A typical Japanese cartoon style... But I still like it. Why?

I love the way the DRAGON is drawn and animated. He is sooooo cool!!! Other than the DRAGON nothing is really nicely drawn. However, I don't mind, the DRAGON is the key.

I like its plot and referral to magical things, original and wacky.

Yes, the music is nowhere near being good. So what?

It has its own morals to teach. It is far more meaningful than you may think. It hides some deeper meanings which requires some brain power and deep thought to uncover.

Usually when viewing a movie for the first time, you can sort of know what to expect. I am not even talking about the endless number of sequels, prequels, adaptations, or spin-offs. There are just so many ideas in the world, and it seems like most movies are at least inspired by something else that you have already seen. When I first saw Spirited Away, I was taken to a new and fantastical place that I had never before seen. Writer and Director Hayao Miyazaki has created a unique and creative world, a new idea in a world of reruns.

To call it a "Japanese Alice in Wonderland" is a complete disservice, but there simply is not other way to give you a flavor for what this film, set in a land of wonder, is about. In the movie, the young girl Chihiro and her parents wander into a magical realm where the parents are turned into swine and Chihiro must accept a job in a bathhouse for spirits. She meets up with a grumpy witch Yubaba, a the creepy mute No Face, a giant baby, cute little soot sprites, and Haku, a boy who can transform into a dragon. I do not want to spoil any of the story but watching Chihiro struggle to find her way home takes you on an adventure unlike anything you have seen before. I promise.

The animation and music in this film are remarkable and beautiful. This film is a true masterpiece and though it earned the Academy Award for Best Animated Film in 2002, it should have won the overall best picture as it is much better than the winner Chicago. I know I am gushing, but I simply adore this film. Please, WATCH THIS MOVIE and find out why I love it so much. It is simply magical, and after you fall in love with this one, watch all the rest of the films produced by Studio Ghibli. They are all good, but this one being especially good earns an A+.

Since Howl's Moving Castle is not to far off in heading to the west, i thought i would give everyone a head's up on Miyazaki's previous film, Spirited Away.

The wording to describe this film is just beyond reachable, because the film itself emits a story and atmosphere you can only accurately interpret visually, and emotionally.

The story is simple, the story telling, even simpler, but the realistic yet fantastical characteristics the characters portray are striking. You trully feel like an awed child while watching even the minor characters whose presence is short, moping across the screen. But don't take my word for it. Watch it, and let yourself be absorbed. This is not your typical anime. This is a hard edged turn from the half-naked showgirls, the unnecessarily bloodied swords, the over-exaggerated facial expressions and grunts, as well as the all too overdone type casts. This is art in its truest for, pure and simple, deeply personal, and emotionally engaging.

About ten minutes into 'Spirited Away' you realise that this movie is going to be unlike anything you've ever seen before: at least unlike anything you've ever seen from an American studio. Half an hour into the the thing, you feel like you're witnessing some sort of collision between Walt Disney and David Lynch. Put simply, 'Spirited Away' is damn weird - sometimes charmingly weird, sometimes excitingly weird, but sometimes just plain old what the heck is a 'stink spirit' and why does it have a bicycle stuck in its side type weird.

If you think that is supposed to be criticism, think again. 'Spirited Away' is every bit as incredible as most reviews would have you believe. It simply transports you to a meticulously realised universe of spirits and mythology a world utterly brimming over with fantastical sights and characters. The realisation of this whole mise-en-scene is a huge cinematic achievement. You come out of the movie really feeling like you've just spent two hours in some incredible parallel universe.

The attention to detail is staggering, the surprises endless (and I just mean every camera shot has something in it that will make your jaw drop to one extent or another), and somehow through this barrage of unheralded ideas the central character comes through about as close to rock solid as anime gets, and if some of the supporting characters lack a bit of depth it's perhaps because they function more as elements of the film's extraordinary tableau.

True, characterisation is not the movie's long suite. Perhaps it's just a cultural thing or a lost-in-translation thing, but it seems to me that even the best Japanimation doesn't _quite_ have the Disney capacity to make you fall in love with the characters. Or perhaps you could argue that Disney is just overly sentimental. In any event this is really the only very slight fault I could find with 'Spirited Away' - and it is slight, because there are scenes, particularly in the latter part of the film, which will bring a lump to your throat.

The backgrounds are just gorgeous. The animation, though, is still sometimes a little disappointing. Watch a car drive along the road in the early part of the film: it is conspicuously jerky, unlike the smooth panoramic, sweeping animation of Disney in the past decade. This is the latest, Oscar-winning animated film to come out of Japan, and they're still conspicuously using fewer individual drawings per second than Disney. IMO this is the one thing that is still holding anime back.

However, except in those very early scenes where rapid, naturalistic action is happening, it isn't very noticeable, and even if you did notice it, you would be so gobsmacked by the amazing, almost poetic backdrops in so many of the scenes that you'd soon forget about it.

I guess I've picked a few holes in 'Spirited Away', haven't I? That's why I'd only give it 95%.

It's a masterpiece. See it.

I have always been an anime fan and even more of a Miyazaki fan, so when Spirited Away cam out I was thrilled. I had high expectations when I sat down to watch it and when I finished all of them were met. Miyazaki managed to create another masterpiece and I will be a fan of Spirited Away forever.!

This movie is so unique and well put together. I watch it all the time and I still love it. A must see film if you are a anime fan.

Like many other animes, Spirited Away tries its hardest to give you a plot you probably won't understand the first or second time around, that seems to serve no purpose, and that ends just as weirdly as it began. However Spirited Away does something much of the other animes don't. It gives you characters you can believe in. Sure the other animes may have strong characters, but Spirited Away is something else completely different. Chihiro is a girl just like any other, but she grows emotionally from being somber and depressed to a courageous person of strong heart. The rest of the world is populated with wonderfully imagined products of every child's nightmares and dreams. Dragons and spirits of every shape and size come and go all over. What's wonderful is that they all seem like real people. Yububa is the film's main antagonist, true, but she's also got heart and personality. She's not evil in the sense that most of Disney's villains are. The other characters must be seen to be believed, like No Face or Yubaba's big ugly son. And the bird and mouse team had everybody rolling in the aisles in stitches both times I saw it in theaters. In fact this movie is just as much a comedy as it is a drama, and the humor is very wild and certainly different from Disney's style of humor.

Ultimately what sets this apart from the other animes is its animation. Most other animes draw their characters with uniform, triangular faces and animate certain sequences like fighting and talking with shortcuts. The animation in Spirited Away is wonderfully brilliant. Chihiro still has that saucer eyed look, but she and her parents are drawn with a certain round appeal that's almost natural. The other characters have designs that's very appealing and unique and decidedly against the anime norm. There's a certain fullness to Yubaba's form and animation. Only Haku is given a very mundane and typical anime look and a personality to match. He could've easily been a clone of Ashitaka. But that's a minor quibble. The backgrounds of the movie are drawn with a very soft and pleasing, almost dreamlike quality. And of course the musical score adds to its atmosphere and beauty.

What drags this movie down a bit are a few troublesome plot points. Most animes have very complex and heavy-handed messages. Spirited Away seems to have no message or purpose. In a way it's much like Alice In Wonderland. Lots of pretty scenery and imaginative characters. Very little actual story and an anticlimactic ending. However this movie is much more emotional than Alice In Wonderland. While Chihiro is supposed to find a way to cure her parents, if anything this movie is more about her emotional growth. And while the growing relationship between Chihiro and Haku is strong enough, the subplot about him being the river that Chihiro fell into seems to come out of nowhere. While other animes like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service have stories that seem to serve little purpose other than to showcase the characters' personalities, those two movies seem to have greater sense of joy and wonderment. Spirited Away doesn't come off as flawlessly executed and doesn't seem as natural as those two.

However don't think I'm knocking this movie because it's really still a fabulous film. It's got wonderful characters and humor and animation. Just like a book of paintings, it's magnificent and beautiful to look at and takes you on a journey that ignites all your emotions.

Many people often compare this film to the epic and dramatic Princess Mononoke. I like both films, but I enjoyed Spirited Away much more, which doesn't go to say Princess Mononoke was bad in any way. The two films are completely different and I like them for different reasons.
Spirited Away just appealed to my taste more with its wildly imaginative world and dreamlike absurdities. All the time while I was watching the film I kept wondering: "Where do they come UP with this stuff?".

The animation is beautiful, fluid and colorful and especially Chihiro's realistic character animation appealed to me. She acts just like any girl at her age might in her situation, all the subtle little things she does and her expressions. The way her character grows throughout the movie is wonderfully done.

The story has many plot twists and like with Princess Mononoke, I had some trouble keeping up sometimes but less than with Mononoke.

Spirited Away is one movie I can watch over and over again for many reasons. It's filled with childlike wonder and magic, it's like watching a long and detailed dream. It is exciting and beautiful to watch, a true gem in animated storytelling.

This Film was one of the most inspiring films I've ever seen. It's not Princess Mononoke by any way, but it is a wonderful experience. The story is very very unique. It's a must see for any Miyazaki fans, and even for those non fans too!

This is another instant classic from Hiyao Miyazaki,the master of animated adventure.
The story is good,the animation is beautiful,
the characters interesting,and the musical score is memorable.

Many scenes are truly striking,like when Chihiro's parents turn into pigs(very similar to the boys turning into donkeys
in Disney's Pinnochio), and Chihiro's surreal train ride.

The characters Chihiro encounters are pretty
odd,like YuBaba (the closest thing to a villain in the film),Kamjithe spider-like boiler room operator,Boh YuBaba's huge baby,
and No-Face,the transparent spirit. Some of the other characters are not so odd,but are very likeable,like Haku and Lin.

I recommend Spirited Away to everyone. It is truly a magical experience.