We're not in Wonderland anymore...

Rating: 10/10 (31 October 2002)

Spirited Away makes Alice in Wonderland look like an older man's conceit -- Alice pokes fun at the adult world of an Oxford don, but Spirited Away brings us into the first person sensibilities of a ten year old girl. I remember that world.
This is the only movie that has out-grossed Titanic at the box office in Japan, and it deserves more notice from all ages in the US and abroad.
Unlike his previous release, Princess Mononoke, this film avoids exposition, and simply immerses you in the same world of internal logic and magic that the heroine Chihiro must navigate. This is the world of children coming into their own in the world -- the real world is equally an environment where they must discover rules, discover who holds power, discover their own virtue and honor.
Spirited Away simply gives us a fantasy setting for the reality of a child.
This is a visually lovely, imaginative, intelligent film that will please people of all ages (perhaps above six or so -- some of the kami may be too odd and scary for small children).
It is a favorite for me, and for my 9 year old son Joseph.