Don't be put off by this Movie because it's animated

Rating: Null/10 (20 November 2019)

This is the greatest work of animation I've ever seen, better than all the 3D computer-animated movies which are the norm these days. I've seen 10 of Hayao Miyazaki's films, and Spirited Away is undoubtedly my favorite of his, with Kiki's Delivery Service being a close second. It's a shame most Americans think that cartoons are just children's media rather than an alternative style in film-making, because Spirited Away is not your typical Disney/Pixar/DreamWorks feature.
Even though the protagonist, Chihiro, is a 10-year-old girl, this is not just a movie for preteen girls. In fact, I would be cautious showing this movie to children under the age of 8 or 9, because Spirited Away is not a very easy film to grasp with all its symbolism and themes, and it can be a bit frightening. It's a coming-of-age story filled with many relevant themes that even adults would relate to, like environmentalism, greed, materialism, exploitation, the clash between tradition and modernity, identity, self-sacrifice and so on. In my perspective, the movie is crafted in a way that gives viewers a chance to ponder and reflect on their own lives, and the world we live in.
Spirited Away serves as Miyazaki's social criticism of modern Japan, when the country experienced unprecedented success during the bubble economy of the 1980s, and then a terrible recession in the subsequent "Lost Decade" of the 1990s. Since this movie was made in 2001, all the aforementioned events were still recent and fresh in the memories of the Japanese. It's perhaps no wonder why Spirited Away is Japan's most financially successful movie of all-time. Nevertheless, Western viewers won't have trouble with connecting to this movie as we too live in a consumer economy dominated by greed and self-indulgence. Just look at Black Friday as an example.
What I particularly like about this movie is how different it is from Disney. Spirited Away is more down to earth. The film is not a musical where everyone starts singing at random moments, and the characters are more lifelike. The absence of a stereotypical protagonist and villain really strengthens this movie. Additionally, there is no juvenile humor that plagues so many Disney and Marvel movies made in this century. One of the things I could never stand about Disney is its portrayal of female characters, who are typically one-dimensional damsels in distress (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, etc.) incapable of helping themselves without a Prince Charming figure. Basically, the role of a Disney princess, or any heroine, is to be pretty. Thankfully, Spirited Away doesn't fall for that clichÃ© and shows Chihiro as a strong character who matures throughout the movie.
Despite my general distaste for Disney, they did a very good job with dubbing the movie into English. Some people will say that the only way to watch Spirited Away is in Japanese with the subtitles turned on, but I strongly recommend giving the English dub a chance, at least for first-time viewing. For a hand-drawn animation, the visuals are so impressive and mind-blowing, you will miss out on many details if you focus your attention on reading subtitles. However, I've also seen Spirited Away dubbed in German and Japanese, and I think those language versions are slightly better, at least when it comes to Chihiro's voice, who's more shouty and high-pitched in the English dub.
Altogether, I couldn't recommend this movie highly enough. The storytelling is very captivating and the visuals are so wonderful you will forget that this is a 2 hour movie. I've already seen this movie 4 times this year, and it never bores me. The pacing is ingenious, with sequences of action and intensity nestled between moments of peace and solitude. The musical score done by Joe Hisaishi is also beautiful. I liked the soundtrack so much I bought the CD. This gem of a movie fully deserves the Oscar it won at the 2003 Academy Awards. Much like the title, this masterpiece will spirit you away.