Rating: 
Summary: Not your typical fairytale!!!!!!!
Review: Finally!! An "Alice in Wonderland" for this generation, but this film has something for all age groups. Deliciously bizarre, but warm-hearted enough even for the fluffiest Disney fanatic!
Rating:
Summary: Wonder and inspiriring
Review: Spirited away is one of the best Anime movies I have seen! It is a well thought through movies with wonderful characters and a great plot. And I'm and eleven year old who's not easy to please. I cried for half of the movie, I don't know why. I loved like no other movie I have ever seen in my life! Through the whole story, there are problems the keep piling up on th e character. Like getting her parents back or remembering her own name! I love it and I think it is a movie that everyone -everyone of all ages- should see and enjoy this spectacular anime film!
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: I've always loved Japanese Anime and this movie is just AMAZING. It is one of the best movie's I have ever seen. It follows the story of Chihiro when she moves to a new town. When driving into the town her parents get lost and find themselves in trouble in the spirit world and it is Chihiro's job to save them. This has many strange characters where all you can think of when you look at them is WOW. The animation is simply beautiful. Miyazaki had really out done himself here. This is a must buy. Also check out other Miyazaki films, this man is a genius.
Rating:
Summary: just great
Review: We saw this twice on the big screen, and still bought the dvd. The attention to details in the flowers amazed me.
This is a wonderful feel good movie.
Rating:
Summary: best anime movie ever!
Review: I love this movie. It was something that kept your mind thinking, instead of pokemon, where the same thing happens over and over and over and over, and over, and so on and so forth. it would make a cool video game. you know, Dodge Yubaba's balls of light, run from no face, other stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Really 4 and a Half...but Excellent all the same
Review: 'Spirited Away' was the first Miyazaki film I had ever seen so, in a positve sense, I had none of his past work with which to compare it or to influence my opinion. It was recommended by a friend who is a fan of some of Miyazaki's films and also by the numerous radiant reviews I had seen in this latest film's regard. I was not disappointed. Immediately, without any preconceived notions derived from Miyazaki's prior works, I was captured by the sense of wonder evoked by Miyzaki-san's truly elegant and unique approach to animation. The motifs present in every frame, the peripheral details in his frames that really are *not* so peripheral, the simplicity yet relevance of his modern characters -- all of these things made for instant interest, and then outright enchantment. Miyazaki proved himself a maestro, a deft conductor of a well-assembled orchestra from the very first moments. Music, exceptional use of color, brooding angles, and restrained dialogue strike a simultaneous chord of melancholy from the first moments we glimpse the dilemma of Chihiro in the back-seat of the car as her family is obviously in "transition." Every sight and sound is calculated with care and delicacy as the story moves quickly to the point where the family's "off-the-beaten-path" detour takes them to a mysterious but beguling sanctuary (of sorts) in the middle of a woodland. There, Chihiro's parents decide to have a carefree look around the lonely ruins, while the child-figure, Chihiro, senses trouble immediately. This establishes a powerful foundation for what I perceive to be Miyazaki-san's overall theme -- the Child, without guile or guide, often has the best instincts...despite having the least power, choice, or control with which to act upon those instincts. Chihiro relcutantly follows her parents into what appears to be a crumbling, abandoned theme-park. The eerie, lonely tones continue until the motif of delicious FOOD is planted smack-dab in the middle of the plot. The tones change, for the glorious, freshly-made "feast" brings both a sense of satisfaction and familiarity that plays nicely around the child's persistent apprehensions and the viewer's niggling sense that something simply CAN'T be right in this desolate landscape. What happens after Chihiro's parents dismiss her misgivings and settle down for a gluttonous meal is nothing less than a rip-roaring, non-stop explosion of magic, color, danger, mayhem, surprise, haunting imagery, and all-out bizarre (but morally "thematically" realistic) animation. The "abandoned theme park" turns out to be a "Bath-house" for the ancient Gods and Spirits of Japan -- abandoned by light of day, but magically transmogrified by night into an alternative universe where these spirits come to refresh themselves in ways that are at once human and decidedly immortal. The whole place is "managed" by a jaded and crabby old sorceress named "Zeniba" -- a character who must be seen to be believed, and both her clientele and her slave-driven employees never fail to disappoint the viewer's senses. There are a GREAT number of derivative qualities to Miyazaki-san's overall work -- shades of the Wizard of Oz,Alice in Wonderland, Never-Ending Story, Beauty and the Beast, and even an obscure Godzilla film make their influences known-- but these thematic borrowings and motifs serve the universal quality of the story with a very functional integrity. Even more poignant is the subtle sadness with which Miyazaki notes that the Japanese are fast trading the magic and mythical tradition of their ancient culture, in its entirety, for the irrepressible gift of Modernity. There's a love story here (or rather, a story about the primacy of love), and the truly empowering theme of a moody, spoiled little girl who is suddenly thrust into the madness of REAL magic and who must find a way to rise above her immaturity to save herself, her parents, and the balance of the seen and unseen worlds, is very inspiring. Essentially, Miyazaki-san is telling us how adaptable we are to frightening, frantic change in this world...and how adaptable we must be in order to survive. The fact that this lesson is learned best in his story by a *child* opens the door to many serious questions about what our modern cultures are now demanding of the very young. These underlying brushstrokes aside, the whole film is a work of brilliance on the part of Mayazaki-san and his animators. The American dubbing is impeccable -- particularly Suzanne Pleshete as Zeniba and her "alter ego." The sight, story, and fate of the "Stink Spirit" alone is worth the purchase of this DVD. 'Spirited Away' is definitely an adult film in that it will appeal to fans of *anime* and will thrill the sensible adult mind as effortlessly as it will captivate the child, but some of the calibrated images are spooky and indelible; kids under six will have a couple of toss-and-turn nights, perhaps, after watching the film. Overall, though, this is a goldmine for the entire family, the ageless and proverbial young-at-heart, and one of the best Japanese films to emerge in recent years -- as evidenced by its big box office in Japan and in American art-house venues. The extras on the disc are notable for the original Japanese dub and moreso for the documentary of how Miyazaki literally "hand-crafted" this film the old fashioned way and emerged with a jewel that is every bit as breath-taking and eye-catching as the digital creations being churned out by contemporaneous production companies. Four and a Half Shooting Stars and kudos to Miyazaki-san. The half-star is detracted only because themes are just a mite too OBVIOUSLY derivative -- but just a mite. This one's a keeper. Buy it and treasure it.
Rating:
Summary: Love, friendship, and inner strength.
Review: Spirited Away is a story about Chihiro, who at first seem to be a lazy and spoiled 10-year-old girl. But when faced with life or death, she found tremendous strength within herself. Along her path to save her friend's life and her parents' redemption, she was able to befriend everyone and every spirit. She does it so easily because she has a generous heart, and nonjudgmental mind of a child. Hayao Miyazaki takes you into a magical world full of animal spirits, gods, and demons. Miyazaki's unique culture perceptive fills the pages of Spirited Away with visual delights and humor. Spirited Away is a story of love, friendship, and inner strength. I highly recommend this fantastic movie for the whole family.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Work!
Review: Anime as art. Miyazaki's genius shines wonderfully in this animated movie. The creativity is unmatched except by the animation itself.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Animated films
Review: I first saw this film at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood with English subtitles. At the time, I thought that the movie was amazing from a creative standpoint, but there were a few of things that I left somewhat confused about. The English version of Spirited Away adds a lot of dialogue that was not included in the Japanese version with English subtitles to help clear the confusion. Namely, they added a lot of dialogue to scenes that may not have transitioned well between cultures, such as the "cutting of evil" and the ending. As for the movie itself...I've seen it about five times now, each time with a new group of friends that seemed really reluctant to watch a "cartoon." It is a testament to this film's accessibility to all ages that by the end of each of these screenings, everyone who saw it fell in love with the film. It is truly a masterpiece of imagination and creatvity.
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