Spirited Away

Directed by anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away is the tale of Chihiro, a young girl who is taken down an unusual road by her parents while moving to a new home in an unfamiliar place. The curiosity of Chihiro’s mother and father (who were based on two colleagues of Miyazaki’s) leads the reluctant child into what appears to be an abandoned amusement park. Soon her parents are greedily feasting on various delights from an enticing food stand (Seriously, shit looks good. Makes me turn into a fat kid) and are literally turned into pigs. The frightened and bewildered girl then encounters a young name named Haku (quite attractive, I might add), who explains what she must do to navigate this strange and magical realm. Finding employment in a bathhouse for spirits and other odd characters – including kimono-wearing frogs, lumbering tentacled monsters (HEHEHEHEH), and a mysterious apparition named No Face – Chihiro attempts to figure out how she can free her parents from the clutches of the resort’s owner, a powerful witch named Yubaba (Her head is the huge). In the process, she makes some very eccentric friends – and has to deal with some notoriously stinky customers (I imagine if you did work at a bathhouse, it can get really smelly).

Spirited away reminds me of Lewis Carroll’s, ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Chihiro finds herself in this strange and wonderful world – making new friends, defeating enemies and growing up in the process. Chihiro’s character annoyed me in the beginning because she was whiny, pessimistic and lazy (I’m sure all of us will admit we were lazy when we were children). You really watch Chihiro grow as a person inside and out. It’s beautiful! I love these kinds of movies when characters are on the road to self-discovery!

The visuals in the movie are top notch. The artwork is amazingly detailed, character designs are likable and the scenery is breathtaking. Dazzling and enchanting, I’m trying to find so many words to describe this piece of art.

Don’t be afraid of the tentacle monster because, this is indeed a family film. Hayao Miyazaki is a storyteller and targets the younger audience. It is indeed fun for everyone!

I highly recommend it.

Score – 10/10

Update: Just bringing some of my posts over from nerdnations until I put out some new articles.