Fantastic animated adventure at its most compelling and heartwarming...

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2008)

I'll start off with a little confession: I am NOT a big fan of Japanese anime. The good ones are much too hard to find and always seem to be lost within a huge cluttered mass of cheesy garbage. You'll see about 100 lame ones before you manage to find a true gem. My favourite has always been COWBOY BEBOP, but even then I haven't followed the entire series. Additionally, I am NOT a big fan of animated movies. They always seem a bit too predictable, as if they cater specifically to certain viewers. In the end animated movies (especially of the Disney variety) seem only interested in box office numbers, and they continually insult the intelligence of their viewers.
I've long heard of Hayao Miyazaki's legendary status in Japan by a few trustworthy friends of mine, and my relative distaste of animated movies has resulted in me waiting a full 7 years before procuring a copy of SPIRITED AWAY. I tried to get my hands on the original Japanese copy with English subtitles but could only manage the more available dubbed copy. I was initially fearful that the dubbing would be embarrassingly poor (like most Japanese to English dubs) but I was somewhat mistaken. The voices actually fit in pretty well. The only real complaint is that the protagonist starts to get annoying after a while, if only sporadically so.
But let's shift gears and focus on the good, and there is no shortage of that here. First off, the animation is simply breathtaking. I heard about Miyazaki before but really wasn't expecting anything quite as visually satisfying as this. Every detail is accounted for, and the rain sequences are especially beautiful. The scenic shots have an epic eeriness to them, and are simply stunning. Anyone who hasn't seen Miyazaki's work before will be mesmerised. It has been said that he is somewhat meticulous, and this comes off strongly in his animation. Studio Ghibli rivals Disney and Pixar any day for me, and it is worth noting that most of the animation is done traditionally, with very few computer-enhanced effects. Some digitising is done only to finish up the product.
Another category in which Miyazaki trumps Disney is the storytelling. Miyazaki presents a beautiful and intertwined story with many surprising plot twists, all of which are believable and don't seem like they just come 'out of the blue'. The story itself is a beautiful one about friendship and love that almost everyone can relate to and enjoy , but that's only on the surface. Beneath the main storyline are some strong hidden messages which many may not get, for instance, Miyazaki, being a strong environmentalist like myself, sends little messages speaking to humanity's destruction/pollution of their living environment, and this is especially evident in one beautiful scene. Unlike Disney, Miyazaki doesn't give the viewers emotional 'cues'. He does not tell you when you should laugh and when you should cry. This is all left to the viewer to decide. Indeed, not enough can be said for the engrossing story, and at the end you will try to remember the last time 2 hours went by so quickly.
The music is also superb. From the opening sequence straight to the ending credits, the viewer is greeted by lovely moving pieces of well-orchestrated music which blend well with the story (yes, real music). This only adds to the whole experience, and helps make the move feels REAL and lifelike. You will find yourself actually having FEELINGS during this movie, and genuine ones too; not the fabricated ones that you get from the Western animated movies. You will laugh aloud. You will cry real tears. And at the end you will understand why Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are thought of much more highly than Disney and Pixar, especially by those mature enough to appreciate the differences.
I strongly recommend seeing this one. It was my first Miyazaki film experience, and my only regret is that I waited this long to see it. I am now in the process of trying to obtain HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE...
4 stars (out of 4). 9/10. May just fall short of my Top 100, at about 103 or so.