Spirited Away

Reviewed by: Mario Aguilar

DVD Walt Disney Video

2 discs

Rating PG

What it’s (basically all about:  A young girl named Chihiro and her parents are on their way to their new house when they take a turn in a wooded area.  They stop at a building and walk on a path that leads to what appeared to be an abandoned theme park.  Chihiro’s parents smell food being cooked so they gorge themselves while Chihiro explores the area.  When she returns, her parents are turned into pigs and she finds herself the captive of an evil woman named Yubaba.  She is forced to work for Yubaba at her bathhouse for hundreds of spirits, all while trying to figure out how to escape and save her parents. 

Nitty Gritty:  After having his film Princess Mononoke dethroned by Titanic as the highest grossing movie ever in Japan, Miyazaki’s Spirited Away reclaimed the title and made its way into anime history. 

As usual with a Miyazaki film, the animation and story combine to form a masterful work of art that is fun to watch.  It is easy to miss a lot of the careful work that goes into making not only the main focus of a frame perfect, but every minute detail within each frame.  An example of this is when Chihiro is putting on her shoes at one point.  Instead of just putting on her shoes and walking away, she puts them on snug and then taps the tip on the floor to make sure it is in all the way.  These types of details that are true to life, and particularly to that of a young girl’s life further help the verisimilitude. 

Many have referred to the film as the Japanese Alice in Wonderland and it is easy to see why.  The story is filled with fantastic quirky spirit characters ranging from a talking frog, a shape shifting river spirit (Haku), and a deceitful witch-like owner of the spirit bathhouse, who just happens to have a rather pleasant twin sister.  It is also no mystery that Disney snatched up the distribution rights in the United States.  However, the spirit of the movie remains true to its Japanese version and is flawlessly done in English thanks to John Lasseter. 

The voice cast includes Hollywood talent such as Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, and Suzanne Pleshette.  Lauren Holly and Michael Chiklis also voice, but their roles are much smaller.  Still all the voice acting is flawless in sound and matches perfectly with the characters expressions and movements.

The special features include a special introduction by John Lasseter, original Japanese trailers, a special voice talent featurette, a feature of the art of Spirited Away, the Japanese Nippon Television Special, and a great looking film to storyboard comparison.

Survey says:  The MPAA rated this film PG for some scary moments in the film.  There is no nudity, vulgar language or extreme violence.  The only possible worrisome moments come from when Haku is bleeding as a dragon and when Yubaba’s character takes a slightly frightening appearance during her outbursts.  Seeing how the film is family oriented and is focused on the adventures of a ten year old girl, this would best be found in a children’s collection.

Personal ad:  This is one of my favorite Miyazaki films for a number of reasons.  He manages to create a touching story with amazing animation all while having important underlying themes such as Japanese folklore, environmentalism, and the struggle between good and evil.