Spirited Away (2001)

Spirited Away (2001)

7/10

 

Starring the voices of

Rumi Hiiragi

Miyu Irino

Mari Natsuki

Takeshi Naito

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

It’s hard to find a cartoon that can please both anime and animation lovers, but this movie does just that. The craftiness of the script, the whole new world, and the fantasy are all well-glued together. All you need is the imagination to access this Japanese Alice in Wonderland.

Spirited Away is a critically acclaimed film that finds its way to the top of many notable lists of greatest animated films of all time. During its release, it was the highest-grossing Japanese film ever, and at the 75th Academy Awards, it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

This 2001 Japanese animated film is written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese film director, animator, manga artist, and screenwriter with a career spanning over fifty years. His films often explore humanity's relationship with nature or technology. The protagonists in his films are usually strong, independent girls or young women. Like Princess Mononoke (1997), which he also wrote and directed, Spirited Away is a classic in its own right. Miyazaki’s career in animation has led many to compare him to Walt Disney.

The movie’s plot begins with ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino and her parents traveling to their new home. Her father decides to take a shortcut, which gets them lost. While moving forward, they stumble into another world where Chihiro loses her parents and is hunted and disliked as the only human in this strange world.

Chihiro’s journey leads her to meet twin grandmas, a dragon, a no-face spirit that can eat anything in sight, and a giant baby who is afraid of germs. Chihiro must always remember her name so she doesn’t forget she’s human and can tell her parents apart from the pigs—all while trying to find her way back to her world.

Spirited Away is based on Miyazaki’s friend’s ten-year-old daughter. He decided to make a movie for her and her friends, who would come to his cabin for vacation with his family.

With the characters mostly hand-drawn and a budget of $19 million, Miyazaki and his production crew kept the graphics simple so the focus of the movie wouldn’t be diverted from the story.

The English adaptation of the film was done by Walt Disney Pictures under the supervision of Pixar animator John Lasseter. Also on the production crew was Beauty and the Beast (1991) co-director Kirk Wise, who acted as the director for this English adaptation, and Aladdin (1992) producer Donald W. Ernst, who also produced this flick.

I still stand by saying this is one of the best animations out there. The fantasy level is high, and the twists and turns make the whole movie very interesting. It’s a great film to watch with the family.