Rating: 
Summary: Greedy to Disney no Distributor
Review: To begin with I can't help but agree with all the accolades for this movie. English version or not, this plays as well as any picture I've ever experienced. Over 40 years ago as a boy, I was enchanted by a special animated film (of who's name I can't remember, and I've never found again). The film was about a young boy learning to be a man. He was taught by a wise man, wizard, sensei or something like that, in ways that changed his view of the world and his perception of himself. The challenges he faced were very "Eastern", (yet still universal) and the philosophy learned has carried through my life to this day. Spirited Away is the type of movie that can have this kind of effect on young viewers. The positive experience we can draw from movies like this, can't be compared to banal animation films with dancing tea cups, and weak lessons in PC morality.
Unfortunately Disney wants to control the animation market for young children. Its pathetic efforts in the releasing of Spirited Away, and the previous Ghibli Studio movie Princess Mononoke, provide compelling evidence that Disney fears the intrusion of quality competition into its US marketplace. I had to drive over 100 miles to see Spirited Away because Disneys maximum release was 151 theaters, and that was only for a week. I would encourage any anime fan or any discerning parent to buy the DVD or video when it is released. If you should get the chance to see the movie on the big screen, don't miss it, its a real treat for the eyes and the mind.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I really like watching anime and this particular title is one of the best I've ever seen. The main character is played out very well and throughout the whole show one really feels for her strange predicament. I won't give away the plot but lets just say you won't want to visit any carnivals for awhile!!
.....All in all, my review can be summed up by this statement: I LOVE THIS SHOW.....I give it the $0@Pd1s)....5 stars
Rating:
Summary: The New Form for Children's Films
Review: A children's movie with pluralistic moral lessons? An animated film with the maturity to entrance adults and kids alike for almost two-and-a-half hours? Drawings that rival the finest in contemporary comic books and manga? In a word, yes, and in two words: "Spirited Away." The story opens with Chihiro, a 10-year-old girl (voiced by "Lilo and Stitch's" Daveigh Chase), and her family moving to a new city. Chihiro is appropriately upset at losing her friends, and when a wrong turn takes her family into what appears to be an abandoned amusement park, she wanders off on her own to sulk. Her parents find a food booth and begin chowing down, but when night falls and strange things start to happen, Chihiro realizes it isn't an amusement park but a resort for the spirit world - and her parents have magically turned into pigs. Sacrificing her name (literally) to the enigmatic ruler of a large bathhouse, the crone Yubaba, and aided by a strange boy named Haku, Chihiro (now called Sen) tries to adjust to life in the spirit world while attempting to rescue her parents. Like Miyazaki's other films ("Princess Mononoke," "Kiki's Delivery Service"), "Spirited" takes a non-condescending approach to children's filmmaking. Good and evil are not presented as polar opposites, but they can often be found in the same person. Yubaba, the "villain," isn't bad per se, and Haku isn't necessarily a paragon of good intentions. Chihiro herself is ambiguous, although good of heart and obviously trying to do the right thing. Her character develops more than any other in the film, and her transformation from a spoiled kid to a responsible young adult is both realistic and heartening. The backdrop of Japanese mythology and the Shinto/Buddhist spirit world is equally compelling, and although most of it will be strange to American audiences, the cultural barriers aren't difficult to overcome - as all timeless legends are. When everyone is complaining about Hollywood's lack of ethics and/or making children's films that "talk down" to the kids, there should be more "Spirited Aways." It's unfortunate that a film like "The Iron Giant," similar in style if not in substance, was a relative flop at the box office three years ago; both it and "Spirited" belong in any parents' video library, and "Aladdin IV: Another Moneymaker" can gather dust on the warehouse shelves. This, friends, is what animated filmmaking should be about. Final Grade: A
Rating:
Summary: *****
Review: i'm actually in the process of watching this film during my japanese class IN japanese. The movie is soo amazing. a masterpiece. go buy this NOW.
Rating:
Summary: Spirited Away
Review: This engaging film played locally this past week and then it was gone. Beautiful watercolor backdrops--captivating story line. A must have when available in DVD.
Rating:
Summary: :D
Review: I have no idea what to write, but for anyone who's interested - this is a GREAT movie! I, personally, am a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki. If you like Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, or Grave of the Fireflies, I'm sure you'd love this. The animation is beautiful, as always, and the music's great. I love the way Miyazaki has a way to make his works all inclusive - children can love it as much as teenagers and adults would. It's entertaining, with some touching moments as well as humor. I know this review is pretty vague and isn't telling you about the story, but it's worth 30 dollars or more ^.^
Rating:
Summary: 5 for the film, 1 for Disney's marketing campaign
Review: OK, I'm not one of the people that had the honor of seeing Spirited Away in it's original Japaneze language before the English dub release. But I definitely bought the DVD after seeing the English dub version. This is most definitely one of the finest animated films I've ever seen, and it's quite groundbreaking, along the lines of Snow White and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Being the most popular film of all time in Japan, Disney had a chance to get the film to a wide audience here in the states with the English dub theatrical release, and the film only opened in 26 theaters, and expanded to just 151. It's been treated as if it's a piece of junk, but it's truly a very fine film. They had a chance to have an easy home run, and they blew it. However, if you're lucky enough to catch this film in the theaters, it's really a wonder to behold, and definitely worth the buy on DVD. I myself already bought the Japan version and will very likely buy the US version when it comes out as well...it's that good.
Rating:
Summary: merits repeated viewings
Review: Somehow I arrived late, missing the beginning of Spirited Away. When it ended, I bought some popcorn and waited a half hour so I could see the first five minutes or so at the theater's next showing. I became entranced again and found I didn't wish to leave because of its artistically rich offerings. Frankly, it took a bit of time to become accustom to the animation style after I first sat down. There has been so much favorable word, I guess I was expecting to be in visual rapture with each scene. But Miyazaki has a wonderful style that puts pretty Disney animation in the back seat. There are certainly those moments of exquisite visual texture akin to Disney, but used sparingly and, as a result, more effectively. At other times for effective contrast, the animation almost looks mass produced, but never cheap. The music score aligns with this: sometimes the score is nearly Muzak level, but suddenly an unexpected orchestration treatment places it in new context. (If nothing else, thank god there is no VH1 diva belting an over-produced Diane Warren song to crash the party over end credits.) What is most intriguing and merits multiple screenings is, of course, the story development and treatment. The characters are highly symbolic throughout and the imagery is curiously seductive, commonly deeper than surface level. I realized after the second viewing I could view Spirited repeatedly and have more to notice, more to figure out, more to learn and more to appreciate. So rare is it when a film receives high media accolades and you have a mirroring experience. It was so pleasant to see that this lived up to what I had read and heard.
Rating:
Summary: The only word is "Wow"
Review: I've seen this movie twice and I don't usually do that kind of thing (the last time I did that was for "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and in fact, there are some interesting similarities between the two movies). So here's the capsule: A truly excellent piece of art. Funny, moving, beautifully-rendered and thus PERHAPS a little more than slightly scary for younger kids. I think you have to use your judgment for this one, but if your kids can watch Buffy or the death of Bambi's mother, they'll be able to handle this for sure. Miyazaki has been described as the greatest (or one of the greatest) anime directors ever and this stunningly well-textured movie is definitely his best visual work yet. In fact the only thing about this movie that was at all disappointing was the sickly music at the end over the credits but even this is part of the cultural experience of modern Asian pop culture so it has relevance even if it makes you leap for the exit as if you were pursued by a vomiting monster. I disagree with those reviewers who thought the characters were one-dimensional. While it is true that the plot was very linear, there were a bunch of more subtle things in the movie that suggested some interesting character development. This was (I think) more evident in the subtitled version than the dubbed version: Chihiro/Sen goes from being a fairly spoilt and clingy child to a self-reliant and confident figure (a point underlined needlessly by voice-over dialog in the final scene of the dubbed version). Haku is not the defiant, noble dragon for the whole movie and in fact only really comes into his own after Chihiro feeds him the River Spirit's medicine. Before this point he is caught between his own kind impulses (In the Japanese version, Zeniba tells Chihiro "Dragons are always kind, it's in their nature") and his (originally), willing collaboration with Yubaba. Even Yubaba herself is not totally evil, although she is totally mercenary ("A deal's a deal"). This last point, I think, is one of Miyazaki's major ideas in the movie. I did not come to this realization until I had been thinking about the character of No Face for two weeks. I was wondering why a disembodied spirit go from being a gentle, generous ghost to a ravening, gluttonous monstrosity. And I think the answer lies in Miyazaki's gentle but pointed rejection of modern, possessive, materialist life (it's not "Western" life he's criticizing. "Materialism" is no more Western than "Spirituality" is Asian, every region of the world has these things. It's just a question of degree and detail). Chihiro tells us "It's not good for him [No Face] to be in the bathhouse". After she feeds him some of the River Spirit's medicine, No Face returns (somewhat graphically) to his former self but clearly the environment of the bath house with its overwhelming spirit of greed and indulgence (served, but never made concrete by Yubaba) is what lies at the core of Miyazaki's critique of modern society. Think about the way Yubaba's empire is set up: Everyone must work for a living. The work is endless and while satisfying and rewarding in the short term, clearly in the long term it is soul-destroying -not in a dramatic Hollywood-style shoot-out but by slow, routine and deathly poison. Even Kamaji has a train ticket stashed away for his eventual escape. Perhaps its not too far-fetched to suggest that Chihiro's travels through the spirit world and the spirits' desire to escape Yubaba's world of toil are both manifestations of the human spirit's desire for escape from the tyranny of the mundane and the material. Ultimately, perhaps everyone in the bathhouse (with the exception of Yubaba) helps Chihiro because she represents the flight to freedom. The incident with the Stink God illustrates the same critique with respect to the environment. Industrial humanity has reduced the beauty and power of a river to a noxious, gasping mass of garbage and industrial pollutants. The visuals in this sequence are just stunning. Miyazaki's exteriors of the spirit world by contrast, (except for the ghostly theme-park town which was wonderfully charming and creepy at the same time) are almost all pastoral, evocative and hauntingly beautiful. My favorite however was the train journey which allowed Miyazaki to display his talent for capturing the essence of water with subtle reflections and whispers of sound, while also revealing an ineffable (and very Japanese) sadness in the spirits traveling on the train. This is also a land where no-one is what they seem to be. No matter how beautiful the surfaces. People become pigs (revealing the gross nature of humanity perhaps), ghosts become monsters, Zeniba is both malicious and motherly, Haku is a dragon and a boy. Remember too that the most overtly violent scenes (at least as far as bloodshed is concerned) in the movie involve birds made of paper! Nope, I don't think this was a simple-minded movie at all. Go see it. You will not be disappointed if you have even half a soul. It's the kind of thing that will stay with you for a very long time and that you'll find yourself going to see again years later. Probably more than once.
Rating:
Summary: We Have Met the Enemy . . . and it is Us
Review: Oftentimes, it seems that a film is spoiled by reading too many highly enthusiastic reviews - one's expectations are so high that nothing will achieve the level of satisfaction that you have imagined. We so often stumble on our own expectations that we forget be in the moment. If possible, have no expectations of what this film is or what it will be about - there are so many reviews that compare 'Spirited Away' to this film or that, but it is such a departure from anything most of us have ever seen that it is best not make comparisons. That being said, this film is a landmark not only in animation but also in storytelling. It is the most compelling and imaginative film I have ever seen that portrays the personal growth of an individual. An animator I know once suggested that animation should only be used for stories that truly required the fantastic environment that animation provides. The pendulum of animation often seems to swing between incomprehensible story but sensually orgasmic (e.g. Akira) and cheap substitute for actors and sets (e.g. Scooby-Doo). This is the most brilliant use of the medium I have ever seen. Gentlemen let's face it, for the most part women are not very interested in animation and never will be. However, this is one film that women will actually enjoy as well - it is so rich in color and imagery that the visuals alone will captivate both of you. There are no spaceships or aliens and it takes place in a very contemporary setting with an equally contemporary theme. Self-empowerment through experience and tribulation is illustrated in an environment that is rich in its vision of the spirit world as well as architecture. For anime enthusiasts, especially Miyazaki fans, the film breaks new ground visually (3D-computer animation integration) and in the way the tale is told. This has none of the clichés and utterly predictable aspects that most films have; yet it is understandable and incredibly thought provoking. Miyazaki is one of a micro-population of artists that actually has become more inventive and complex with each release. To me, he compares to Led Zeppelin in that virtually everything they produced was amazing and innovative, but it is hard to say what is 'best'. And, like Led Zeppelin, I would imagine that Miyazaki has done his fair share of hallucinogens (e.g., the 'melting' creatures in all the films). I thought Princess Mononoke would be very hard to beat as a sensory experience, but Spirited Away is in some ways even more a physiologically soothing and stimulating massage. Miyazaki is helping us collectively shed our veils of illusion though his paradoxical portrayal of the struggles of humanity. I also find it very comforting and significant that Western audiences can appreciate and understand an 'Eastern' work. To me it suggests that film is in many ways the forefront of the externalization of our collective consciousness, and as such it is one of the most freely traded commodities on the world market. The news may try to show us that we live in a world divided and suspicious, but as the east and west exchange and enhance ideas and values the entire planet matures. It is this kind of open exchange that will lead us to world peace. May it be so.
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