Spirited Away

Voices of: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Jason Marsden, Susan Egan, David Ogden Stiers, Lauren Holly, Michael Chiklis, John Ratzenberger, Tara Strong, Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takashi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young girl wanders into a mysterious realm inhabited by spirits. She is held captive there, and plots her escape back to her world.

Review:

Tim: Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give this film is that it truly felt like a journey. As we watch the protagonist change and grow, we ourselves undergo a similar transformation. I felt like a different person at the end of the film. That is an amazing achievement. This is a very good movie.

Director (and writer) Hayao Miyazaki creates an incredible anime world here- a world of spirits, gods, odd creatures, and much more. This world is pretty spectacular, but also a bit overwhelming. There are so many different characters, and each is unique in their own way. I thought this world would be too foreign for me, but the movie does a fantastic job of drawing us in and making us a part of that world. As the movie progresses, what at first seemed odd and strange becomes accepted and the norm. I was amazed at how this process made the spiritual world seem believable to me.

The story is really about a young girl growing up- from a scared, timid little thing into a strong, caring, girl willing to sacrifice for the good of others. The transformation is really at the heart of the film, and Miyazaki makes this occur beautifully. While watching the film, I honestly don't remember when our protagonist, Chihiro, changed. I remember the timidness at the beginning of the film, and at some point in her journey, I suddenly marveled at how much she had changed. That happens organically and subtly, much like change in real life. I thought Miyazaki perfectly captured that aspect of youth- we don't realize we are changed, until one day we look up and realize we're different than we once were. I love that aspect of this film.

I'm very glad that this film took the required time to tell this story. It needed to feel like a journey, and for that reason, I'm glad this wasn't a short film. However, 125 minutes is just a bit too long. There's a few scenes in the middle of the movie that drag a bit. For a good 15-20 minutes, I felt liek Chihiro and her story were stuck, not moving forward nearly quickly enough. I also bet audiences in Japan liked the movie more because many fothe spirits and names would be more familiar to them. I don't know much about Japanese history or fables, so it was harder for me to understand what was going on.

Despite this, you have to marvel at the fantastic world Miyazaki creates here. It is full of rich, interesting characters, stunning visuals, and draws the audience in. You can't ask for much more than that.

Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film, beating out several of the typical American animated features, and I'm so happy it did. This movie has more depth and heart than many American movies. It is very entertaining, and has that rare ability to make you feel like you are a different person after watching it. I liked this movie very much.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo