In response to comments

Rating: Null/10 (28 August 2003)

This is in response to so many people that I have seen comment on this movie. This movie is made for people of all ages. I own a great deal of anime and animation, eagerly anticipate new ones coming out and 100% of the time, I truly believe in the original language with subtitles. Most of the emotion carried in drama is not just the words that are spoken, but in the intonation of HOW they are spoken. This carries with every animation I watch as well as live-action movies. I was utterly disgusted with Crouching Tiger-Hidden Dragon for their atrocious dubbing. However, with a movie like Spirited Away, it is truly a family movie, and I knew my little girl would be enchanted by it. Can she read fast enough for subtitles? No. Can she understand Japanese? No. I was very pleased with the fact that it was even released in the United States and that she got to opportunity to see it on a big screen. Though a long movie for a six year old, she was rapt. She loved it so much she insisted on giving it to her friend for her birthday. This film is important because it introduces a whole new genre of art to a lot of people that would never have recognized it. Second, it cannot be compared to Ghost in the Shell, or Princess Mononoke, etc. It is a whole different kind of genre. Do you compare Lawrence of Arabia with Citizen Kane or the Matrix? Ghost in the Shell is one of the best anime's I've ever seen. So is Spirited Away. So is Princess Mononoke. So is Cowboy Bebop. So is Akira. So is Blood. And so is Furi Kuri. You just can't compare them because they are different genres. Also, No Face was attracted to Chihiro because she was kind to him.
I recommend Spirited Away to everyone, families, friends. *spoiler* If for no other reason that it is a poignant story of a girl finding her own strength. All those seemingly non connected vignettes are very connected with her finding her own spirit. This is not a movie about a little girl finding her parents. It's about a girl finding herself.
Possibly one of the cleanest and most beautiful anime's I've seen in a long time.
Personally, my favorites were the soot creatures.