Spirited away

Rating: 10/10 (10 June 2014)

You need to know that Hayao Miyazaki's magical adventure is widely considered an animated masterpiece, but it can be a creepy and frightening experience for younger viewers. There are dozens of freaky looking creatures that threaten each other or the protagonist, who is trying to save her parents. Many, many scenes involve these strange beings, and younger children used to more sanitized characters may find them disturbing. One particularly scary scene involves a beloved character in the shape of a dragon who returns from a journey injured, bloody, and on the verge of death. One character smokes and in a dinner scene someone is offered sake. Older children ready for a more sophisticated animated tale will be mature enough to enjoy this story of a brave young female protagonist.