Spirited Away
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Movie Reviews of Spirited Away
Movie Review: A Beautiful Work of Art Destined to Become an Instant Classi
Summary: 5 Stars
First, I'd like to say that I'd probably give this 4.5 stars for only a couple reasons... Another reviewer made me realize something that had been lurking in my subconscious for awhile after I saw this movie when my sister got it for her b-day...#1. Why are we not allowed to care about anyone but Chichiro? And why do we still no virtually nothing about her?
I'm not the first to notice that unlike other Miyazaki films, I really didn't see the character depth usually present... All we know about the main character we sob and smile over for 2 hours is that her name is Chichiro, she has a mother and father, she moved to a new house, and she once almost lost her shoe in a river... That's not much... And we get even less about the other characters... Like I was really curious about Kamaji and Lin... Lin seemed unhappy at the bathhouse "Someday I'm getting on that train..." How did she come to be at Yubaba's in the first place? Same with Kamaji who saved train tickets for FORTY years just to give them to a little kid, a mouse, a bird, and a no-face... And where did Yubaba get a baby?! I can't help but wonder that several times a minute while watching this film... It's a beautiful movie but we wanted more about the characters... If they had cut out parts at the beginning that got a bit tedious, they might have been able to explain a few things... We're supposed to care about Chihiro, which most of us do by the end of the picture, but we really don't know much about her... Why did her parents decide to move them into such a remote location? What did she like to do before life at the bathhouse? Where had she lived in the first place and what had she been like there? They spend a bit too much time in the scene before Haku tells her to get a job from Yubaba... I brought this over to the kids I was baby-sitting's house and they practically slept through that entire first part... It was artistic but not very entertaining... My dad kept asking, "Have we gotten to the good part?" In "Mononoke" they go into great detail about where the characters came from and why and their backgrounds... I didn't see that here...
#2: The ending was somewhat unsatisfying... One minute, Chihiro is flying through the air, the next minute she's passed Yubaba's test, the next moment she's back in the human world going to her new house... I mean... Couldn't we have drawn that out a bit more? We just abandon every character we've grown to know except slightly Haku... Didn't stupid Chihiro have ANY desire to say goodbye to her other friends from the bathhouse like Lin and Kamaji??? WHERE'S THE APPRECIATION HERE?! Then at the end her dad does a nice job posing his comment about how moving to a new place was a little scary... I was expecting a dramatic pause and Chihiro to look out the window to see something that reminded her of the bathouse and then smile and say, "I think I can handle it..." We don't even get a final shot of her face and she says it so fast before the credits role my little sister completely missed it...
But besides that, this is a wonderful movie... Although Chihiro's dubbed voice was a tad annoying at times, most of the voice actors were EXTREMELY well-selected which really surprised me since I've witnessed the horrible dubbings of many great Japanese films... I really liked Lin's voice... It seemed PERFECT for her part... Chihiro's voice in the subbed made me wish for ear plugs! She has this scratchy hoarse voice that sounds like some old dying woman! The French version was cool! (There aren't enough movies translated into French... What's the point of taking it if you never get to use it?) The music is beautiful and the message that by conquering her fears, Chihiro became a better person and was able to save the ones she loved was well put across... I only speculate how Chihiro will react to the human world after spending so much time in the bathhouse... Oh well, guess we'll never know... The great director/writer Miyazaki doesn't make sequels...
Movie Review: Understanding negative commentary about this movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I have always had inclinations to deeply respect Japan; I feel it is one of the most capable artistic centers in the world, akin to '70s USA. Everything about it rings of a combination of art and technology. Much more interesting, though, is how this ties in with common Japanese themes. Just as Final Fantasy VII was a video game, it focused thematically on respect for nature. In the same vein, Miyazaki's Spirited Away (another phenomenal movie) manages to do this through an animated medium.This theme occurs again and again in Japanese cinema in notable works such as Akira and Neon Genesis Evangelion. It, quite honestly, never gets old. This is what makes Spirited Away special. While it addresses modern life, it does not focus on the impersonal nature of technology. Spirited Away's focus is entirely its own. Spurred by the depressed indifference Miyazaki found in "10 year-old girls" he knew, he created a portrait of a young girl, Chihiro, overcoming obstacles. It's a simple story, designed only to encourage Japan's newest generation. But, what makes it great is the art with which this is accomplished. I call this movie a portrait because it lacks a Western-style plot. It has no distinctive beginning and no end. What causes Chihiro's disillusionment is unknown, and her story does not necessarily end upon leaving the abandoned amusement park where the story takes place. This reflects the Japanese belief that nothing really ends, and serves as a problem for those unaccustomed to this viewpoint. Likewise, there are some complaints about the story from other reviewers that I urge you to dismiss based upon some simple explanations about the movie.
First, many note the anti-Western themes. Really, Miyazaki avoids these. Rather than casting blame on others, he avoids classifying Chihiro's original condition as having any cause. This isn't whiny, it's art. Rather than giving in to the audience's primal inclinations to insist that an adverse condition in the individual (Chihiro) is caused by the negative input of society, Miyazaki instead focuses on Chihiro's triumph. In short, this is more of an uplifting movie than some sociocultural blame game. If you want proof of how controlled Japanese animation can be regarding anti-Western sentiment, watch Grave of the Fireflies (from Studio Ghibli). It's hard to find, but it's easily the best war movie I've ever seen (and it features no battle scenes, another amazing instance of artistic control).
Also, some reviews noted Chihiro's "absence of greed" juxtaposed against her parent's gluttony as indicative of traditional Japanese virtues. This is not so. She does not eat lustily with her parents because she thinks she will get in trouble. Note that she is entirely self-absorbed until her parents are taken captive. Only when she can no longer be disinterested and negative about modern life does she truly change. Yet, the obstacles of life do not change at all. The spirit world remains the same, although it appears in a much more friendly way towards the movie's end. The demeanor of the characters in the movie are all determined by Chihiro's outlook. Even the cold-hearted witch is shown to be a loving grandmother. And despite being easily enraged, she cares dearly for her oversized baby boy.
A note on the ratings. The movie is rated PG because it deserves to be rated as such. Here is the first sentence describing the PG rating, straight from http://www..../
"This is a film which clearly needs to be examined or inquired into by parents before they let their children attend."
And people cannot believe it's only rated PG? PG stands for Parental Guidance Suggested. You can be sure that the movie contains some objectionable content, and if your kids don't like "scary" movies, then exercise some parental guidance. Don't go blaming the filmmakers or the MPAA when they are right, but you refuse to follow their recommendations.
Movie Review: FROM THE MAGICAL MIND OF MIYAZAKI...
Summary: 5 Stars
"Spirited Away", the first Japanese anime movie to win both an Oscar and other worldwide awards, is also one of the most unique and beautifully made animated movies you'll ever see.
The acknowledged masterpiece of Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's most successful director (animated or live) ever, it's a novel fantasy about the unusual and spiritual journey of a tiny, shy girl.
Miyazaki, who draws, writes and oversees every single detail of this and his other films, always creates a small but strong girl as his central character. Chihiro, withdrawn and poker-faced, has that role here, as she wanders away from her suburban parents when they discover a lavish buffet in what looks to be an abandoned temple. Within minutes, she's swept inside by a mysterious, master-type boy named Haku and discovers a wondrous but creepy bathhouse crawling with strange spiritual creatures- a place where humans are not welcome. Inside, she encounters everything from tiny moving ash particles with eyes to
a truly repulsive sludge monster emerging from a dirty tub. Chihiro also has her name stolen by Yubaba, the weird, wacky sorceress who runs the place, and must be known as "Sen" until she meets one test after another, the better to eventually escape and become a girl again. It's this journey that the movie centers on- not unlike a Japanese take on "Alice In Wonderland".
But it's also much more.
Unlike the average American animated feature, "Spirited Away" runs two hours, yet it unfolds like origami. The few human characters are drawn and speak like real, frightened kids, yet with dignity as well. The unusual spirits, resembling everything from mutant kabuki to- of all things- "Looney Tunes"' Michigan J. Frog, usually don't speak yet say as much, if not more, as those gabby scare-factory things from "Monsters Inc." Miyazaki doesn't believe in drowning the screen- or the audience- in rat-a-tat dialogue; instead, he draws simple, family-minded morals in a most appealing, visually stunning way. He also has a gifted composer-conductor, Joe Hisaishi, who backs the movie with both his own meditative piano solos and some exotic, Martin Denny-
style orchestration. The visual, character, and musical elements all meld into an atmosphere that's both simple and sophisticated,
uniquely Japanese yet welcoming to all.
For this American release, Disney took special care to keep the entire movie untouched yet create an English soundtrack that fit in perfectly- not an easy thing to do when dubbing over Japanese-speaking mouths. Two bonus features show this process quite well, a tribute to the fine work of both the couple who translated the Miyazaki script into clear English and the gifted voice cast. The best of the latter are Daveigh Chase (from "Lilo and Stitch"), the youngster who captures Chihiro with the heartfelt shyness she was drawn with, and Suzanne Pleshette, who gave Yubaba- and her "good witch" sister- a charming, gravelly cackle that does Margaret Hamilton proud.
There's also a documentary from Nippon TV (in Japanese with subtitles) that follows Miyazaki- an avuncular, chain-smoking patriarch- and his team of animators, sound men, musicians and actors as they create "Spirited Away" from the director's original sketchbook to the screen. Even with no English, the process at Ghibli is as fascinating as the movie itself- old-school, hand-drawn animation all the way with a distinct flavor, a wonderful craft in this computer-driven age.
If, like me, you're a serious animation buff, or if you're younger and like classic Disney or "Harry Potter" but aren't sure about anime, or even if you like "Lord of the Rings" but won't go near a "cartoon", you'll really like "Spirited Away"- truly a product of the magical mind of Miyazaki.
Movie Review: Even non-anime fans will like this movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
Spirited away is about a 10-year-old girl named Chihiro who's parents decided to move to another house. When Chihro's family was driving to their new home they come across a dirt road that leads to a weird tunnel. Chihro and her parents walk threw the tunnel to see what is on the side of it. When they got there they didn't relize they entered the world of the spirits (Chihro's dad said it was an abandond theme park). Then Chihro's parents smell something like very delishous food. So they then follow there noses to find that there was a resurant full of food (the food belongs to the spirits).Then Chihro's parents start to eat the food and ask Chihro if she wants any. Chihro said no because that isn't their food and that they shouldn't be eating it (or something like that). Her parents don't listen to her and just contiue eatin. So Chihro wanders of and sees some thing that looks like a bath house. So she goes up to see it. See then sees a boy (Hiku) that tells her to get out of here befor night fall. Chihro is quite puzzeld but obeys him and runs away. She trys to find her parents when all of a sudden she sees spirits! She freaks out and finally finds her parents but they turned into pigs! She then runs of trying to find the tunnel when she relizes that a river stands in her way of getting to the tunnel! Then she sees some thing but can't tell what it is. It come closer and then she relizes it's a bout full of spirits! Then she looks at her hands and sees she is be coming see through! Then she runs of. Then Hiku finds her and givers her some type of berry to restore her strenght. After Chihro's health is fully restored Hiku sneaks Chihro into the bath house garden and tells her if she wants to save her parents she must get a job at the bath house so Yubaba (the ruler of the bath house who turned Chihro's parents into pigs) can not turn Chihro into an animal. So the movie begings.
The story may sound kind of weird but it gets a lot better to the end.
A lot of reviews where saying that this movie is very scary and not ment for children. My friend's little sister who is 7 watched this movie and didn't find anything scenes "scary". The scary as this movie gets is No-face the spirit swoles two people but the people are not killed or harmed. And there is a lot more animeated movies out there that are PG and scaryier than this like the one reviewer said in Snow White the evil queen asks the henchmen to go out and kill Snow White and Sleeping Beauty the sorrcess puts a spell on Aroura that if she touches a sowing prick (or what ever she touches) she will die. Chancess are a little kid would get nightmares from one of those movies then Spirited Away. And other people say that it is very inappropet for children.That's why it's PG parent guidence get it? And the bad as this movie gets is a dragon in the movie is all covered in blood and cuts that's why I recomend this movie for some one over the age of ten. This is not a movie you want to get for a 5 year old kid.
One reviewer said "That anyone would let a child watch a movie that involves worshoping idols, defently not for Christian familys!". FYI I am a part of a Christian family! And every single part of my family liked this movie too! And us kids know this movie isn't real. And we are not going to change religons either because of this movie. We are a bit more maturer then that and some one at your age should know that by now. We are not 3 for Pete's sake!
Some other reviewers said that this movie is completly boring. This movie is defently not boring because if it was "so boring" why did it win an Oscar Award and tons of other stuff?
Over all this movie desevers 10 stars! I loved it a lot and so will you!
Movie Review: Magical and imaginative tale will spirit you away
Summary: 5 Stars
If Mononokehime got Miyazaki Hayao to a pinnacle in Japan, Sento No Chihiro takes him to even higher peaks. Clearly Miyazaki's masterpiece, it's wins in the Berlin Film Festival and the Oscars is very much deserved, as it shows that anime can be imaginative, intelligent, and inspiring at the same time.Chihiro is a whiny and petulant spoiled pre-teen brat who is clearly not looking forward to moving to a new city, a far cry from the responsible Satsuki in Tonari No Totoro.
A presumed shortcut takes Chihiro and her parents to a tunnel, through which they pass into an amusement resort that the father presumes went bust when the bubble economy collapsed. The adventure begins when in a moment recalling Circe and Odysseus's sailors, Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs, and she finds herself stranded in the spirit world. Her only help seems to be Haku, a boy sporting a Prince Valiant coif and is valiant. Humans are forbidden here and in order to survive, she must work for Yubaba, the giant-headed sorceress crone who runs the establishment. Chihiro survives, but at the cost of losing her name, which becomes Sen. Yubaba owns every employee here, body and soul. Nevertheless, Chihiro/Sen still must get her parents restored to human form and return to their car by the tunnel.
She is also befriended by Lin, one of the serving wenches initially reluctant to work with her, and from her, Chihiro/Sen learns good manners, such as saying thank you, and how to work hard. The way Lin and the other girls' eyes are drawn may be a reference to Chinese immigrants working unrewarding menial jobs in Japan, especially judging Lin's name. Haku though becomes the focus of her attention at one point, to which she risks her job and safety when he's injured and close to death.
The bathhouse is a posh and decadent establishment, a Las Vegas for spirits who relax in baths and eat lots of good food. Compared to other creature menageries seen in Star Wars or Return Of The Jedi, Sento No Chihiro features some imaginative, ghostly, and at times cuter creatures than anything from Jabba's palace. They range in form, shape, and size, such as the giant radish god who nearly takes up an entire elevator cubicle, down to the cute soot sprites who lug the coal nuggets to stoke the boilers that keep the hot water coming.
A high point comes when a stink demon enters the bathhouse and its true identity revealed when first a bicycle and then other kinds of metal garbage is pulled from its side, also recalling the fable of Androcles and the Lion, but serving as a sad reminder of how rivers are used for dumping.
As for Kaonashi, the transparent and mysterious black creature who mutters "uh", he seems to embody someone who wants to be useful or wanted to an impersonal and capitalist world. He is able to produce the herbal tags Chihiro needs for a tub, and all he wants in return is friendship. Chihiro recognizes that the bathhouse, with its greedy employees who abuse his powers, is bad for him and helps him get out.
The striking scene of the train filled with faceless spirit salarymen is the testament to the soulless and unrewarding corporate world. These spirits could be anybody, but does anyone care or think they are real individuals?
Joe Hisaishi's trademark melodic and swelling piano score is put to good use as he did in the films Kikujiro and Parasite Eve among others. And the soot sprites came out in Tonari No Totoro, but Yubaba and Kamaji are evolved characters from Castle In The Sky, where they were the sky pirates.
Miyazaki's masterpiece, in terms of story and animation, and with a character who really grows up to be a more responsible and loving person. A recent favourite of mine!