A perfect follow up to Princess Mononoke.

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2002)

After Miyazaki created the more maturely minded Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away is an excellent return to some of his earlier themes, such as childhood innocence and how love and friendship can save the day, all without the typical shmaltz that infects Hollywood childrens' films. The film is a blast for older audiences, whether they watch the film with children or others their own age.
Die hard Miyazaki fans will recognize the soot balls from the director's 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro, which also strongly focused on childhood. Though, where Totoro was a lighthearted romp, Spirited Away is definitely darker, much in the sense of Alice in Wonderland, though it has nothing to do with Lewis Carrol's work. The atmosphere is entirely Miyazaki's own, and after watching it, it's easy to see how the film set a box office record, becoming the highest grossing domestic film in Japanese history, right ahead of Princess Mononoke.