Spirited Away [2001 film]

The second copy feels less like duplication and more like confirmation that this story has a way of re-entering your life from multiple angles.

Some narratives are so carefully built that they survive being revisited in different forms without losing coherence, and this is one of them. It remains strange, tender, and quietly unsettling in the same breath—no matter how you arrive at it.

My partner took me to see this, and we had box seats, which immediately made the whole experience feel slightly ceremonial in a way that suits Studio Ghibli more than I expected.

He said he liked it more than the film, which surprised him almost as much as it surprised me, given that we both love the film intensely. I am not prepared to declare a winner. I shall call it a tie.

Spirited Away is a fantasy movie. I saw it at my local movie theater as part of Studio Ghibli Fest 2018.

Chihiro is a 10-year-old girl who's unhappy about moving to a new home and going to a new school. When her dad takes what he thinks might be a shortcut to their new home and ends up coming across an abandoned theme park, all she wants to do is leave that creepy place. But since her parents don't seem inclined to listen, she follows them in.

Unfortunately, the "theme park" actually turns out to be connected to the world of the spirits. Chihiro tries to leave, only to discover that her parents have been turned into pigs due to having eaten food intended for spirits. With a little help from a mysterious boy named Haku, Chihiro gets a job show more at Yubaba's bathhouse in order to stay safe until she can figure out a way to save her parents and go back to her own world.

This is one of my top favorite Studio Ghibli movies I've seen, in large part due to my love of the setting. The bathhouse is amazing, and one of the things I liked about Chihiro's job there was that viewers got to learn a little about how it works.

I also loved the designs for the various magical beings and spirits. Haku in his dragon form was one of my favorites, but the various customers of the bathhouse were great as well. The one particularly stinky customer was very well done - I could practically feel how oozy, gross, and greasy it would have been, and watching Chihiro slog through the mud around the tub made my skin crawl.

Chihiro and her parents were a little annoying in the beginning, and I suppose the overall storyline could feel a little scattered to first-time viewers. Chihiro's primary goal, at the start of the movie, was to save her parents and get back to her own world, but as the story progressed, she ended up acquiring a bunch of new friends and went on a little journey to help one of them, with no idea how she'd manage to get back and no assurance at her parents would even still be alive by that point. It worked out in the end, and since I had seen the movie a bunch of times I already knew that. Still, I couldn't help but think that Chihiro took a huge risk near the end of the movie and didn't even seem to realize it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this rewatch. Although I suppose there are more tightly plotted Studio Ghibli movies, I still consider this to be my favorite.

Extras:

The short film shown prior to Spirited Away was "Mr. Night Takes a Day Off." It wasn't the best of the short films Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 has included so far, but it certainly wasn't worst (it would take a lot to beat the worst). I liked the bit at the end with the guy and his car.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

Gorgeous animation as one can expect from Mitazaki and Studio Ghibli. A fun modern fantasy story with some truly weird details and memorable characters.

A witch who runs a bath house for gods turns a girl's parents into pigs.

Delightful. But not quite as wonderful as I remember thinking it was in the past - probably because I've seen a number of amazing cartoons (Snow White and Wall-E, for instance) since the last time I watched it.

Concept: A
Story: A
Characters: A
Dialog: B
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: C

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 3.5/4

Chihiro's family stops on the way to their new house, and they end up in the world of the spirits. Can she rescue her parents before she forgets who she is?
This is a beautiful movie. The story is unlike anything else, although it echoes some familiar characters. It's the classic story of a slightly spoiled girl finding her inner strength. Told very simply, it's all the more affecting.
What really makes the movies special, though, is the animation. In a world where most movies are computer-generated, it's nice to see something hand-drawn. Miyazaki has made a name for himself as a director who can marry the story with his distinct style to a spectacular result. It's lovely and dreamlike.
I would recommend this to a collection that serves show more young readers of all ages, although parts may be too scary for the little ones to watch alone. It's a story with so many levels that it will appeal to a range of viewer. show less

Both charming and creepy, this Miyazaki anime followed on the heels of Princess Mononoke and received much the same critical acclaim. It follows the adventures of Chihiro who, after her parents have been magically transformed into pigs, descends into a kind of underworld, peopled with fantastic ghosts and monsters, in a frantic quest to have her parents restored to normalcy. Compelling and unforgettable.