Rating: 
Summary: An unseen gem--and one of last year's best films, period.
Review: This movie, the (deserving) winner of an Academy Award for Best Animated Film, got far less attention than it deserved in the fall of 2002 (when Disney famously botched its release--its peak theater count was somewhere around 151 at a time when even outright flops like "Extreme Ops" could muster up more screens for a week or two). In fact, when it arrived in my town in the early part of November, there was almost no advertising, and the theater didn't even bother putting up a poster for it--and the place was packed.And it was packed each time I went back to see it... and packed again when it returned to theaters at the end of March. Make no mistake: This is a movie that audiences love. Don't be scared off by your preconceptions about anime, or comments like "it's too frightening for my kids." Every kid over the age of five I've seen watching this movie ends up loving it--including boys (one of them, an eight year old, ended up bouncing up and down in his seat at the end, telling his Dad, "I knew you'd like it! I told you we should see it!" How can you not like enthusiasm like that?). This isn't some sort of hyper-violent pornography--it's a movie about people doing what people do, even when those people happen to be giant frogs begging for tips. It's funny, smart, a little scary, and one of the few movies that can be called "sweet" without the added caveat "May induce severe diabetes and tooth rot." (As for you anime fans--well, doubtless you've all seen it, and you've got your opinions. But I for one prefer this movie to "Princess Mononoke," for the simple reason that "Mononoke" is an easier film to admire and be in awe of than to actually like. "Mononoke" is more important, and definitely not a family film--but "Spirited Away" is more enjoyable. Both are must-sees.) The only complaints that I have is that, first, Disney stuffed so many ...trailers onto the first disc (of which only three, the ones for "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Castle In The Sky," and "Finding Nemo," were of any interest to me) is that the video quality is somewhat impaired--it's a good transfer, but with some edge enhancement. Secondly, apart from the making-of special that aired on Japanese television (which gives us the rare treat of seeing Miyazaki-san at work), the extras on Disc 2 are definitely not worthy of something Disney calls "a feature-packed deluxe special edition." Only in the dreams of Disney's marketing department. There's barely more than ninety minutes of content on disc 2, and considering that 28 minutes of that is taken up entirely with trailers and commercials (which get very boring very quickly--like, say, after two or three minutes), and another 45 with the Japanese making-of special, what's left isn't really worth watching more than once. Still, Disney did at least include subtitles and the original Japanese audio, if you prefer your animation subbed, and they also were nice enough to present the movie in anamorphic widescreen (where a lot of studios would have said, "family film," and done a blah 4:3 transfer from flawed elements). This film is a must-see and a must-own.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful.
Review: I never counted myself among the fans of anime, and I still don't: but Spirited Away may have me looking into more quality anime titles as I try to locate outstanding films by Japan's reigning master director/animator, Miyazaki. The plot rehash: a 10 year old girl, Chihiro, and her parents stumble upon a portal between our world and the realm of spirits (which strongly resembles a Japanese town of about 100 years ago). The parents make the mistake of eating the food there and then pay the price by turning into pigs immediately. Chihiro has to navigate her way through this weird alternate universe and put herself into the employ of a powerful sorceress in order to find a way of getting herself and her parents back to their home. Along the way she learns to be stronger and discovers new resources within herself. Simply put, I believe this is the best animated film ever made. Spirited Away not only has incredible visual detail and realism (with hardly any help from CGI), but takes the familiar plot of a fairytale-like story and transforms it into a journey enjoyable by kids and adults alike. In fact, everything was so superbly and magically rendered that I was able to forget myself under its spell - as if I were re-entering childhood. Yet on a note of caution to parents, there are some scenes that young children might find scary, involving spirits, monsters eating people and all sorts of strange beings. Miyazaki never forgets his cultural roots in Animism even while creating a masterpiece that resonates with such universal power. This is no Disney film indeed (although Disney may have led many American consumers to believe that, Pixar was only responsible for the English dubbing and distribution within the U.S.A). I will end up owning this dvd for my private collection to enjoy time and again with my (elementary school-age or older) children. I suggest you treat your family to Spirited Away as well. It's just brilliant!
-Andrea, aka Merribelle.
Rating: 
Summary: A great story
Review: Growing up, I used to religiously watch "Conan: The Future Boy" (Adnan Wa Leena) and "Heidi", both of which are directed by Miyazaki-the genius behind Spirited Away. Miyazaki vision and creativity have changed my life as it affected my childhood perception of aesthetics. Now that I have seen Spirited Away, I have to say that Miyazaki has reached the acme of his creativity. The film is an inspiring fairytale of courage and loyalty. Disney did a good job dubbing this film. It's a great movie experience for the whole family. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Pumped with mythical steroids and top-rate animation
Review: One-sentence description : a children's movie pumped with mythical steroids and top-rate animation. From the king of animation, Hayao Miyazaki, comes this wonderful movie based around the story of a girl lost in a strange world of spirits. As she tries to save her parents from a terrible curse, she must work at the bathhouse of the spirits. She must befriend the odd spirits around her, and regain her identity, in order to be able to break the curse and leave. While it follows the standard plot of children's movies (child must fend for him/herself in a strange world and befriend allies in order to achieve success), Spirited Away is about as far as you can get from a normal children's movie. It has haunting characters, a profound story, incredible animation and music, and Miyazaki's imagination and sense of how children feel is really set loose here. The American version only has english dialogue, but since this is an animation, and Disney did the dubbing, there is little to complain about here. If you have a child and/or any sense of wonder at all, go see this movie : if you don't, I'm afraid you have more problems than I can help.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding
Review: Considered Miyazaki's masterpiece, Spirited Away is one of the better animated movies that I've seen. The only other Miyazaki film I've seen is Castle in the Sky, and this Spirited Away blows Castle away. This is a superior film. Much of today's American animation is grounded in reality (even if you have talking lions and space aliens). Nothing feels foreign or truly magical. Miyazaki truly has a sense of the fantastic. Images and characters in his work are truly foreign and magical. Spirited Away is perhaps the best example of this. There is a No-Face character (a mostly fluid black shape with a mask) that has no characteristics that we can identify as human (as a contrast, Stich from "Lilo and Stich" is a space alien but isn't too far off from human emotions and motivations). No-Face is an interesting, and occasionally frightening, character. The story follows Chihiro, a young girl whose family is just moving to a new city. On the way to the house the father takes a shortcut. The short cut is a dead end, but there is a pathway through some buildings. The parents decide to investigate (over the objections of Chihiro). After passing through a tunnel they come to what they believe is an abandoned amusement park....with the smells of cooking food. Hungrily, the parents chase down the smell and see a large amount of food laid out on a countertop. The parents sit down and eat, cajoling Chihiro to do the same. She runs away, and is warned by Haku (a more important character later) to get out before nightfall. She runs back to her parents but only see two large pigs gorging on food....right where her parents were. She runs, frightened, but ends up not being able to get out. She finds herself in a magical world where there are very few humans (who work nearly like slaves for a bath house). Haku helps her get a job in the bath house, saving Chihiro from being turned to a pig like her parents. The movie is her experience in the bathhouse and how she tries to rescue herself and her parents. This is a fantastic movie, and deservedly won the Best Animated Film Oscar at the Academy Awards.
Rating:
Summary: Weird and wonderful
Review: Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" will be a revelation -- and a test -- for mainstream U.S. audiences. It is, indeed, a foreign film. While made for children, its parade of surreal and often disturbing images seem worlds apart from Disney's usual fare. At times, the film appears better suited for the Ecstasy crowd than the Nickelodeon generation. Disney, to its credit, presents "Spirited Away" with no cuts or alterations, an essential provision in the deal with Miyazaki. The film is presented in widescreen (2.00:1) with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on its English-language track. Those preferring the original Japanese voice talent must settle for Dolby 2.0. Visuals and audio are up to studio standards. The DVD set's extras work well as an introduction to Miyazaki. A Nippon TV making-of follows Miyazaki and his team of young animators as they create "Spirited Away." The docu slips into "Iron Chef" territory as it chronicles the team's deadline pressures -- "Something's wrong with the copier!" -- but it's a peek at Miyazaki's working life that should intrigue pros and ani fans. Of particular interest are the extended scenes of the director, 62, coaxing performances from his young vocal talent. A second making-of piece -- standard Disney issue -- covers the U.S. team's work on translation and dubbing. English-language writers Cindy and Donald Hewitt tell how they struggled to translate concepts such as the Japanese kids' sign for a shot that guards against cooties. This is masterpiece, but it's also a seriously weird movie that runs long. The director's "Castle in the Sky" (1986) and "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989) are more conventional anime adventures better suited for younger children.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Animation But Confusing Story
Review: I'm going to Japan this summer, so after reading all the great reviews on this site, I thought this movie would be a great thing to watch. I was quite disappointed. There is no denying that the animation is great. Everything is very nicely drawn. However the story is confusing. The story revolves around a young girl who becomes trapped in a magical world is spirits. I don't know where these spirits came from or what they do. It seems that this girl is constantly getting scared and running away from scary spirits. But the movie never explains why these spirits don't like humans. She befriends another young boy who turns into a dragon. How and why does he turn into a dragon? I'm so confused. This was the first anime movie I've ever watched. Perhaps Japanese people know more about Japanese stories and mythology and can fill in the gaps. But for a North American audience I feel that more should have been explained. Overall, this movie is worth watching. However I suggest renting it instead of buying it.
Rating:
Summary: Spirited Away
Review: When I first got this movie I thought that it was going to be some kiddy movie (as it is a cartoon) but after watching this movie my opinion had been completly changed. This is one of my all-time favourites if not THE all-time favourite. The story to Spirited Away is the most original idea for a movie that I have ever seen, nothing can even begin to compare with it. The movie is about a girl named Chihiro who, with her mother and father are moving to a new home. they get lost along the way and discover an abandoned theme park. While Chihiro's parents eat the food at an abandoned restaurant Chihiro discovers a bath-house. When she returns to her parents they have been turned into pigs! So if Chihiro ever wants to see her parents in their normal state again she must get a job at the spirits bath-house. A place where spirits come to relax... If you're considering getting this movie I strongly suggest that you do.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece that should be viewed by the open-minded.
Review: Those who claim that this spectacular work of art is too 'weird' or too 'confusing' really need to get their heads checked. They obviously need an imagination or two in order to appreciate this film. Chihiro's development from a sulky, complainsome girl into a strong-willed and friendly young woman is something that's amazing itself. Unlike most Disney films, Spirited Away has lots more than just one message in the film, and each one is more deeper than you'd think. For instance, I had explain to my MOTHER what all the junk and stuff spilling out from the Stink Spirit meant!
I know a few people who dislike the whole thing with Kaonashi(No-Face) and the train trip. First of all, the whole deal with No-Face was that he wanted to enter Chihiro's heart, but he thought he could do it by offering her gold. He was just lonely; which was also the theme for the trip to the Sixth Station. All those faceless 'shadow people' looked like they were lonely too, and that whole scene with the little faceless girl watching the train pass by really gripped my heart for some reason. Combined with Joe Hisashi's beautifull orchestrated score, the scene, I think, was one of the best parts in the movie.
As many have said before me, the PG rating is there for a reason. Hello, doesn't the 'Some Scary Moments' tag ring a bell?
Those parents should view this film first if they're that concerned about the content, and also, they shouldn't just dismiss this as a children's film; it can be enjoyed by anyone.
This is anime at its best, people.
Everybody who's remotely interested in GOOD cinema should see this at least once.
Rating:
Summary: How far does the rabbit hole go?
Review: Miyazaki I believe is one of those multidimensional, multitalented people who create through inspiration, not just through experience (like Porco Rosso says). Every time I see this film I find something new. There are layers and layers of meaning that surpass by leaps and bounds any presented by transparent Disney films. One example is with Chihiro's name. Yubaba steals Chihiro's name, essentially stealing who she is; the sorceress then renames Chihiro "Sen" for her bath house job. How do people control others? By making you forget who you really are and renaming you to suit their purposes. Luckily, she manages to remember her name which in turn enables her to fulfil her purpose: to save her parents, to save Haku, to right her mistake in letting the No-Face into the bath house; in short to fulfil her responsibilities in the spirit world, and by extension, in life. What a difference a short stint in a bath house can make in an adolescent girl; compare the listless, sulking Chihiro in the opening scenes with the Chihiro who faces Yubaba and nullifies her work contract at the bath house. Miyazaki made this film for adolescent girls in the hopes of sending the message that life isn't just about make-up, clothes, and boy bands. Given a name and a purpose, what can't anyone accomplish, whether it be Chihiro or Miyazaki?
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