Spirited Away

Spirited Away is an animated film with an excellent storyline. It is about a ten year old girl named Chihiro who moves in the suburbs and gets stuck in a spirit world while trying to save the people she loves. With stunning visuals, the film draws the viewer in this magical world and invites them to follow Chihiro on her journey. The characters in the film bring a wide range of personalities to the story. For example, the antagonist, a witch character, is first shown as kind and gentle, but then becomes progressively meaner. This is a sharp contrast to Chihiro, a shy and scared little girl, who develops courage that she never knew she had. It is a fantasy world and looks like a story that young children would tell you. The meaningful plot and carefully crafted animation makes this a movie that may be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

A favorite of my husband, this movie was introduced to me only in my thirties, and I have to say, I sat down with some trepidation. But I needn't have worried, as this is one of the most magical and wonderful stories I've ever watched.

At its core, this is a movie about a young girl who crosses into a spiritual world in order to save her parents, and the choices and allies she has to make to do so. As an allegory, there's a real "growing up" metaphor going on, and it's done deftly and wonderfully.

Visually, it's stunning, and the narrative itself is just lovely. It's like listening and watching a child's imagination tell you a tale.

Spirited Away" [2001] : Hayao myazaki's masterpiece, the story of Chihiro, 10-year-old girl moving to the suburbs, who wanders into a mysterious town and finds a world of spirits ruled over by the mysterious Yubaba. A beautifully imaginative film depicting a rich and lush fantasy world like you've never seen before! I've watched this with with my Kindergarten class or 5 year old Japanese students and they absolutely loved it, one of them named Mimiko even has the full colour "Spirited Away Picture Book"... definitely a timeless classic filled with creatively imaginative characters!

The most popular Japanese film in the history of Japanese cinema began in a very modest fashion. \Legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki met the daughter of a friend, a bored little girl who made an instant impression on him and he decided to make a movie for young girls. as it turned out his audience was much larger than he'd ever expected! An adventure story where the heroine is thrown into a place where good and bad dwell side by side, where she learns about friendship and devotion, experiencing the world and learning to survive through crisis, avoiding danger and getting back to her ordinary world after acquiring the ability to survive under some of the most dire circumstances,

Composer Joe Hisaishi has compose an outstanding achievement in his soundtrack to the film, which won the prestigious 2003 ANNIE award! Enter the exciting world of hayao miyazaki and experience his one of a kind lighthearted enchantment that is unique to the wonderful world of Animation! If you have any sort of imagination at all, this is for you!

If you love this film, other recommendations are :
1/ "CASTLE IN THE SKY"
2/ "PRINCESS MONONOKE"
3/ "KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE"

"Spirited Away" is a little slow in parts, but patience bears fruit in the end, so stick with it and let the wonderfully imaginative story envelope you, completely losing yourself in this exciting fantasy world of brilliant and bizarre characters! A very rewarding repeatedly viewed film with depth!
[Score : 100/100]

A movie that you will want to see again and again. All of Miyazaki's movies are wonderful.