My favorite Miyazaki film

Rating: Null/10 (10 June 2003)

While I've only seen two other films penned by Hayao Miyazaki, "Spirited Away" is my favorite of the three, by far. What I like most about Studio Ghibli films is how realistic the characters are, in their movements and in their personalities. Miyazaki's goal with "Spirited Away" to show the emotional and social growth of a spoiled child by placing her in a frightening situation.
Chihiro, or Sen, is a sulky, self-centered girl who acts whiney and is hard to please. Actually, I've seen worse kids, but in order to keep her character likeable, these traits weren't overblown. Chihiro and her family are moving to a new home and she isn't too thrilled about it. Her parents realize they've taken a wrong turn, so they immediately take a shortcut through the woods where they arrive at a mysterious place that looks like an abandoned park. The parents want to go investigate, but Chihiro wants no part of it. But fearful of the creepy surroundings, she follows them into a ghost town, where her parents discover a banquet of food and help themselves to it. As Chihiro is walking around town, a strange boy called Haku approaches and warns her to leave immediately before the sun goes down, but it's too late. Her parents have turned into pigs from eating the food and Chihiro is stuck in a spirit world to fend for herself, with some help from Haku. That's just the beginning, as Chihiro and her parents have done a role reversal - it's now her turn to be an adult and save her family. Haku tells her the only way she can save her parents is to get a job at the bathhouse, a place of leisure for gods. From that point, we get to see the "true" Chihiro, a girl who is courageous, loving and loyal.
The characters drawn by Studio Ghibli may not be the most visually appealing of all anime, but the animation is always brilliant and very lifelike. One of the best scenes is one where Chihiro is tying up her ponytail - the animation makes her look so real. Yubaba, the owner of the bath house, and villain of the film, is a stunning character to look at, with lots of minute detailing. Half the beauty of this film is in the artwork, it's eye candy overload and is extremely well done.
MINOR SPOILERS: The other half of the film's beauty lies in its many messages and subtle symbolism. All the characters bring a new theme to add to the pot. Chihiro's parents are punished for their greediness and disrespect for others property, yet Chihiro learns from their mistake and when a similar opportunity arises later in the film, she knows what to do. The monster, No-Face, is the most mysterious character, as he represents a lonely outsider who seeks acceptance by indulging others. Other themes/values covered include loyalty to your friends, putting aside your needs to help others, taking responsibility, confronting your fears, and forgiving your enemies. It's a great film to learn from, but some of its messages might slip pass young kids.
I definitely recommend this film to everyone, especially teens and adults. Kids will likely be entranced by the trippy visuals and tense moments, but older viewers will appreciate the more complex elements. Watch it a second time if possible, because it's very easy to miss something if your eyes aren't fixated on the screen. When I realized what the film was really about, I enjoyed it much more the second time. I regret that I've only seen the dubbed version, I usually like to see both versions. The dub is very good, though, and the translation doesn't deviate too much from the original.
I hear Mr. Miyazaki is working on another film and I hope the success of "Spirited Away" and its much-deserved Academy Award will give future imported films a better chance to thrive in North America. Hopefully, Disney has learned that the best animation doesn't have to come from Florida and will properly promote future Japanese-made films. This one deserves all the acclaim its gotten. I give it an "A" for astounding.