Spirited Away

Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: I'm a huge fan of Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli, but I'm sorry this one is not as good (by far) as others he's done.

Animation is feeble and clunky at times, and the story... well, the story is not only mostly pointless (in the sense of not having a point) but also gets lost easily along the way with too many stuff going on. Most people won't even get what the movie is about.

I'm glad that he finally got some recognition, but it's a shame it had to be with this movie. You're far better off watching some of the older movies from Miyazaki. Laputa, Kiki, Totoro, Princess Mononoke or my personal favourite Porco Rosso... Even the quite old Nausicaä holds better than this Spirited Away.

Rating:
Summary: Into Another World
Review: Take the Ghost of Walt Disney sit him down in a Tokyo bar paired up with Roger Waters, a couple of Saki's, and a night on the town and you have mish-mashed together Fantasia and The Wall. That would about sum up Hayao Miyazaki's visionary work in "Spirited Away."

Though it does trace elements of Alice and Wonderland, it left me wondering, who the audience really is...the child or the adult? Like great works of animation, I believe "Spirited Away" transcends age and crosses over to both audiences. It may be too deep and too dark in parts to truly appeal to the younger of age but there are fantastical threads all the way through that may not connect with those too far removed from childhood. There may be some cultural perspectives that some of those in American audiences may find unfamiliar, but for those willing to expand boundaries, "Spirited Away," is worth the stretching. Keep an open mind and imagination and you may find yourself caught up in the beautifully hand-drawn animation. It is the work of an artisan.

The story is centered around a young girl Chihiro, who is moving to a new house with her mother and father. Along the way they get spirited away to an alternate reality world in which Chihiro is renamed Sen, her parents are turned to pigs, and her redeemers are a river god and a six-armed curmudgeon that stokes the furnace. Sound unusual to you? Well it is. If you give it a chance, the story mixed with the animation will draw you in and enable you to celebrate the creativity that went into such a unique work.

I would say if you are a fan of anime or just animation in general, this is a movie you wouldn't want to miss. If you are a general movie fan, it's a good watch, but I wouldn't call it a "must watch." If you are looking for something different, liked Fantasia, The Wall, Heavy Metal, get "Spirited Away."
--MMW

Rating:
Summary: Alot better than anything Disney made!!
Review: This was one out of the two Miyazaki films I've seen, the other being Pricess Mononoke, which stank. I was rather fascinated with Spirited Away. Although I don't usually buy into kid's anime, this is one of the exceptions. This is alot more like a messed up version of Alice In Wonderland. The animation was gorgeous, though not better than that in Akira, nothing will surpass that. Spirited Away is suitable for adults too. It's not sappy like Disney movies. I also loved the story, Chihiro, a spoiled little brat, gets taken into a fantasy world where she's forced to work and face many hardships that include dealing with mean hotel workers, very little pay, and discontent customers. This is number three in my favorite anime list, next to Akira and Ghost In The Shell. Watch this, you won't regret it!!

Rating:
Summary: A rare joy
Review: It's not often that I enjoy anime dubbed in English. But Spirited Away was such a fine film, I enjoyed it in every language. I was captivated and drawn into this tale like the child I used to be.

Rating:
Summary: Spirited Away recaptures lost magic of childhood
Review: This film is my second favorite movie. Director Hayao Miyazake has truly reached his zenith with this classic. Whether you are an anime/animated film fan or not, this film will stir parts of your heart you thought were long jaded. It is enchanting and enthralling. There are important lessons about love, courage, and respect for nature, for people of any age. Chihiro, a typical ten year-old girl, is riding with her parents to their new home. She is pouting in the backseat. The parents are sidetracked and the family gets lost in the spirit world. Her parents are turned into swine. Chihiro must find a way to set her parents free from the spell.

Spirited Away made more money than the Titanic in Japan. That goes to show how Japanese people were moved by this tribute to their culture. I saw this film twice with a Japanese friend, once with subtitles, once in English. The dubbed version is just as good as the subtitled one.

There are certain aspects of Japanese culture one should know in order to fully appreciate this movie. The bathhouse Chihiro is employed in is for the kami, or gods, to rest and rejuvenate in. Bathing is an important part of Japanese culture, much more than it is in the U.S. Japanese Shinto beliefs believe there is a spirit in everything in nature. So trooping into the bathhouse and relaxing in the hot tubs are all kinds of spirits: chick kami, radish kami, and many more I couldn't make out. Spirited Away seeks to point out that though Japan is an ultra-modern culture, it is also ancient, with deep roots in the spiritual world that although Japanese may forget, the spirits remember you. Anyone from any culture can relate to this movie. Unfortunately, disrespect of nature is present in all cultures of the Western world.

But, as this film shows, nature has a way of finding YOU.

Rating:
Summary: An Anime Film For Those Who Normally Hate Anime..
Review: I had went into this movie with some apprehention. I am not an anime fan. I honestly detest the genre with a passion but this movie was nothing less than stunning. The art was still in the traditional anime style but it was so lush. This was one of the most surreal movies I have ever seen.

The characters were wonderful and were filled with a certain kind of depth. Daveigh Chase was amazing as the voice of Chihiro; the main protagonist.

But there were so many visuals that left an impression. I loved seeing trains that runned on water and flying oriental dragons. I like seeing babies as giants and a ghost that ate everything and became what he ate. Complete eye candy.

Rating:
Summary: Possibly Miyazaki's Greatest Work
Review: When I was 12, my mom suggested that she take me to see Spirited Away, the new Miyazaki movie. Now I had already had a bad experience with his earlier movie, Princess Mononoke, which was released when I was 8, and it was so gory that I was sick for days. I was sure that this movie would probably be the same.

Now there were some gory moments (with Haku bleeding and No-Face throwing up all over the place for instance), but the film was incredible. The story was fun, the characters were facsinating, and the animation simply blew me away. I have never been so impressed by an animated film in my life.

Spirited Away is probably Miyazaki's greatest film, and definetely a classic in animation history. I absolutely loved it, everyone I showed it to loved it, and after seeing it about 30 times, I'm still not bored of it. There are no words to describe how much I fell in love with this flick, and though other people's tastes may vary, I think anyone who likes a good story and fun characters will enjoy this film.

Rating:
Summary: Pure Imagination
Review: The first time i saw this, I wasn't sure what to think. I didn't know if I liked it or if I thought it was weird or what. After a bit i realized, this movie is one of the most brialliant things I've ever seen. That's how good it was; I didn't quite know how to comprehend its effect on me. It is know my favorite movie. The story and animation captures you and takes you to a distant world. It is a must see and must own DVD. I just loved it and recommend it to everybody. Along with this movie I recommend Millennium Actress.

Rating:
Summary: Too empty plot.
Review: I love Kiki's delivery service,but I don't think this one is as good.It's too slowly with many nonsense scenes.I admit that each character is very cute,especially the son of the witch,but I expect more than that.The story is also important though it's an animated film.Importantly,I don't think the girl has to face with the worst situation to help her parents because I saw her just working,and running nonsensely in the whole movie.I've just realized that an AWARD acheived cannot garantee whether good or bad.Spirited Away is not bad,but I had an expectation more than the performance.

Rating:
Summary: Magical and imaginative tale will spirit you away
Review: If Mononokehime got Miyazaki Hayao to a pinnacle in Japan, Sento No Chihiro takes him to even higher peaks. Clearly Miyazaki's masterpiece, it's wins in the Berlin Film Festival and the Oscars is very much deserved, as it shows that anime can be imaginative, intelligent, and inspiring at the same time.

Chihiro is a whiny and petulant spoiled pre-teen brat who is clearly not looking forward to moving to a new city, a far cry from the responsible Satsuki in Tonari No Totoro.

A presumed shortcut takes Chihiro and her parents to a tunnel, through which they pass into an amusement resort that the father presumes went bust when the bubble economy collapsed. The adventure begins when in a moment recalling Circe and Odysseus's sailors, Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs, and she finds herself stranded in the spirit world. Her only help seems to be Haku, a boy sporting a Prince Valiant coif and is valiant. Humans are forbidden here and in order to survive, she must work for Yubaba, the giant-headed sorceress crone who runs the establishment. Chihiro survives, but at the cost of losing her name, which becomes Sen. Yubaba owns every employee here, body and soul. Nevertheless, Chihiro/Sen still must get her parents restored to human form and return to their car by the tunnel.

She is also befriended by Lin, one of the serving wenches initially reluctant to work with her, and from her, Chihiro/Sen learns good manners, such as saying thank you, and how to work hard. The way Lin and the other girls' eyes are drawn may be a reference to Chinese immigrants working unrewarding menial jobs in Japan, especially judging Lin's name. Haku though becomes the focus of her attention at one point, to which she risks her job and safety when he's injured and close to death.

The bathhouse is a posh and decadent establishment, a Las Vegas for spirits who relax in baths and eat lots of good food. Compared to other creature menageries seen in Star Wars or Return Of The Jedi, Sento No Chihiro features some imaginative, ghostly, and at times cuter creatures than anything from Jabba's palace. They range in form, shape, and size, such as the giant radish god who nearly takes up an entire elevator cubicle, down to the cute soot sprites who lug the coal nuggets to stoke the boilers that keep the hot water coming.

A high point comes when a stink demon enters the bathhouse and its true identity revealed when first a bicycle and then other kinds of metal garbage is pulled from its side, also recalling the fable of Androcles and the Lion, but serving as a sad reminder of how rivers are used for dumping.

As for Kaonashi, the transparent and mysterious black creature who mutters "uh", he seems to embody someone who wants to be useful or wanted to an impersonal and capitalist world. He is able to produce the herbal tags Chihiro needs for a tub, and all he wants in return is friendship. Chihiro recognizes that the bathhouse, with its greedy employees who abuse his powers, is bad for him and helps him get out.

The striking scene of the train filled with faceless spirit salarymen is the testament to the soulless and unrewarding corporate world. These spirits could be anybody, but does anyone care or think they are real individuals?

Joe Hisaishi's trademark melodic and swelling piano score is put to good use as he did in the films Kikujiro and Parasite Eve among others. And the soot sprites came out in Tonari No Totoro, but Yubaba and Kamaji are evolved characters from Castle In The Sky, where they were the sky pirates.

Miyazaki's masterpiece, in terms of story and animation, and with a character who really grows up to be a more responsible and loving person. A recent favourite of mine!