A very beautiful fantasy adventure

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2012)

Chihiro, a ten year old girl, and her parents happen upon an abandoned fairground while travelling to their new home. Chihiro is then spirited away into a magical world at the centre of which is a weird bathhouse populated by a gaggle of bizarre and wondrous beings.
Hayao Miyazaki's feature is in many ways like an anime version of Alice in Wonderland. It's full of fantastical creatures and moments of surrealism. It benefits from the highly compelling way it uses Japanese mythology and imagery to create a strange and beautiful world. There are many visually splendid ideas, such as the ghostly train that travels over the sea. It's not just about the look and feel though, Spirited Away has very well drawn characters too and does have effective comedy at times too. Overall, it is a rather lovely film that does that most unusual thing in that it genuinely holds appeal for all ages. That in itself is a terrific achievement.