***** Just Another Masterpiece from a Mere Genius

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2002)

See this film. 10/10 But first some hints to remove any preconceptions, 1. This is not some kiddy cartoon, despite appearances, it is a film; 2. It is 2 hours long for a reason; 3. There are no zany characters, dance routines or merchandising to distract you; and 4. You will not look out-of-place in the theatre if you did not take children with you.
Fans of Miyazaki have anticipated this film since 1999. (It is easy to anticipate Anime, given the long production period.) The central character (Chihiro and Sen) is based upon the daughter of one of Miyazaki's collegues. Chihiro starts as a petulant 10-year-old, utterly self-absorbed, not looking forward to moving to a new house, school, friends. Later, her transformation, first into Sen as she tries to rescue her parents, teaches her that manners, hard work, honesty and love can achieve far more than she ever imagined. As she returns to being Chihiro we wonder if she remembers all of these lessons. You should consider taking children from 10 up as they might learn some manners by the end of the film. :) I don't think it matters whether you see the English dubbed version or the original subtitled. Both versions are slightly different. The English dub subtly explains some Japanese concepts to assist those who aren't nippon-philes such as me. While it doesn't explain every Japanese concept, if you are puzzled by something, take a breath and enjoy the rest of the film. As much as I implore you to see as many Studio Ghibli films as you can find, you should of course avoid pirate copies in favour of the original DVDs or find the films at film festivals. Hopefully the success of Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi will encourage the release of more Studio Ghibli films outside Japan.