An Anime Alice in Wonderland

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2007)

There are about a half dozen things I want to see over and over because I am sure there are gold nuggets buried here I haven't mined yet.
This movie is so magical, so mystical, so beautiful it leaves me breathless. It leaves me with a huge list of questions I cannot answer. Is it a real experience? Is it a dream? Is it a magical spell? What really happened? Are the characters symbolic or allegorical? (Should I study Japanese mythology to learn more?) Chihiro is moving to a new home. A spoiled brat, unhappy in the back seat of her parents car, she is taken, unwilling, into a strange world when her father takes what he thinks is shortcut that becomes a dead end. Tired of driving, he wants to explore. Chihiro is afraid, but she is more afraid of being left behind.
They find what seems to be an abandoned theme park, where her hungry parents come on a restaurant. They sit down and start to eat. Chihiro is too nervous to eat, so she wanders off. When she comes back, her parents have magically been turned into pigs. And so the magic begins.
You don't need to write a master's thesis on this movie to enjoy it. You don't need to answer any of your questions to enjoy it. In fact, this movie stays with you. Its scenes will wake you at night with insights and beauty. The music will haunt you, though I challenge you to remember a single musical theme.
I have experienced genius here. I am in awe.