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Spirited Away | Year: 2001 Directed: - Hayao Miyazaki Actors/Actresses: - Daveigh Chase - Miyu Irino Hayao Miyazaki's Latest Masterpiece From the legendary Studio Ghibli and anime director Hayao Miyazaki (of "Princess Mononoke," "Castle in the Sky," and "Kiki's Delivery Service," among others) comes a new favorite among otaku (anime fans) world-wide. "Spirited Away" is the story of a young Japanese girl named Chihiro (literally, "heroine") who is, as the title implies, taken from her normal life and deposited reluctantly in a small town built around a bathhouse for spirits. Chihiro overcomes fear and other obstacles, including a large, faceless monster and a black-hearted witch named Yubaba (literally, "old hag") to save her parents from a rather unpleasant fate. The story is exciting, well-paced, and thoughtful, with a good mix of humor, symbolism, emotion, traditional Japanese legend, and moral. From an animation standpoint, "Spirited Away" is astounding. The sheer amount of movement and energy in Hayao Miyazaki's most recent work is quite impressive. Combined with the beautiful scenery (including several awe-inspiring and detailed shots of the bathhouse that can by themselves be regarded as masterpieces), and the realistic textures of the grass blowing in the wind, the flower gardens around the bathhouse, and the interior of the bathhouse, "Spirited Away" is truly a work of art. The only flaw in the otherwise near-perfect film is the dialogue. A few lines sound a little forced, and some intended to be funny simply aren't. Fortunately, these slip-ups are few and far between. Already, "Spirited Away" has earned several prestigous distinctions, including the 2003 Oscar award for Best Animated Feature. Also, "Spirited Away" was anime released in movie theaters, which is rare in the United States. Ever rarer, it became the top-grossing film in America for several weekends in a row. Not surprisingly, it was also popular in Japan, where it became the top-grossing film in that nation's history. Most people I have talked to have been very impressed with the quality of "Spirited Away." Many of these have been adults, mislead by the films "Disney" tag. When they sat down to watch it with their kids, they simply expected another children's movie, but instead found a film they could enjoy and appreciate as well. On the face, the plot is simple enough for younger kids to understand, but the symbolism and artwork is so complicated and intricate that it can be enjoyed by adults and older kids as well. In other words, however cliché those words may be, this film really does have something for everyone, and is well worth your time and your twenty-five dollars. Inspiring and spirited! "Spirited Away," lastest of animator Miyazaki Hayao's masterpieces, is an endearing tale of personal growth through effort and compassion. Given Miyazaki's strong socio-political beliefs, one can easily stumble into the pitfall of over-analyzing this film. However, it is simply a fantastic story of a girl who overcomes great obstacles and thereby gains a greater appreciation of life (and the freedom of her parents from a curse). The simplicity of the plotline in spite of its deep emotional content is what makes this film so refreshing! There are two (very) minor problems I have. First, and most importantly, some of the original meaning and dialogue is lost in the translation. I highly recommend watching the movie in Japanese with English subtitles. Second, the ending seemed a bit abrupt and rushed; Chihiro's journey was so grueling yet the basic problem of freeing her loved ones from the curse was resolved in an instant. However, it could just be that the story focuses entirely on the journey and the resolution could vary without changing its essence. As with most Japanese anime films, "Spirited Away" does contain more scenes that may be frightening to young children than your average American cartoon. However, for Miyazaki, violence is very minimal in this film. A work of art! First of all,don't listen to people who give this masterpiece bad reviews... they probably think disney movies are the only animations worth watching! Buy Spirited Away at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Spirited Away Search with the Priority Search Engine on Spirited Away This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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