A Very Moving Film

Rating: Null/10 (22 September 2003)

After all of the hype that this movie generated, I was expecting it to be overrated. However, after watching it I was pleasantly surprised. I won't deny that it's strange-- after all, it does take place in the spirit world, so how "normal" could it be? But this film has a lot to say about greed and perserverence, about friendships and hardships. Chihiro loses her parents to the spirit world because they mass-consume a feast meant for "sprit guests" like a bunch of gluttons, and are turned into pigs. Chihiro, who declined the meal, is left wandering around the spirit world, aided from time to time by a mysterious young boy named Haku who is sometimes a wolfish-looking dragon-serpent thing. She becomes a worker for this creepy old lady witch named Yubaba, and from there proves over and over that kindness and hard work will be her saviors. The animation is delicate, the colors muted and not as garish. Most anime is bizarre, and this is no exception, but it isn't hard to follow. Really it's a very moving story, great for young or old audiences. (I always prefer watching foreign films with the subtitles instead of the dubbing, and I would suggest this to anyone else wanting to watch the film, as sometimes the translations vary.)