A journey I'll never forget

Rating: 10/10 (21 August 2003)

Possible spoilers ahead.
When I rented "Spirited Away", I was unsure about all the hype I've heard about it, about it being an utter masterwork. Hayao Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke" is one of my favorite movies and I didn't know how he could top it. But did he ever. I'm at a loss for words. Mastery doesn't begin to describe this. It's too bad that this is Miyazaki's, I believe, last film. Today, CGI is all the rage, and many believe that the days of traditional animation are coming to an end. But "Spirited Away" is a movie that could never be done with computers. Sure, it'd be crisper looking, technically "better looking". But CGI would ruin the subtlety, the
simplicity that makes it so brilliant. Don't get me wrong, CGI has rightly earned a place in the film industry. But I hate the idea of all animation being CGI.

Anyway, back to the movie. "Spirited Away", is so remarkably beautiful is so
many ways. On shot that got to me in particular was when Chihiro, after being shown what has happened to her parents by her friend, Haku, is walking away.
After crossing a bridge, she looks back, and Haku has transformed into a
dragon. We can see him, but only at a distance, like how we'd see a majestic
eagle, framed against the sky. This shot is too simple and beautiful for words. Nothing in this is too bombastic, nothing overdone, and for two hours and takes us on an amazing journey that only a master of animation, like Miyazaki, can
take us on. I'll never forget watching "Spirited Away" and I beg anyone who has bothered to read this review to watch this movie as soon as possible. I doubt you'll forget either.