A breathtaking fantasy throwback in an age of Hollywood trash.

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 2003)

A movie like Spirited Away restores my confidence in the filmmakers of today. Movies like this only come along every once in awhile. Forget that it's absolutely gorgeous looking and has an equally beautiful-sounding soundtrack - what makes this movie special is its story and characters, wrapped in a wonderful presentation.
Chihiro stands out from other child protagonists in movies in that she really grows as a character throughout the film, going from a listless girl who lacks confidence and believes that there is little she can do to make her life better to a brave, compassionate person ready to meet new challenges. I'll admit that it sure was one weird way to learn about one's self and grow but that's part of the movie's charm. The world Chihiro becomes trapped in is fascinating. It's whimsical and fantastic but it can also be kind of scary and grave at times too. Despite its rather heavy and serious themes, Spirited Away never gets too bogged down as there's lot of humour to be found. It's not a comedy by any stretch and it doesn't contain what I would call jokes, but I found myself laughing at the sheer quirkiness of some of its characters and moments. Few films have ever shown such imagination without being baffling, artsy or simply too "out there" to be enjoyable. I don't see how anyone could have trouble grasping any of this movie's concepts. True, its presentation is quite different but the themes are universal. Anyone using the fact that this is a Japanese film as an excuse to say they didn't understand it would probably have trouble understanding lots of North American movies as well. My guess is that these people simply haven't seen a whole lot of movies outside of the usual crap Hollywood churns out these days. I'd recommend this movie to anyone of any age. It's got a lot of heart but I don't think it ever gets sappy. It comes close sometimes but something seems to balance it all out. For me, watching this movie gave me this uplifting feeling that one might get from a coming of age movie like Stand by Me or even something Like The Shawshank Redemption. What I mean is, like those 2 movies, it's a feel-good movie but that's not all there is to it. A true work of art.