Not a masterpiece for young children

Rating: 3/10 (30 May 2007)

Young kids usually don't find any movies to be weird, but this is a film young kids agree is too weird. This film was not produced with American kids in mind. Young kids don't care about symbolism or subtle details, they want action or comedy all the way through. If you're a parent who wants to entertain your child, rent Good Burger, Pirates of the Caribbean, or The Pink Panther remake instead.
In Japan, animation has a very broad appeal which extends into a higher age range, Japanese children also have background knowledge on the spirits of Shinto and the spirits' harmony with nature. This means that in Japan, this film can be appreciated and marketed well to a large demographic, young to old.
American children however are less fortunate, kids aren't even in tune with their own cultural heritage, much less be expected to understand the Japanese style of this film.
This film is ranked 1 better than "Bridge on the River Kwai" in the IMDb top 250, I'm not going to say "Kwai" is an inherently better film, but it does appeal better to its intended audience. The intended audience for "Kwai" is someone who likes war films, and possess a degree of patience. Most people who watch "Kwai" will meet this standard. A knowledge of Japanese culture is not required, but does help if one wants to appreciate subtle details such as Japanese officers making sure not to turn their backs to Commander Saito when they leave a room.
"Spirited Away" almost requires some knowledge of Japanese culture, and this is asked to children, many of whom have been outside their own backyard. American parents are often just as oblivious, and sometimes less so, as they have no prior exposure to anime.
A majority of American adults who don't understand this movie may be intrigued by the unfamiliarity of the style and message. This can lead to a positive overall feeling and review. Children, however, don't have the patience to watch a film twice, nor the capacity to understand a film's deeper meaning. Young children who like this film are usually already into anime. Even if a kid is into anime but doesn't like this film, they will kid themselves into believing they liked it even though they don't. This is because saying they like it matches the expectations children have of themselves due to their still-developing personalities. eg. If a kid likes anime, he wants to like all anime.
Miyazaki has always had "Made in Japan" stamped over his films, which limit their global appeal. He has never made, for instance, a film about Africa, and if he did, it would be made in Japanese animation style, not made to look like African art.
Ironically, Miyazaki randomly references non-Japanese cultures, confusing American children even more-so. The witch is based on Russian lore, so what are the chances of an American child knowing this? If he is such a brilliant film-maker, he should find a way to explain the cultural references to foreign audiences who are unfamiliar to it within the film, not only on DVD extras.