Spirited Away
Director: Hayo Miyazaki
Cast: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Miyu Irino
Distributor: Walt Disney Home Video
Classification: PG
Running Time: 132 Minutes
From the maker of The Castle of Cagliostro and Princess Mononoke comes one of the most amazing animated films I have seen. I must admit that I like Anime animated films in general, as they’re often weird, funny, outstandingly illustrated, and address issues that ‘western’ cartoons wouldn’t touch with a huge pair of Mickey Mouse ears. Spirited Away won the Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards in 2003, running against Ice Age, Lilo & Stitch, Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron, and Treasure Planet, as well as Best Film: Japanese, and also won Best Film at the Golden Bear Film Festival Awards in Berlin. I think it is so acclaimed because it is truly beautiful, if not entirely original.
The story begins with our protagonist Chihiro, voiced by Daveigh Chase who also voices Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, and her parents leaving their old life for a new one. Chihiro is worried about losing her friends, and making new ones at her new school. Her Father attempts to take a shortcut up an old road, and they get lost. They get to a strange building, and walk through to find an abandoned amusement park. Chihiro’s parents get hungry, and follow the scent to a small store with a massive amount of food, and pig out. Chihiro, not hungry, wanders off, while her family is transformed into the pigs they are! She finds a big bathhouse, and is about to enter when a young boy, Haku, voiced by Jason Marsden from the Lion King II and Hocus Pocus, whisks her away from harm. He explains that she has stumbled upon a bathhouse for the spirit world, and to help her parents she must get a job.
It’s Chihiro’s qualities such as resolve, bravery and love that get her through a series of ordeals in a strange, funny and different world, obviously a parallel to her leaving her old life and moving on into a new one. The story has a similar feel to Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz, but the world it is set seems a lot more bizarre. Maybe because it’s Japanese there could be some symbolism I am missing, but there are a series of events and characters that are just so “out there” it makes me wonder what the creator was on when he wrote this script. Not that this is a bad thing, though, as it adds an extra dimension to the film, makes you THINK, rather than sit there and be entertained / numbed as western children’s films do.
The most amazing thing about this film is the illustration. It is truly, phenomenally beautiful. From the stunningly surreal characters such as the Boiler Man, to the gorgeous River Dragon Spirit, all the characters have well defined qualities brilliantly represented by simplistic yet wonderful animation and illustration. There are no obvious computer effects, but there doesn’t need to be. Furthermore, the backdrops are simply amazing, full of flashes of colour and shadow, creating mood to brilliant effect. The time and effort gone into creating this wonderfully, abstractly weird world are incredible, and puts Walt Disney to shame.
The ending is quite abrupt and happy, almost clichéd, but after all it is a children’s film. There are some dramatic scenes, but nothing too sinister or scary, especially compared to other Manga films, although there are some gross parts involving bodily fluids. Then again, if Ren and Stimpy are any indication, kids get off on that kind of stuff. All up Spirited Away is a great kids film, and is wonderful to watch as an adult as well.