Beautifully implemented fantasy adventure

Rating: 8/10 (19 April 2015)

Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, or Spirited Away in English, is animated fantasy adventure in the Alice in Wonderland fashion. The plot starts as a young girl, Chihiro, moves to a new town with her parents. Right away, after her father takes a wrong turn when trying to locate their new home, strange things start to happen. The pace of events leaves viewer genuinely wondering what is going on. Additionally, characters and settings are extremely inventive which further enhances the bizarre feeling. Drawing and animation are beautifully done. Music and sound effects are atmospheric.
However, much of the characters are left relatively superimposed. This of course leaves room for imagination but on the other hand, leaves quite a lot of open questions. The director Miyazaki has evidently admitted the hidden connotations of prostitution in the movie. However, it is not obvious.
The movie definitively deserves its place as one of the most loved Japanese animations done.