Spirited Away

Rating: 10/10 (22 July 2006)

Not a fan of anime, I reluctantly watched this with my tween daughter and was absolutely mesmerized by its quiet, intense enchantment. The characters are both spirited and peaceful, the story flows with imagination, and reality is suspended. This is a movie I hate to see end! Often, I think of it and my favorite characters and I am spirited away to the world of Sen, the Turnip Spirit, No Face, the little fuzzy coal bearing creatures. On initial viewing, I was afraid it would be scary but the silence is soothing and it ends happily. My all time favorite scene is in the bath house when Sen pulls the bike out of the Stink Spirit and all the poisonous, filthy, contaminated yucky stuff pours out of the spirit and he emerges, clean and beautiful!