Spirited Away (aka Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) guest movie review

by Chris and Kris   ⋅   July 14, 2005   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

Anime isn’t for everyone. I know this, having been in my life both an enemy and a fan of the style. Just like styles of music, not everyone will like every style of animation. Given that, though, even people who aren’t anime fans can find something to like about Spirited Away.

Director Hayao Miyazaki has spun for his audiences a wonderfully whimsical tale about a little girl’s adventures in the strange and new. Chihiro, the heroine, is in the process of moving to a new town with her parents, when the three of them manage to wander into what seems to be a small town right out of Japanese antiquity. Shortly afterwards, Chihiro’s parents are transformed into pigs, and she herself is nearly apprehended by the spirit denizens of the town. Just in time, though, a young boy named Haku whisks her out of harm’s way and brings her to the center of town – a large bathhouse, where thousands of gods from all over the world come to relax. The bathhouse is abuzz with activity, and Chihiro finds herself swept up into the flow. The story is very well written, and reminds of the halcyon days of Disney, before everything was a musical.

Nearly all Japanese anime asks that its audience accept from the start that certain things won’t be explained (which is likely a major reason so many people disdain the genre), and Spirited Away is no exception, though the unexplained here is rarely a difficult leap. As long as you don’t bother wondering why gods would need to visit a bathhouse, or why such a place would be run by a witch, you’ll likely have no problems. Unlike most traditional anime, however, the scale of the plot in Spirited Away is relatively small; the story doesn’t extend far beyond the walls of the bathhouse itself. This makes the movie much easier to swallow, and gives the plot an earnest, endearing quality to boot.

The characters in Spirited Away are wonderfully colorful. Chihiro’s innocence and honesty are a refreshing change from the numerous antiheroes populating modern cinema. Even the antagonist, the witch Yubaba, is no villain; she has a child, whom she cares for, she seems to genuinely care about her guests, she even has a labor contract with her employees. Supporting characters are likeable and unobtrusive, just the right combination to allow the main characters to really shine.

The movie’s visuals are just as enjoyable as the rest of the film. Character design is inventive and fun, and in many cases, unbelievably cute. Backgrounds are beautifully done in both traditional hand animation and modern computer effects. The CG effects may not quite compare to the visual feasts of Hollywood blockbusters like The Matrix, but they are tactfully done and integrated tightly with the traditional animation for a clean, modern, yet personal look.

The music of Spirited Away is quite nice, though never really exceptional. It does a good job of supporting the mood of a given scene without diverting attention from the exceptional visuals or story. Likewise, sound effects are well done but not memorable. As far as the voice acting, well, the version I saw was in its original Japanese, with English subtitles, so I’m not quite qualified to judge. The voices matched their characters well, though, and the subtitles were quite good, so I’m inclined to score them high.

All in all, I really enjoyed this film. It’s got a great deal going for it – endearing story, lively characters, beautiful visuals – and is a nice departure from the standard Hollywood fare these days. It is a little cutesy, so those of you who can’t stand a lot of sugar in your movie diet may wish to stay home (Although, guys, I hear the ladies like the cute stuff…). But its honesty and innocence are beautiful in their own right, and this movie will leave you with a definite warm, fuzzy feeling, if you let it. Alone, with a date, or with a family, do yourself a favor. See Spirited Away.

–Nathaniel D. Roberts