My favorite film of all time!

Rating: 10/10 (1 April 2010)

There are times in life where we find a movie that we not only really like, but it touches us in a way no other movie could. As mushy as that sounds, the movie that touched me is Hayoa Miyazaki's Spirited Away. Not only is it magical, funny, romantic and just plain creative and enjoyable in every way, but it manages to be serious and light-hearted at the same time.
The movie follows a little girl named Chihiro, who, much to her displease, is moving with her family to a new home. On the way, her father takes a wrong turn and ends up at what looks like an entrance to a theme park. The parents are curious to go in so Chihiro follows. The parents find some delicious food and begins to gobble it down like pigs. Chihiro tries to talk them out of it claiming that they'll get in trouble. Since her parents wont listen, Chihiro talks a walk and notices a bath house, and a little boy notices her. He desperately tries to get her to leave before night falls as it will trap her in the spirit world. Chihiro tries to get her parents to leave but they have been turned into pigs by the Witch of the BathHouse named Yubaba as punishment for eating the food. The little boy that Chihiro met reveals himself to be named Haku, the right hand man and apprentice to Yubaba. He tells Chihiro that he wants to help her and tells her that in order to save her parents, she needs to get a job at the bathhouse until they can figure a way to get Yubaba to turn them back.
And what follows is an amazing adventure complete with strange but likable characters like Kamaji the boiler man or Lin, just your everyday employee, and other strange characters like Yubaba's twin sister Zeniba, and Yubaba's giant baby, as well as a monster who just wants a friend called No-Face. All these characters help Chihiro grow dramatically overtime, and eventually Chihiro falls in love with Haku, and when Haku gets in fatal trouble, she goes out of her way to save him, risking her life for him. It touched me, and I'm sure it will touch you.
The animation is wonderful. Its beautiful, remarkable and sometimes silly. But the visuals were just stunning through out the film, and its just another thing that I love about this film. The soundtrack is also incredible with wonderful pieces like "Reprise" or "One Summer's Day" the list goes on. Most of the characters are developed overtime. Kamaji becomes less grumpy, Lin becomes more caring, the Baby learns to work, Haku gets his name back, and No-Face finds himself both a home and a friend.
The Movie comes to a thrilling climax when Chihiro discovers that Haku is the spirit of a river that she almost drowned in, but Haku had saved her. This realization breaks Yubaba's control on Haku. Then Yubaba gives Her one test that if she passes, she and her parents will be free. Chihiro passes the test, and EVERYONE cheers. Haku leads Chihiro back to the human world, and her parents, (who didn't remember what had happened) get the car started, and with one final look, Chihiro bids a silent farewell to the amazing world, and all her new friends.
Overall: What more do I need to say? This is EASILY Miyazaki's best film, as well as my favorite. If you are a movie lover, and anime lover, or you just want to watch an amazing film, You should check out Spirited Away, you will NOT regret it!