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Spirited Away

Spirited Away

List Price: $29.99
Your Price: $22.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Yes, it has English, Japanese and French audio
Review: Needless to say, this is a FANTASTIC film -- my favorite anime of all time. Deep and light at the same time, it stands as high art.

And, yes, the DVD has the original Japanese language track with subtitles (if you want them), as well as the Disney english dub (not bad, though Chihiro's voice grates on me) and a French dub as well. I strongly prefer the original language audio with english subs -- same can be said for just about any anime.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I can't say enough about this incredible film!
Review: My first introduction to Spirited Away was a tape at the Chicago Comic Convention. Having heard the hype for the film, and finding the tape for sale there, I took it home and watched it at 2 in the morning. Well, let me say that even though the quality was off a bit, I was hooked! I watched it probably every other day for the next month.

Within a few weeks, I became the lead editor for the film at Countdown to Spirited Away on the site Countingdown.com, and soon had obtained a DVD from overseas.

But wait you say, you bought an overseas copy yet you're reviewing the American DVD? Yes I am, for I have both in my collection now. And let me say that the work that John Lasseter and his crew did for the English dub makes it one of the best English dubs I have ever heard (eclipsing the work done for Miyazaki's film Princess Mononoke).

The film is a very simple story. Chihiro, a listless and spoiled 10-year-old girl is moving with her parents. taking a wrong turn, they find themselves in a world of spirits where Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs. Chihiro must brave her way through this strange world and survive, but can she return her parents to normal and find her way home?

That premise is all I will say, as anymore would destroy the story. Nowadays, there is literal fluff available for children. i've seen parents nod off and wish the world would end before most films, but I've sat through countless showings of this film, and everytime, I've seen people enthralled by what was on that screen. I heard no crying children, no children squirming in their seats. I attended a sneak preview with 19 of my animation friends and they all loved it (my friend's mother has a habit of nodding off through films, but she stayed awake through all 2 hours of Spirited Away).

The DVD contains the original Japanese dialogue, as well as the French and English dubs. There are subtitles included as well as a few specials. PIXAR studios' John Lasseter (a close personal friend to director Hayao Miyazaki) has a 2 minute opening monologue about his love for the film.

There is also a segment called 'The Art of Spirited Away,' a very 'weak' segment hosted by Jason Marsden (the voice of Haku in the English dub), that explains bringing the film to the US.

On the second disc, there are selected storyboards (images drawn by Miyazaki to explain the film in visual form), as well as a 50 minute special from Japanese TV that is the most in depth making of for this film you will find. Watch as the staff finds themselves under pressure, and you can see the tension building in Miyazaki's face. There is even 30 minutes of movie trailers from Japan (while most of tehm follow a repetitive manner, it would have been nice to put in trailers from the French release and the wonderful English trailer).

The disc is lacking in a few areas for features (my overseas copy has the full storyboards instead of selected storyboard sequences), but I'm just glad that the film will finally be seen by people. After the lackluster ad campaign that Disney did for this filmback in September, the DVD release will probably prove to them that kids can go just as wild over Miyazaki's films as they do for Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fabulous movie, excellent DVD
Review: Spirited Away is one of the greatest movies made in the last five years, and one of the greatest animated movies of all time. Given the movie's impressive record on review-aggregator sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, I don't feel the need to reiterate what so many before me have already said (and what I've already said in reviews elsewhere). Suffice it to say that this is a fantastic emotional roller coaster ride and a feast for the eyes and ears that is not to be missed. Slightly scary in places, but well-suited for most kids six to seven and up, and some kids younger than that.

As far as the DVD is concerned, the picture is very good (mitigated only by a small glitch involving the alternate angle English language version of the title screen), the audio is excellent, and the extra features are among the best extra features ever included on an anime DVD. Several interesting documentary clips, both English and Japanese, can be found herein, as well as an introduction by Pixar honcho John Lasseter (who also excec-produced the dub), 30 minutes of Japanese trailers, and various other things like that.

The original Japanese-language version is the best, of course, but the dub isn't half bad either. Daveigh Chase does an excellent job as the movie's maturing heroine, and the supporting cast also does good work. Haku's voice comes off as maybe a little harsh, but I can live with it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This isn't an anime film, it's just a beautiful story
Review: For those of you who think Disney when you hear the word "animation", and Akira when you hear the word "anime", think again. This is a truly superb film, filled with remarkable characters, amazing places, and one of the sweetest stories I've ever seen in a children's movie.

As a word of warning, I wouldn't recommend this movie for small children, but those 8 and over should enjoy it.

This is the story of Chihiro, a little girl on her way to boarding school. On her way there, she and her parents find a strange deserted town. Because of their greedy eating, Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs. Once night falls, she must quickly figure out this new world she has fallen into.

To help her are Haku, a mysterious boy whose loyalties aren't always clear, Kamaji, a 6-armed foreman who runs the boiler room, and Lin, a serving girl in the bath-house.

Chihiro must learn various lessons if she is to save herself and her parents (who might become bacon). She must learn to be courageous, loyal, honest, and hardworking. She also must overcome hopelessness, fear, temptation and greed.

This film is spell-binding from the first scene. The plot is somewhat episodic in nature, and it is easy to see why the film is compared to "Through the Looking Glass". Each episode is rich and poignant. By the end, Chihiro has learned invaluable lessons.

There is much to be learned from this film, by children and adults alike. This film received the Oscar for Best Animated Film, a much deserved award. Like Chihiro, it earned its reward.

On a technical note, this film has 5:1 audio for both the English and the Japanese. I've never been fond of dubbing, but small children aren't the best for a 2 hour subtitled movie. By doing both tracks in 5:1, there is nothing in English that you wouldn't find in the Japanese, and vice verse.

N.B. - Although the press hasn't mentioned much of it, Hayao Miyazaki also made "Princess Mononoke", another very good film (albeit better suited for a tween/teen and older audience). Spirited Away is a much more understated film than Princess Mononoke, with a lesson not so up front. If you can, though, you should check out both

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spirited Away.`+~-
Review: When this movie was released i said i could wait until it came out on video. But, i wish i had never said that. this movie was really well done, and deserved it's Oscar.

The movie starts out with a young girl and her family in a car going to their new house, when they come across a large house with a tunnel. her and her mother and father decide to look inside. When they reach the end they discover an abandoned amusement park. They travel around and find food. The girls' parents decide to dig in but she refuses. She explores somemore and discovers an enormous bath house. the girl bumps into a boy and he warns her to get away from the park as fast as she can before dark. but, it's to late. when she runs back to find her parents they have been transformed into PIGS! She soon dicovers she is trapped in this old amuesment park. Not knowing what to do without her parents a boy helps her,a nd tells her to get a job in order to stay at the park and save her parents. she visits some intresting characters in order to get a job like a 6 handed boiler man. she gets a job at the bath house and meets some strange people. this movie was very good and it keeps getting better and better as the film goes on. this is truely a disney classic!If you like Spirited awaY you'll also like Kiki's Delivery Service.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best animated film ever
Review: Simply magical, a whimsical Alice In Wonderland.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's pretty simple...
Review: I think a lot of you guys are WAY overanalyzing this movie. Whether or not a coherent plot line got lost in the translation is sort of beside the point. The fact is, there wasn't one. Yes, there were some very interesting scenes and some interestingly strange characters, and yes, my family said we basically liked it when it was over, but another thing we all said was "FIVE STARS!? I don't think so."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is about love.
Review: I wasn't really expecting this movie at the beginning. About first 45 minutes, so many strange creatures were shown up, and I was thinking 'What a weird movie this is!?' But when the story was getting to the end, my tears came up and didn't stop.

Chihiro was an ordinary 10 years old girl, who was kind of lazy and always complaining about something. She was suddenly transferred into a strange world where her parents were spelled by a witch, and turned into pigs. There were so many strange creatures in that world. They were mean to Chihiro at the begging. They seemed to be so greedy and selfish. They were only nice to rich people, but mean to someone with dirty looking. They were just interested in making money, playing, and have delicious meals. But unlike those creatures, what Chihiro wanted was to save her parents who had turned into pigs. She worked very hard as much as she could. She treated everyone equally, and she showed her love to those who looked dirty, and lonely. Finally, her love changed the way they were.

In that world, people were all forgot his/her past, even his/her original name; they are all taken away by a witch. But Chihiro's love brought a boy's past back, a river spirit who saved Chihiro when she fell into the river.

This is NOT a movie to entertain actions, and adventure. This movie might appear little difficult who is not sensitive. This is a story about love. I've watched three times and cried three times. It's never happened to me in any other movie in my life.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An anime movie unlike any other
Review: When I first found out about Spirited Away, I didn't think that it would be good, but I was completly wrong. This movie has everything any fan of Miyazaki would cherish. Despite the PG rating, this movie was beyond my expectations, and I'm 15, my mother even thought it was great. I thought Miyazaki's previous films like Princess Mononoke and Castle of Cagliostro were nothing compared to Spirited Away, and they were pretty great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wow.
Review: Right now: take your mouse and click on the "ADD TO SHOPPING CART" icon next to the picture of the cover of Spirited Away. Then go to the checkout. But this movie...buy it on DVD if you want!
Don't miss this opportunity because this movie was AMAZING in every possible way. I fell in love with all of the characters. The animation is wonderful, the storyline easy to follow and utterly engrossing!

Buy me... do oyu hear it whispering to you... buy me... come on... you know you've got to!


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