To this day, Miyazaki's Magnum Opus

Rating: 10/10 (8 June 2014)

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest animated filmmakers in any era, and this is especially prevalent here.
Pros: dazzling animation; deep, thought-provoking themes; colorful, memorable characters, especially No Face; complex personalities in both heroes and villains; cute hints of romance; sparse but memorable musical score
Cons: none that immediately come to mind
Bottom line: There's a reason "Spirited Away" won the 2002 Oscar for Best Animated Feature...well, actually, a number of reasons. This one movie that frightened me most as a child now warms my heart as a young adult. Sure, you may need some familiarity with Japanese culture to not be frightened yourself when you first watch it, but the more you do, the more attached you grow to it, especially considering how relevant its messages of environmentalism, complicated morality, and the power of love remain to this day. If only Miyazaki had ended his career with another Oscar for "The Wind Rises"...