Rating: 
Summary: So much to see, so little time
Review: The reviewer who was disappointed with this movie confounds me. Too much going on? That's what I call wonderful! Having multiple layers to the story means that we can watch the movie again and again, and each time uncover something that before, went unnoticed. This is a movie that keeps on giving and because of it, it continues to entertain, give us pause for thought, and ultimately, rates high on the "good value for the money" scale. How many DVDs do you buy that never get watched again? I know we have dozens. This movie however, has been watched dozens of times and still continues to feed us. (When I say "us" I mean a family - Dad in his 50s, mom in her late 30s, a 9 YO and a 2 year old who is now nearing 3.)When we rented the movie without any preconceived notions, I was skeptical that I would find it enjoyable. But we were bored with all of the usual family movies, which tend to be short on depth and long on stupidity, so I picked it up. From the moment I saw the rippling of the water and wondered how on Earth anyone could produce animation that looked so real I was intrigued. The attention to detail in the art was simply mind blowing. And then as the story began to unfold, I was impressed not only with the inventiveness of the story, but how it was so rich in content on so many levels. By the end of the movie, which I watched with my two children, I wanted to watch it again. I knew there was more to see and learn. It was to me, a puzzle to unravel. Since that first viewing, we purchased the DVD set, watched all of the extras, including each and every trailer in Japanese. We've purchased Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky and are awaiting the release of more Ghibli films via Disney. Personally, I find the more straightforward nature of Kiki and Castle less appealing to me, though both my children love the stories. I guess it all depends on how you are built, whether you want something that spells it all out for you, versus something that reveals itself with time and thought. (Or hey, maybe I'm just thick! ;-) ) But for me, the entertainment value of Spirited Away from a mindless eye-candy sort of approach all the way to an intellectual experience, is simply way beyond any other movie I have ever watched. That doesn't make this movie the deepest movie I've ever seen, nor the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. It simply combines so many good things into a single package that I daresay I have not seen a movie to rival it. I'm sorry I didn't cover the story in this review, but I think that's been done sufficiently by others.
Rating: 
Summary: This movie was 50-50
Review: I know that this was the most disturbing cartoon i have ever seen. That ghost really was freaky. I would probly say maybe see this film but I would not recommend it. It's really exiting but not very well on the "not freaky." I watched the other stuff on the Dvd and Mizaki had good ideas. A good plot has a good finish but I did not think that this movie had one. I mean turning perants into pigs is not bad its just disturbing. A good movie has more than this cartoon competitor, and I think so too.
Rating:
Summary: A work of art!
Review: First of all,don't listen to people who give this masterpiece bad reviews... they probably think disney movies are the only animations worth watching!
This anime is fantastic... Miyazaki is truly a genius. Everything about it blew me away, from the animation and characters to its storyline! The characters have depth, and they show real emotion, and unlike disney movies, there are no annoying sidekicks or crappy songs... in fact, the music is very beautiful and heightens the feel of the movie.Even the dub is pretty good(at least in my opinion), but of course the original japanese with subtitles is best(as always)!
I HIGHLY recommend this one to everyone, anime fan or not!This is definitely worth your money! Don't hesitate!
Rating: 
Summary: This movie hurts
Review: I thought this movie was obnoxious. Maybe its meaning was lost in translation from Japanese to English, however, its the director's responsiblity to make sure that does not happen.
I thought that maybe my presupposition was a little uncultivated, so I resorted to independent arguments from friends. They, for the most part, felt inebriated and uninterested in the first 15 minutes of the film. Even though they were the ones who labored through the entire insane, prosaic, and venal "toon", they felt that I should reimburse them for the time that they wasted when each one of them would have been better off shaving their hairy asses with toothpaste and a butter knife.... Anyways, I just glanced over some of the reviews and was dumbfounded at the rave reviews that people gave this movie. I still shiver when I see the front cover of this movie anywhere..... I keep telling myself "Don't worry, go to your happy place.... You don't have to go through that again".
I am an addict when it comes to Anime. My favorite movies are Ghost in the Shell and Akira, so its not that I don't like Japanese animation, I just do not like to watch bogus fragments of someones feebleminded imagination.
Rating:
Summary: Carried away --
Review: -- by some of the best story-telling in animation today.
The basic plot is familiar, especially to Miyazaki fans. A plucky young girl, thrown into strange circumstances, wins her goals through hard work and bravery. In this case, little Chohiro is thrown into a Japanese fantasy world, working as a bath-house drudge, in order to save her enchanted parents.
The bath-house, however, serves the spirits, gods, and other beings that apparently inhabit Japan's fairy tales. Remember in Shrek, how seemingly every one of the Brothers Grimm characters came to life, all together? It's like that, but with a serious tone. The difference is that I didn't recognize any of the characters. They're not the fairy tales I grew up with. I could see that they were cultural icons, but not from my culture. That fascinated me - now I want to go and find out just who all those characters were, and what cultural meaning they have.
It's kid-safe, with no serious adult themes or violence. Those aren't needed to keep Chohiro's quest interesting and to sustain a sense of wonder. There's enough to keep an adult interested, too. Don't wait til there's a kid around to treat yourself to this incredible movie.
//wiredweird
Rating:
Summary: The Best Japanese Movie!
Review: Most Japanese aname films to me are stupid and boring, but this one caught my attention due to the critique and the academy award. After watching, it turned out to be one of my favorite movies. My friedns said it looked dumb, but I still thought that this masterpiece and soon-to-be classic was excellent. It was just like any other good movie to other people, but this movie, to me, was just palin awesome.
Rating: 
Summary: "Spirited Away": a Supreme Feat of Animation
Review: In the animated film Spirited Away directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the epic tale of one girl's experience in a mystical and fantasy-driven world is told. This world manifests itself within a bathhouse for spirits, thus becoming the dynamic through which Chihiro (the lonesome and courageous heroine) experiences all of her conflicts and resolutions. Marked by an overriding imagery that is not only picturesque, but creatively and artfully composed, the surroundings that Chihiro is placed within are anything but bleak. While Spirited Away does indeed center around a more serious conflict, one involving Chihiro's struggle to survive within the bathhouse successfully so as to eventually rescue her parents who were formerly turned into pigs, the magical embodiment of the bathhouse and its residents balance this. In many scenes the bright and hopeful hues blue and whit are blended to create an unremitting sky. This, contrasted with the bold and dark colors that boastfully exist within the night-life of the bathhouse, is supportive of a film that is nothing less than a masterpiece of artful animation. Transcending the accepted norms of other contemporary animation pieces, Spirited Away does not only exude a magnificent and mystical story of triumph when in the depths of hopelessness, but also a certain skilled mastery of artistic feats not originally thought possible in the world of animation. Relying on the universal themes of love and friendship, Spirited Away is a film that shatters the preconceived notions regarding the superficiality of most animated films. The fact that most scenes are set against a backdrop that is both intricate and fluent in expressive color and detail only strengthens its impact.
Rating:
Summary: A gem that celebrates the spirit of children
Review: This movie begins with a girl and her parents moving to a new home. Right from the beginning, the movie brought out events many of us went through as a child. It's interesting to see how Hayao Miyazaki used this simple scene to portray a hidden layer of emotions that Chihiro (the main character) is enduring. Miyazaki also used this scene to foreshadow the events that were to come later in the movie. This idea of adventure and mystery resonates throughout the entire film as Chihiro finds herself in a colorful world of spirits and magic.
Throughout the movie, her courage, her strength, and her own spirit are tested as she embarks on a journey to save her parents. This idea of being a hero also brings back many nostalgic childhood memories. Miyazaki often tends to provoke a collage of emotions from his audience through his intricate emphasis on tiny details. The train scene, for example, is filled with this artistic approach. When Chihiro sits down on an empty seat, Miyazaki focuses all the attention to this; and even after she sits, he pauses for a moment to capture this image of her sitting before moving on to the next scene. Another instance of this can be seen when the two little animal friends of hers are looking out the window, bouncing up and down. This image immediately reminded me of my childhood and how I used to stand on the seat with my hands on the windows, gazing at the passing images outside. I also remember how I used to bounce up and down on the seats for no reason at all. But these are the very things that make children, children; and Miyazaki celebrates this through this and many of his other films.
The beautifully drawn images, attention to details, and the myriad of bursting colors truly embraces all the qualities of an elaborate painting. This movie is indeed a painting which will indulge viewers into Miyazaki's free spirited world.
Rating:
Summary: Another Miyazaki Masterpiece - posted by the Moogleking
Review: Many people born before the anime era stereotype anime as senslessly violent and poorly written. Show them this masterpiece, and pretty soon they'll be watching it at 6:30 in the morning every Saturday, while you try to get some sleep.
I love this film because it shows that anime can still be very absorbing without unessecary violence, nudity, ect. The english
dub REEKS of Disney (vile stuff, it is) , so make sure to watch it in Japanese w/ subtitles. The movie lacks info about the characters' origins (mostly Haku), but that's really the only flaw. The animation is smooth and crisp, the characthers have deep personalities, the monsters are hilarious (try to spot the Totaro in one of the beginning sequences) and the overall story combines many emotions as the main character quests to get home.
The soundtrack goes well with the movie (like how the jazzy soundtrack went well with Blue Submarine No.6), but may get repetitively annoying to some folks. As always, Hayao Miyazaki uses very innovative ideas, such as the main characther's parents getting transformed into pigs. Well, that sums it up. I would tell you more about it, but I won't give away too much of the plot. If you think this anime is bad and has a dull plot, go and watch Love Hana or Tenchi Muyo until your eyes can be mistaken for beach balls. Then you will know BAD!
Rating:
Summary: What a Treasure!
Review: This is such a beautiful movie and an outstanding treasure to add to our family DVD collection. In addition to the beauty and basic story of this film, the meaning is also very significant - the struggles of the initially whiney little girl on her quest to save her parents lives leading to what type of person she becomes, the showcase of excesses, and the symbolism in the oppositism of the twin sisters. My kids, my husband, and I all loved this movie. The forshadow is very interesting when our heroine meets the river spirit, who is a dragon like her friend. I was proud that my kids picked up on the fact that the spirit was drowning in pollution and junk dumped into the river and that is why his cleansing bath was so crucial. They discussed this movie long after we finished watching it. I thought the memory sequences were well-done and tied in nicely with the end of the story. The whole family is looking forward to watching this again and seeing the annoying little girl grow into such a strong and independent young lady by her adventure.
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