Beautiful, touching, immaculate, awesome

Rating: 9/10 (19 August 2011)

Unprecedented creativity and imagination abound in this glorious fantasy adventure from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away tells the story of a little girl named Chihiro who finds herself reluctantly moving to a new home with her parents at the beginning of the film. On the way they make a stop at a mysterious ghost town and Chihiro's parents indulge themselves with some food left out on a counter. This causes them to turn into pigs and Chihiro runs away in fear, only to find herself in a strange new world full of gods and spirits all coming across the river to visit the luxurious bath house that Chihiro must find work in if she is to stay safe in the other world. In this strange fantasy land she meets gods of all shapes and sizes, evil witches, giant babies, and even dragons. It is an immaculate and beautiful film, but it is also an incredibly touching story that gleams with love and compassion. It's a true work of visual and emotional art.
It is amazing how much the great Hayao Miyazaki can immerse us in his fantasy world. There's something so incredible about the look of the world and just how every last bit of it stays true to a unique style that Miyazaki has assigned it. Every creature is as astoundingly awesome as the last, which is saying a lot because of the vast diversity of every character and creature in this movie. You have everything from the employees of the bath house which look like offbeat crosses between frogs and humans, to the shadowy No Face who is, in a way, just a black blob with a mask, but is also fascinating to watch because of the unique flare which presides over the entire atmosphere of the film. Even the characters that serve no real purpose to the storyline and are in a way just animated extras look amazing. The bath house is full of these strange looking characters that never become uninteresting to look at.
It's also nice that these fascinating characters fit in with an amazing story and a great concept. The whole idea of a bath house for the spirits just baffles me as to how they came up with that. And the way the concept provides such a great backdrop for the rest of the story is perfect. The story is incredibly unique anyways, but making the main setting a spirit world bath house is, to me, ingenious in all sorts of ways. I'm not sure why it works so perfectly, but it does.
The film also has an excellent sense of humor that is totally appropriate at all times. It never distracts from the story and only adds a charming and lovable quality to the characters and the concept of the film. There are plenty of great moments that received a great laugh from me and in just the right quantities, never impeding on the rest of the film's brilliance. It is always a joy for me when I can laugh so hard and yet be moved so much. That is the precise effect Spirited Away has on me. There are absolutely beautiful moments of this film that possess a kind of sophistication and eloquence that rivals that of a more adult oriented film of this calibre. Spirited Away isn't just good for a kid's movie, it's just plain good.
Hayao Miyazaki is nothing less than a genius. His imagination is so powerful and so influential that to not be astounded by something he has accomplished would make me question your humanity. Spirited Away is undoubtedly one of his greatest triumphs, and for good reasons. There is practically nothing wrong with this film. It is a masterpiece that will surely stand the test of time and be hailed as a classic for years to come. It is so creative, so beautiful, so touching, and so fun. It's everything you could ask for in a film, plus a little more.