Charming, VERY imaginative, memorable

Rating: 10/10 (14 May 2003)

Spirited Away is simply a lovely movie.
It is a work of genius, but sort of a sneaky one. Yes, the hand-drawn visuals are wonderful (each frame is a work of art). There are some intriguing contrasts between natural beauty and mechanized squalor, and an implied environmental message.
The plot isn't terribly important, but the characters are. One of the things I love about this move is that Miyazaki doesn't consider it necessary to explain his characters. They're just THERE, in a glory of imaginative output that somehow made me think of "Being John Malkovich" (not that the movies are similar in any way but their sheer imaginative breadth).
Some moments are very funny, others quite disturbing, yet others strangely touching. For me, it was one of those rare instances where a critically-acclaimed movie actually exceeded my expectations.