, there are some house on it, she stopped for it for a little while, that, represents her longing to human world, her own world, this kind of details can be ignored by many people but they don't mind putting it in to make the whole story richer, more truthful, full of power of humanity.

Apart from that, did you ever notice that some "camera language" was used very well to tell the story in a more entertaining and better pace.e.g. When Kamaji was telling Chihiro how Haku turned up to this world before just like what she did, the "camera" panned to where the little rat(changed from the fat baby)was showing off to soots by putting his foot into the spell melted print while Kamaji's introduction about Haku's background is also getting across to the audience. This is just one of the details that shows how much story telling skills and rhythm control of plots.

There're many other things like this, shouldn't be ignored if you want to make a nice comment, even though as an American viewer you might miss a lot of the story by lack of the culture background, but that's not the reason that you can comment it as anyway you want without even really READ the film.

I am a visual effects person and film maker but I can't tell where the jerking of the footage and the stopping of character's movement are in the film. could Gazzer please enlighten us? As also a fan of Pixar I hope I don't have bias on either American animations or Japanese ones, but as a Chinese who might have some resistance towards Japanese products for national esteem or historic reason, I still admires Ghibli Studio's work. "Spirited Away" is a masterpiece of elegant picture and touching story, if Gazzer-2 knows what that means.

"Ice Age" was a pretty cute one of Fox productions, but not good enough to compete with "Spirited Away" I'm afraid. And I'd laugh at the opinion that the story of "Ice Age" is much simpler hence Oscar committee didn't recognise it, actually I believe "Spirited Away" was beautifully hand-painted frame by frame while "Ice Age" had a giant crew in 3d animation and visual effects. I'm afraid Ice Age was the much more complicated one.

Exceptional, but perhaps not so much for the casual viewer

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 11 June 2007]

I have seen many international films over the years and quite a few of these were Japanese. In addition, unlike many parents, I have seen a lot of anime that my kids have watched so at least I have some familiarity with the medium. Yet, with my background I still felt pretty confused and baffled by the strangeness of this movie. Now this isn't to say I didn't like it, but so many times I just couldn't understand exactly what was happening. Interestingly, when I saw the film again, I understood it much better and appreciated it much more. And this may be exactly how you might want to approach the film unless you already are a die-hard anime fan. See it, but be willing to see it without trying to think out the odd plot too much or even try seeing it several times. I know that each time I did, the film became more and more enjoyable and I began to notice so many cultural references. Now, several years after I first saw it in the theater, I have seen a lot more Japanese anime and films and it's practically second-nature to follow the film. So, for adults and those unfamiliar with the medium, this movie might take a bit of effort to fully enjoy, though with more and more children being familiar with and loving anime, it's very likely your kids will love it and will then be able to explain it to you!! As for the film, the animation is the best I have seen in any Miyazaki film, the story deep and fascinating and it's full of cute and endearing little touches that make the movie magical. See this with an open mind, please.

Childhood Favorite

[kellokchu · 10/10 · 27 June 2019]

One of the best movies I've ever watched and is still stuck with me til this day.

Advice

[Nextwiggin · 10/10 · 28 March 2006]

I have some advice to anyone that hasn't seen this movie or did not like it but is attempting to watch it again: do not look at this movie the same way you look at western movies. This movie is meant to be a fable, and thus is chock full of metaphor. In fact, since it is set in the spirit world, EVERYthing is a metaphor. I don't want to impose my own views as to what those metaphors may mean, but it is important to accept, in a sense, that this movie doesn't have a plot. At least, not in the conventional sense. It would be better viewed as an exploration. Of what, I'll let you decide. Watch the movie, try to figure out what all the characters mean, why some are portrayed in a more favorable light and others not. It is also important to remember that, unlike western art in general, many of this movie's metaphors and messages have more than one meaning. I get the sense from reading the posts of other people, as well as some reviews, that many people have trouble realizing/accepting this. But, in my opinion, it is essential to move past this to truly enjoy and understand the movie and its message. The implication of this is also that it is impossible to fully understand the movie in just one viewing (or two, or many more). Like a painting, we are meant to look at this movie from different perspectives; close up and from far away and in different lights. All this is why I consider Spirited Away my favorite movie, and I hope that my advice will help some people see it in a different light. I don't claim to have all the necessary information to understand this movie, but rather I think I can help some people people who have trouble with this sort of movie and art enjoy it a bit more. So... have fun!

Over-Appreciated

[rtsdynamite · 8/10 · 28 July 2022]

Spirited Away contains a great cluster of creativity. The characters and ideas are mostly original and the core design which is the main character's (Chihiro) coming of age tale, completes with satisfaction. Yet the film feels familiar. It shares the same magic that Disney's older pieces contain and it is executed with a Japanese approach which does make it different but it has the same purpose. Which is to simply encourage younger audiences into being brave and so on.

That cluster of creativity also becomes a bit mindless when random things keep happening, there is absolutely no consistency with anything. Details are introduced and have next to no meaning, other than expanding the lore. The mysteries that are wrapped up in the opening scenes unwrap cluttered and without defining details. Im not completely in the directors head and i feel as if some things just happened for the fun of it. I was expecting a layered story with the exceptionally high rating, with every detail having depth and meaning. Without spoiling the film, greed is frowned upon and im sure that capitalism is questioned, with the abandoned old themepark reflecting the loss of the old era. Little things such as Bo having to become small to become a bigger and better being, with him able to stand as a result are things to take away from the film.

I do however, simply believe that the West has blown this movie above its true level. Yes it is original, yes it has qualities but apart from its unique characters 'Spirited Away' is not a special film for me. Perhaps i am being too critical or perhaps i am just disregarding the 2001 release date which may bring some exceptional credit to it, of which i am not aware. I have seen cartoon films before and i have seen anime's, yes this is a perfect combination of the 2 for children. I really enjoyed some of the characters but felt the story came short but perhaps i have set the bar too high in a film made for children. 8/10.

I don't really know what to say.

[Morejambo54 · 7/10 · 29 December 2020]

I enjoyed this movie but more towards the end. The first half of the movie was very odd, which is one of the main reasons I kept watching as I wanted to understand it but that didn't really happen. Not enough was explained and it felt like a mix of random events yet there was an actual story. Im struggling to come up with a reason of why no-face was even in the movie, he was just there. This movie isn't bad by any means, it's just lacking somethings in my opinion. I also didn't. Really feel in touch with any of the characters as no room was left for them to develop. The wired and wacky characters made the film very unique and interesting, the film is visually beautiful as well, I would personally want more depth.It is a good movie with a lot of potential. 7/10

One of the Greatest Movies Of All Time

[Foxbarking · 10/10 · 2 May 2005]

This movie is an outstanding piece of artwork. I hadn't heard much about it when it was first released. Being a huge Oscar fan, I was surprised when it took home the award for best animated film. At that point, knew nothing about it.

After reading a little more and seeing some commercials, I still wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to see this film. It looked so surreal in an "Alice in Wonderland" sort of way. I had never been a big fan of that film and didn't really want to relive such an idea. Mindbending films have never been my absolute favorites.

I went to see "Spirited Away" with a friend who was into anime. He hadn't heard much about it either, but was interested in seeing it in the theater. Since it had won the Academy Award, I decided it was a good idea to give it a shot.

I am so glad I did. Only a very few times in my life have a I seen a movie as brilliant as this. It stands alone with such masterpieces like "Citizen Kane," "Vertigo," "The Godfather" and any other classic piece of cinema in history.

I won't go into too much detail, but I was spellbound from the opening credits until the closing ones. The story starts out so rough and scary, but becomes a work of happiness and beauty. To think that this movie almost didn't get made is a travesty. It will stand the test of time and go out as one of the greatest films ever made.

Great animation, great background score. Story: what?

[anirudhajith · 6/10 · 20 October 2018]

Undeniably an amazing art-style and a rich, immersive background score. Particularly so for a movie released in 2001. However, I for one did not "get" the story. I feel like this movie is art which I have not understood. The plot left me feeling confused and unsatisfied.

I have no strong opinion about this movie either way

[elpresidente-4 · 5/10 · 15 June 2020]

I've been hearing good things about this movie for years and finally decided to watch it, but I didn't quite understood it. There are things that I liked, like the expressive way the main character was drawn, the overall color palette and backgrounds, maybe some points for the original setting, but with that, I can't think of what else good to say. From all the things I've heard I expected the movie to be very emotional, yet I failed to notice such thing. I had seen the black character with the mask used in memes on the internet so much, that I expected he would play a really important part in the story, but in the end he was nothing special. The story really confused me, some elements didn't make much sense to me, and the ending was pretty rushed, like they ran out of money and had to complete the movie fast. I don't know, maybe I have to study Japanese philosophy and symbolism to understand what is happening. Don't get me wrong, I kinda enjoyed the movie, I just wish it made more sense. It sort of reminded me of the movie "labyrinth", but that movie has a very good structure and story, and you always know what is going on and why. In conclusion, I think the movie would be appreciated more by children.

Better in the Original Japanese Soundtrack

[ehy2k · 10/10 · 25 May 2004]

The art work alone is worthy of the engulfment one experiences when watching the big screen, making me wish I had seen it on the big screen. That is, unless the major release in the US was the English language version.

We ended up renting the DVD and watching it in English. The sound, the voice of Chihiro in particular, grated our ears like nails on a chalk board. After watching it, we played around with the DVD and found the original Japanese soundtrack with English subtitles. Far more subtle and simply put, an AMAZING difference.

So, I would suggest watching it in both languages. English so that you can concentrate on the scenery (with the sound turned down low. Really, the screeching and shouting in English is annoying). Then watch it in Japanese for the color and mood the dialog provides.

The best animated film I have ever seen

[Juggertrout · 10/10 · 21 June 2005]

Spirited Away is my favourite Hayao Miyazi movie. It's a departure from his previous films (all of them wonderful), in the sense that this film lacks the themes so common in his other work: humans vs nature, large scale battles being the prime examples. All for the better I say, as it allows him to create something truly unique and stunning. The story revolves around Chihiro, a young girl who, on the way to her new house, stumbles into an abandoned amusement park and is soon transported into a magical world of spirits, gods and human-frog hybrids.

The animation is stunning. Miyazaki truly sees animation as an artform. Many stand out scenes contain no dialogue at all, and are merely animated images creating surreal effects: Chihiro in the lift with the Radish spirit, Chihiro running through the flowers, and the final train ride, where our young protagonist takes a mysterious train journey across a sea, with her spirit friend, No Face. Nothing much happens, it's just simple, colourful, oddly unsettling, and lingers long after the film ends.

The characters are also perfect, and add to strange storyline. There's Kamaji, the multi limbed boiler room operator, Yubaba, the evil witch, and her massive baby child. No Face is a peculiar spirit who turns feral when Chihiro is not around, and finally, Haku, a boy spirit, who shares an emotional scene with Chihiro towards the end of the film.

Colourful, imaginative, interesting, and emotional. Spirited Away is a film you'll want to see time and time again. Buy it.

Can Easily Beat Disney In Their Own Game

[paul_mampilly · 10/10 · 27 September 2003]

As the rest of the Western world was amazed by the throngs of CGI animation, and the inside Disney jokes, Japanese audiences were given a chance to see what real animation was like. This movie was the first foreign film which grossed over 200 million dollars before it came over the US shores. It had beaten Pixar's Ice Age and Disney's Lilo and Stitch to get Best Animated Feature. Yet with all these facts and figures shown to us, does this movie live up to its hype. In a one word answer, YES!

However there is no point of handing out the superlatives to a movie, without explaining what the movie is all about. In a nutshell, the movie is about a ten year old girl who is travels to a strange yet enchanting world, after her parents were morphed into pigs. This change of shape was produced by the evil witch, Yubaba, an nasty sorceress who rules over this paralell universe. To avoid detection, the ten year old girl, Chihiro has to work for Yubaba in her bath house. This is where she meets all kind of strange and wonderful characters, like the half man half spider Kamaiji, the mysterious little boy, Haku and many other characters. Though Chihiro had met all these people, her only wish is to go home and turn her parents back to their normal human selves.

Watching this movie, has made me wonder why is this feature shown in very small arthouse cinemas and it is on pirate DVDs, when it should be easily shown on the multiplex cinemas. This is a truly amazing movie, whereby the whole story, transports oneself to their earlier childhood. I know that happened to me. Also the movie's animation was totally amazing, in ways that Pixar and Dreamworks would just die for. A good example of this is the flower scene.

In conclusion, everyone should watch this movie, whether young or old, japanese or any other nationality, because at the end of the day, this will show you emotions that any other animations will not give you the chance to show.

Prepare to be enchanted!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 5 April 2010]

I love Studio Ghibli, and Spirited Away is one of my favourite films from the studio. This is coming from someone who was delighted by Howl's Moving Castle, blown away by Princess Mononoke, emotionally devastated by Grave of the Fireflies and touched by the simplicity of The Cat Returns all but to name a few. Spirited Away is a mystical, charming and truly enchanting animated fantasy, even with the long length and some slow moments. The animation is absolutely stunning, both the hand drawn visuals and the CGI graphics give an ethereal charm to the film. The characters move more than convincingly and the colours are beautiful. The music is also outstanding, I loved the simplicity of the piano and the drama of the more dramatic parts. The story is a pleasure, I know people have complained of some loose ends, but it is an original, touching and charming one I feel. I also loved the characters. Chihiro, voiced with real enthusiasm by Daveigh Chase, is sulky to begin with, but she is also brave and resourceful, traits I like in young heroines. Lin is kind and sympathetic, and Susan Egan who was also in Porco Rosso was unusually sensitive as the character. Jason Marsden is charming as Haku, and Suzanne Pleshette is perfect as the grotesque Yubaba and as her sister Zeniba. Overall, I loved Spirited Away, it is really charming. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The word "masterpiece" is over-used

[jediknightcub · 7/10 · 8 November 2002]

The word masterpiece is being thrown around a little bit too much on this one.

While I found myself stunned by the visuals in Spirited Away (particularly a magnificently realized train ride across the sea), its lackluster story - little more than a rip-off of (or homage to) Alice In Wonderland - keeps this film from being a classic masterpiece.

Some of the ideas were extraordinarily imaginative (the spirit bathhouse, Haku's transformation into a dragon, Yubaba's transformation into a bird, the boiler-room operator), others were just downright ridiculous (No-Face's regurgitation, the bouncing disembodied heads, the baby, an evil twin sister - what is this Days Of Our Lives?).

This is not to say that I was expecting literal-minded filmmaking. I was thoroughly impressed by the director's previous film, Princess Mononoke, but I felt its story was integral to its success (i.e. a hero's journey; the forces of human industrialization vs. nature and the need to co-exist peacefully). The "story" in Spirited Away is much more simplistic (girl overcomes her fears) and, as a result, leaves little in the way of narrative thrust or suspense (especially for a 2 hour movie). Princess Mononoke's story was epic and its running time and pace justified. Spirited Away is merely serviceable in every way except its visual palette.

A Succinct Summary of Childhood Alienation

[electronmove · 8/10 · 21 March 2022]

This movie is all about alienation and moving to a different world (or suburb, as you will). It captures the feeling of being trapped in this alien world full of new places, new people, and strange legends and myths that you grow accustomed to overtime. Each character that the protagonist meets is in someway an archetype of a personality you confront as a child without knowing you're confronting them at first and draws upon those archetypes to craft a journey through what seems like a pit of despair at first until you begin to take more control of the situation, essentially "growing up". There are a few Japanese cultural quirks that drag down an other-wise stellar animated film, but it still shines as an exemplary childhood tale.

Not for me I guess

[orialon24 · 4/10 · 25 April 2020]

Heard from a lot of people I should watch this movie and thought I'd like it but just couldn't get into it... forced myself to finish it and thought it's pretty boring

better than Disney by a long shot

[minimeltheminx · 11 October 2004]

I really enjoyed this film-everything about it glows and shines in a gentle luminosity. This film, if you have seen some of Miyazaki's other work, is quite light. The characters are beautifully and lovingly created and the colouring and setting of this film is absolutely superb. This is a beautiful little film and I can't wait for the next feature from Hayao Miyazaki-he is better than Walt Disney.

Miyazaki blends the characters and the environment very well together, and I can see that this would be enjoyed for people at many different levels. Miyazaki enjoys creating female heroines and I was pleased that Chihiro lived up to the expression and beauty of her predecessors-like Nausicaa from the Valley of the Wind. This is beautiful and I would advise anyone to take a look at it's scope and serenity, along with it's fast paced plot and of course, the dreamlike settings that make it truly wonderful.

A Movie Where Many Childhood Dreams Are Reborn...

[pip-7 · 10/10 · 3 May 2005]

It is so ironically tragic that many great movies such as Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away are often overlooked by the public, suggesting that commercialism is the way of reflecting the possibility of achieving blockbuster status in the box-office, even as if most of these recycled products receive poor reviews (remember Shark Tale? It's horribly cliché but millions of viewers still watch it). Is it because of technology that drives its influence to the public without providing any necessity that is its substance? Or is it because Spirited Away is considered another ordinary 2D cartoon that should be suitable for little children and not the rest of us? Sadly, this is reality and we all see as it is right now (providing that we live in a topsy-turvy world with unfair paradoxes) but it doesn't mean that Miyazaki's masterpiece has a chance to change our reflections on life. In fact, there are doses of good reasons on why this movie is so special to us, aside from its family-friendly context.

Hayao Miyazaki, who has directed many of the most acclaimed animated movies in animation history (under the banner of Studio Ghibli), has stated that Spirited Away is 'for the people who used to be ten years old and the people who are going to be ten years old'. Perhaps, he really knows how children see things in their own eyes, as he might use to face during his childhood times (that's why most of his movies feature flying ships/creatures, tons of imaginative elements derived from Asian/Western cultures, some preferences from classic fairy tales, etc.) Most importantly, Mr. Miyazaki uses this tagline as an essential plot device to show the innocence, the bizarre, the horror and the wondrous revelation that the main protagonist (Chihiro) sees, feels and experiences throughout her spiritual journey, a path that we all had crossed as children before the madness of the world overwhelms our innocence. Fortunately, movies like Spirited Away succeeds in regaining our former consciousness, pulling us into his imaginative world where our childhood memories have never died; they are merely hidden inside our hearts and Mr. Miyazaki is enable to reshape them with everything this movie has to offer.

Instead of the cliché-ridden plots that mar state-of-the-art-animated films of today, Mr. Miyazaki refers to his personal experience in Japan as another plot device while maintaining the classic storytelling technique to create an entirely refreshing concept based on real-life situations. If you think Spirited Away features some of the most incomprehensibly bizarre characters you've never seen, fear not! Like all good movies, despite their oddity, they all are no different from us in terms of how they adapt to life and their functions to keep the company going. That also leads to the fact that Spirited Away is really not a good vs. evil show (like Star Wars); despite its scary images, powerful spells and evil-looking monsters, they are all surprisingly ordinary with mere characteristics of maids, bosses and customers. So don't expect a Darth Vader-like antagonist to cover the whole world with darkness while unleashing a large army of robotic troopers to destroy everything in their sights.

The overall animation is simply breathtaking. Even as they are all hand-drawn, the characters' expressions and body postures are all wonderfully done in a very natural way, the same applies to these beautiful background settings painted painstakingly by some of Ghibli's most talented artists in Japan. Speaking of animation, when watching it up close and personal, it does bear some resemblance to Disney's Snow White as well as his classic movies (unlike the new, recycled Disney movies of the early 2000s) in terms of its cel-shaded look and the way most characters move and interact (strangely, though, Mr. Miyazaki is not a big fan of Disney. Ironically, Disney is the only company that understands his movies' significance to moviegoers around the world, so it serves as a distributor to Ghibli's animated movies in North America.). Unlike most current anime that requires CGI to excite the audience, Mr. Miyazaki fortunately decides not to rely much on fancy digital applications (there are some subtle CGI effects, which are cleverly implemented on certain parts of the movie).

Disney, in its other matter, has done a good job in translating the movie's original Japanese context to its English counterpart without radically changing the flow and theme of its entire story, thanks to Pixar animator and executive producer John Lasseter (however, Disney's marketing power fails to attract more moviegoers). Despite the audience's varied reactions on English and Japanese tracks, in my opinion, I find both of them outstanding and seem to have a natural pattern to influence the mood of the movie. Once again, Joe Hisashi, the composer of many of Miyazaki's movies, has provided some of the finest and most memorable cues ever to bring grace to the screens (one of my personal favorite is a cue in which Haku finally remembers his original name, shedding its scales in the sky). Without these important audio elements, Spirited Away could have been another uninspiring, lifeless show.

It is no doubt that Spirited Away has indeed changed the way we look at animated movies, similar to the way the original Star Wars trilogy, the first two Godfather movies and films by Steven Spielberg did. It is also true that whatever I write in this review, a single picture tells a thousand words; you still need to watch it with your own eyes, feel it as you are still a child and you will understand a thousand reasons why this movie should receive an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. However, like many artistic filmmakers, Mr. Miyazaki is not interested in such glamorous spotlights and moneymaking propaganda, as he continues to inspire newer generations with his latest waves of masterpieces, starting with Howl's Moving Castle.

Thank you, Mr. Miyazaki for proving once again that childhood memories will forever endure within our hearts and souls until the end of time.

Unscorable

[Aprigo · 10/10 · 3 March 2006]

I have given movies 10 out 10 stars before, but this just crosses a completely new line into something even above 100% greatness; perfection. This may be the only film I have ever seen that is completely perfect, I would change absolutely nothing about it. The only other film that I would put over the top is, coincedentally, My Neighbor Totoro. The fact that the are made by the same company has nothing to do with it.

Whenever I watch this movie, not only do I find things that I didn't notice the time before, but I feel a sense of having already seen certain things in it before, somewhere else. But I haven't - it is just the originality, and the new ideas that other movies will build on from this one. Everything is perfect. The illustrations are detailed, flowing, and mesmerizing. The musical score is dead-on, and sneaks along in the background for most of the running. And the story takes on a form that I am attempting to do in my first work - complete layers. Two people could watch this, and come away with different ideas and plot lines. This is exactly what a movie should do, keep everyone that sees it thinking about it afterwards. There is no definite ending or beginning, it is left purely to the imagination.

The entire film seems like just a slice of someone's imagination, and when I watch it, I consider it mine.

An astonishing film. I was blown away...

[robhan · 10/10 · 19 July 2006]

I rented this film from Blockbuster after hearing about it from a friend. I was slightly reluctant, never seeing an anime film before, but I watched it six times before giving it back two days later, then bought it the next day. My daughter watched it with me every time and loved it as much as I did. It was an astonishing film, though scary at times, but wonderful the whole way through. It had some laugh out loud funny moments and the next minute you were on the edge of your seat and it all seemed so real. It really got me into anime. Since then I have also watched Howl's moving castle, which is fabulous. My daughter went one step further and learnt to draw manga. I must say she is quite good! She also is learning to play the opening theme on the piano. It's 4 pages long. Rather her than me! I would recommend this film to anybody. But be warned. It's very... different.