"Alice in Wonderland" meets "Brazil"

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2003)

This is considered one of the best (If not the best) Anime' films ever made and its cinematic storytelling at its finest. Not since "Akira" has an animated film made the impact like this. This was created by the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki who is considered a god in terms of Anime' and its his wonderful stories and imagination that makes him so special. This is the story of a ten year old girl named Chihiro who is traveling with her parents to their new home and she is sad that they have to move. Her father takes what seems like a wrong turn and they come across a structure with a tunnel in the middle. They all get out and walk through to the other side and Chihiro's father recognizes it as an old park that has gone under over the years. They come across another structure with food set out and Chihiro's parents waste no time in helping themselves to as much food as they can eat. Chihiro discovers to her horror that her mother and father have turned into pigs and she runs off to try and find help. She encounters a boy named Haku that takes her into the strange world where spirits and witches habitat and he tells her to find someone named Kamaji and ask for a job. She is looked down on as a human but she manages to find Kamaji who has eight legs like a spider and he gets her a job. Chihiro works with Lin who is an older female and she shows her what to do and where to sleep. Chihiro helps out cleaning and delivering but at night she sneaks out to talk with Haku who is helping her get her parents back and to be able to go home.
Miyazaki has such a broad sense of imagination and this is reflected in his other films like "Princess Mononoke" and "Kiki's Delivery Service" and this film is probably even greater than those two. This film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and it certainly deserved it. One of the joys of watching Miyazaki's films is that you have no idea what so ever has to what will happen next. The characters and events take the viewer on a strange and fantastic voyage that has never been seen before. Yubaba the witch has a giant baby named Boh, Haku turns into a flying dragon and Kamaji has these dustball/spider things carry lumps of coal to a furnace that heats everything. One of the big highlights of this film is the "Stink Spirit" that is this giant glob of river mud and Chihiro helps it get clean. While she does this she helps pull out all the junk (Bicycles, assorted metal, etc..) until we see what this spirit really looks like. This is the type of animated feature that children should view and this is not to knock American animated films but the Japanese concern themselves more with the stories. Children should view films that will enhance they're imagination but unfortunately most of the crap they are forced to watch is usually something that they can guess as to what will happen next. Miyazaki had no plans to make another film but happily he is working on another one! This is a great animated film and it should be recommended viewing for children although adults will love this also.