So so.

Rating: Null/10 (5 January 2004)

Ok, admittedly I'm not Japanese, so I only saw the Americanized version of this, the one that Disney felt needed to be crammed full of all the voices from their previous movies and crappy sequels. (I haven't seen a credited cast, but I am pretty sure Lilo, Kovu, Zira, Megara and many others are here.) So that was a lame, *used* approach to take to this new, original work, but not that important. So, Spirited Away... Interesting, colorful, intricate, etc. All you expect from Miyazaki, plus the usual unexplained things that just leave you hanging, tons of unanswered questions and plot details that would tie together nicely if only you could understand them. Most of this guy's movies are just like... really artistic independent films. Totally beautiful, but who knows what any of it is supposed to mean?
It's just meant to be a random slice of life, I guess, and that's ok if you like that kind of movie. Maybe it is that Sen is childish in the beginning and "grows up" as the story moves on. Well, probably there is some really deep message in "Spirited Away" that everyone else gets, but I do have to laugh at the mention of how technically brilliant it is that Sen and her mother look alike. (Davy and his dad look alike in All Dogs go to Heaven 2, so that must be a technically brilliant film as well..?)

Meanwhile it does have some cool, dramatic scenes and very cute characters (and delightfully scary and grotesque ones) so it's an excellent watch as a trip to the Creative Museum. I give it an A for design but a D for overall story resolution, something I look for in a movie.

And Disney... How about giving a listen to those millions of NEW voice actors who would love to audition for your stuff?
Bottom Line: Decent, but Kiki's Delivery Service is still the best I've seen from this director.