Spirited Away (2001)

 

The world of fantasy is a great opportunity for those wanting to explore strange new worlds of excitement and wonder. And all around the world, fantasy is being brought to us in many shapes and forms. One such place where fantasy can thrive heavily is in Japan, and within the realm of animation, fantasy know no bounds. And, there is no better example of a perfect of a fantasy film that outdoes pretty much everything else than 2001's “Spirited Away”. Which was given a proper English dub and release one year later to critical acclaim, and winning an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Since its release, the impact that this movie has had, has been phenomenal. Many people and critics have praised this movie left and right, and, honestly, what else is there to say that hasn't been said already? It's amazing. “Spirited Away” is clearly one of those movies that needs to be seen to be believed. Not just on an animation level, not just on a fantasy viewpoint, but as a movie in general.

The story follows a young girl named Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi in the Japanese version, and Daveigh Chase in English), who is moving into a brand new town with her parents. Taking a wrong turn, the family ends up in an abandoned amusement park, where things are not what they seem. Soon, Chihiro encounters a rather large bath house, and suddenly realizes that her parents have turned into pigs due to their gluttony. Meeting up with an apprentice named Haku (Miyu Irino in Japanese, and Jason Marsden in English), he informs her that the only way to reverse the curse on her parents is for Chihiro to go and get a job from the head supervisor Yubaba (Mari Natsuki in Japanese and Suzanne Pleshette in English). Begrudgingly, Yubaba agrees, and Chihiro's name is now Sen. Now, Chihiro must use her wits in order to survive the bath house and rescue not only her parents, but herself in this world of spirits.

“Spirited Away” is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Everything just clicks at the right moment in time. Speaking of which, at a running time of two hours, the movie never has a dull moment, and the pacing keeps itself maintained. During this time, the movie displays a wide variety of emotions. When it is time to be scared, it gets scary. When it gets quiet, like with the infamous train sequence near the end of the film, it takes the viewer on a relaxing journey of what the mysterious fantasy world conveys.

This is all thanks to a wonderful story written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, he took heavy inspiration from Japanese mythology and folklore. And what he created was a world of pure significance. From how this bath house works, to the surrounding area and how each spirit works in their own unique way, Miyazaki manages the production with relative ease.

He also does this by making the characters believable. Chihiro is a curious girl, but she does have her weaknesses. Haku is a servant, but also cares for Chihiro and wants her to succeed. Yubaba isn't an evil witch, she's a businesswoman who just uses magic to prove her point. Also, Miyazaki manages to create a world that functions perfectly. Everything has a mechanism, and every spirit in some shape or form, serves a purpose. “Spirited Away” is well-planned, and beautifully executed.

Plus, the technicalities for this film are amazing.

The musical score done by Joe Hisaishi provides a calming use of the piano, while also leading to some spectacular compositions that are well worth listening to.

The sound design is fantastic. From a car driving up a dirt path, to a train going through water, Miyazaki and his team created a sense of realism in a fantasy world.

The acting is also great. It doesn't matter which language to view the movie in as both the Japanese and English audio tracks are fantastic in their own rights. The Japanese track definitely offers up some surprising quiet moments that gives the viewer the chance to get to look at the visuals and scenery. The English track provides some talented voice actors dubbing with perfection in order to make sure that everything matches neatly.

And yet, the big factor that draws everyone's attention to is the animation. The hand drawings are moved to such precise detail that everything has a certain flow to make the movie stand out more. There are even some small moments within the feature where 3D animation is used to stimulate movement, but everything else is handled marvelously in 2D. The character designs give out a nice contrast between humans and spirits, and they all get a chance to shine in the film. Plus, all of these wonderful designs came not just from Miyazaki, but from everyone at Studio Ghibli creating an epic masterpiece in the process. The same can be said for the backgrounds; everything is painted with vibrant colors, and sticks out among the action. And surprisingly, all of this still holds up watching it to this day. The animation in “Spirited Away” should not be overlooked.

In conclusion, “Spirited Away” is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is not only one of the best films in animation. It is not only one of the best films to feature fantasy as its main element. It's one of the best movies in general, and needs to be seen to be believed.