Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant!- But get Lasseter out of the opening credits!
Review: I saw Spirited Away and Bowling For Columbine back to back in the theatre several months ago. Other than the fact that my head was spinning after both films I can't remember being so transported by a film than by the way Spirited Away launched my imagination into outer space. Watching Spirited Away I remember chewing a piece of gum furiously until it nearly liquified, reaching for the gum and attempting to throw the piece of gum over the dock and into the ocean of blue water before me. I caught myself in mid toss realising that what I was seeing was on the screen and that I wasn't sitting on the dock enjoying the vista in the world of Spirited Away. That said, I bought the DVD the day it came out and excitedly raced home to see it again in all of its glory...unfortunately I had to sit through John Lassesters' mug as he tells me how amazing the film I am about to see truly is and how lucky I am to be seeing Spirited Away as if I had no idea what the film was about or as if I needed to be primed by this [person] who begs to be in the same blinding light of talent that Miyazaki casts with each film. I was deeply disturbed by John's forced introduction (you can't skip it - it just comes on when you press play) and was even further apalled to see the same antics on the Castle In The Sky release, shame on Disney and shame on JL for putting his ego in front of these gems. Introduce your own films Lassester and leave masterpieces like this free at least of your...attempt of stamping your likeness on the picture before the credits even open. Please take note Disney, I really hope I don't have to hear his mouth on the special edition. The film is brilliantly shattering on every level, enjoy and kept John out of the Special Edition please!
Rating:
Summary: Such a nice movie
Review: The story is simple, but it has something that enchants you. It reminds me very much about Mononoke.
Rating:
Summary: absolutely amazing!!!
Review: every aspect of this movie is so brilliant that i'm lost for words to appreciate it. hayao miyazaki is such an amazing director, no wonder this masterpiece of his will always be the greatest animated film ever!! this dvd is a must buy for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: This is great and I'm glad I bought it!
Review: If you want an anime that is well animated and has a good message behind it (most anime do), than this is it! Spirited Away is the story of the young girl Chihiro, obviously (if you can read, you'd know this!), but she didn't turn out to be my favorite character. It was Haku (especially in his dragon form!). It's basically the story between 10 year old, whiny Chihiro who gets trapped in a spirit world and she ends up falling in love with the Kouhaku River (Haku). It teaches the value of friendship, courage, and hard work. I was glad to learn that when Miyazaki-san (the creator) went to Disney and they said they wouldn't edit any of it out, it was a good thing to hear. I can't stand when producers do that--if the creator wanted those scenes out, he/she would've never put them in it! If you don't like seeing a little bit of blood, don't buy it! Miyazaki likes to emphasis blood in all of his anime that I've seen (this and Princess Mononoke). All in all, this anime is a good anime that many people are sure to enjoy (I'm 15 and I did, my sister-in-law is 20 and she did).
Rating: 
Summary: Lost in the translation
Review: One of the most original and beautiful films to come out of Japan, Spirited Away suffers in English-speaking countries from the poor dubbing forced upon it by the Disney distributors. I could say so much about this film, but the other reviewers have said it all, apart from the fact that this film (like all films) is diminished in quality once an overdub track has been laid over the original language. The three stars is for the English over-dubbed version. I saw this film in the original Japanese and couldn't watch more than five minutes of the English dubbing without wanting to switch it off. (Obvious) American over-dubbing (which not only translates the language, but changes the content of what is spoken)is the reason so many foreign films fare poorly when released outside of their native lands. Ban all over-dubbing! [I remember somebody telling me that even the Australian Mad Max (released as The Road Warrior) was over-dubbed! What a joke]
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!
Review: I'm not a "ANIME" person, and I thought all those animated movies were only for kids even when my best friend kept telling me how great Miyazaki's films are. However, after watching this movie, I had to admit that this movie isn't just a cartoon movie for kids but this movie is a piece of art work. It is a real masterpiece!! I was totally amazed by the colors they used and it is such a great and beautiful world of imagination!!
I bought all of his collection after watching this movie, and I'm 100% satisfied!! If you love art, this movie is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: One worth buying
Review: This movie is an excellent film. Keep in mind, this movie is the anime style. If you prefer traditional, "happy-go-lucky", easy to follow animated films, this movie probably isn't for you. I found that I could watch this movie more than once and get something different out of it each time. I really appreciate that in a film. However, it does have the ever so common flaw, which happens in a lot of anime productions, of being rushed plot-wise in some places [the ending, namely]. They probably ran out of time and/or budget. The english dubbing isn't bad...I've heard worse. However, if you have a chance, do watch it in Japanese. All in all this movie is a wonderful, beautiful movie that is well worth adding to your collection.
Rating: 
Summary: The Stuff of Dreams
Review: "Today, words are considered very lightly, as something like bubbles. It is just a reflection of reality being empty. It is still true that a word has power. It's just that the world is filled with empty and powerless words." - Hayao Miyazaki
Spirited Away is a enchanting animated movie that combines the vernacular of contemporary Japanese anime with plotting and visionary imagery of much greater sophistication. A 2002 Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature, and winner of numerous other prizes, Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a girl whose Audi-driving parents are ensnared and imprisoned in the raucous world of the spirits. Befriended by a mysterious boy named Haku, Chihiro rides the dragon of her own indomitable nature in a struggle to free her parents. Her foil is Yu-Baaba, the witch proprietress of a bathhouse frequented by the great and the small of the netherworld. Trapped into servitude as a laborer in the bathhouse, Chihiro builds an unlikely web of alliances that enable her to challenge Yu-Baaba's dominion and unravel the spell that binds her mother and father. You may be familiar already with the work of writer/director Hayao Miyazaki. He is the creator of some of the most respected animated work of the last couple decades, including 1997's epic Princess Mononoke. Miyazaki has been a powerful influence on the Disney shop, and this film, as well as his earlier work, is distributed in the U.S. by Disney. Spirited Away, though, is definitely Miyazaki's most impressively realized feature. The real power of this film comes from its visual treatment - by turns spare and sumptuous, compellingly familiar and achingly mysterious. My favorite images include a trolley that runs along a serene waterway on barely-submerged rails; and No-Face (Kaonashi), a diffident, black-robed spirit that wears a totemic mask. Many of the exterior shots in Spirited Away remind me of Rene Magritte's placid images; while the scenes in the bathhouse have the colorful liveliness of Genji scroll illustrations. The script, even in translation (by Toy Story's John Lasseter), manages to reproduce these wonderful contrasts, and maintain the otherworldly mood of Spirited Away. Occasionally, some of the more annoying aspects of mainstream Japanese anime do intrude on the film. While it manages to avoid the hormonal excesses of the likes of Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon, the movie still lapses from time to time into overwrought melodrama. And a few of the movie's supporting characters are annoying stock types lifted right out of cheesy Saturday morning cartoons. But Miyazaki frames all in an ambience of contemplative maturity that saves the film from sliding into Cartoon Network fodder. Spirited Away is the highest-grossing film of any kind in Japan - having beat out Titanic for that distinction - and it's not difficult to see why. It's an excellent family film, one with genuine appeal for adults, young children - and yes, even teenagers.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Really impressive!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Awesomely great quest adventure!
Review: JUNGians; students of Joseph Campbell or any reputable school of Mythology, can have a field-day blast interpreting ordeals and symbolic monsters (My favorites are STINK SPIRIT; and the obnoxious,Godzilla-gigantic baby-son of boss Yubaba)comprising awesomely great adventure. For kids...kids-at-heart...this animated, SUPER QUEST will bedazzle with rad-original MONSTERS and genuinely inspired trials (archetypal Ordeals by Fire & Water)that Hayao Miyazaki imaginatively confronts(film is 125 minutes long)his guileless heroine,CHIHIRO, tring to rescue her Yuppie-like parents who've been turned into PIGS for"pigging-out" once too often in the Wrong Place. The Place is surrealistic; supernatural, Japanese Bath House superintented by an extremely ugly Capitalist Witch. Daveigh Chase is excellent as Pure of Heart Chihiro. Suzanne Pleshette is equally superb as Witch Yubaba and her good...equally ugly...sister witch, Zeniba. The animation and moods--created by a masterful conjunction of straight-forward animation artistry and otherwordly psychedelia--make SPIRITED AWAY candidate for acclaim as modern ODYSSEY (as in Homer and Stanley Kubrick).Some reviewers may feel this estimate exaggeration. Yet having seen many films (live; animated, or both)over praised for what they intend(both film versions of SOLARIS,for example)when the REEL DEAL arrives sometimes it's underappreciated because it is unique. SPIRITED AWAY is indisputable work of art that's often stunning visually and thematically jolting.Miyazaki's Chihiro simply brings viewers "back to earth"; goes home with her nice, but oblivious parents ready to "handle it". This great adventure...in tradition of quests from Ulysses'Greece; Arthur's Camelot; to Clark Kent's Smallville...continually poses hero/heroine's QUESTtion:in the name of LOVE,can you handle it? SPIRTITED AWAY says Yes!
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