Rating- * * * * * (5/5)
Read my review in The Crimson White
As I get older, I’ve seen fewer and fewer animated films that have impressed me. Some, like Tarzan, Shrek and the Pixar films, have blown me away and exceeded many of their live action counterparts. Most, however, have been rather bland and aimed at the ever-annoying Nickelodeon crowd. When the very first Oscar for Best Animated Feature was handed out to Shrek, I immediately knew that the Academy was taking this category seriously. This film stood out as the only unrecognizable nominee in a field of mediocre candidates from Disney and DreamWorks and surprised many when it took home the gold. As a result of the big win, Disney has financed an American release for the film thus allowing me to finally see this much-talked about and critically acclaimed film. First, a little background; this film comes from Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, considered by many to be a living god among animators. When this film was originally released in Japan, it surpassed Titanic as that country’s highest grossing movie of all time. For someone like me who doesn’t understand the appeal of Japanese animation, particularly the anime that is so popular in the American nerd culture, it is hard to take an animated movie that seriously. So, needless to say at this point, I went into Spirited Away with about as much skepticism as one could have, even after hearing my boy Roger Ebert sing its praises as one of the best films of the year. Almost from the opening frame I understood exactly what everyone was so excited about. As the film unfolded before me, I found myself as immersed and interested in the film as I would be any great live-action film. There is so much to say about this film, but what makes it truly great is the world which it creates and immerses us in. The film begins as a family moving to a new town discovers an old, abandoned amusement park and decides to explore it. Suddenly, the shy little girl Chihiro (voiced by Daveigh Chase who played the bone-chilling Samara in The Ring) is horrified to discover that her parents have been turned into pigs. As it turns out, the amusement park is a sort of gateway into the world of spirits and ghosts and Chihiro finds that she is trapped in that world. With the aid of a renegade spirit named Haku, Chihiro gets a job in a bath house for spirits that is run by an evil witch named Yubaba. Chihiro works and bides her time until she can discover a way to get her parents changed back and get back to the real world. In the meantime, we meet some pretty interesting characters including Kamaji, a man with six arms that are all constantly working, and a river spirit that has been gunked up by years of pollution. The story is reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland in that we are transported with the little girl to a world entirely foreign to us and we, like the girl are astonished to see such amazing sights. Miyazaki’s animation is so thoroughly detailed that one could literally see something different every time you watch it, but the truly amazing part of the film is the incredibly imaginative world that Miyazaki creates. Chihiro, unlike other animated film heroines, reacts and thinks like a real little girl would in her situation. She is filled with awe and fear and doesn’t simply shrug when she sees things like a giant baby or living dust particles. Her confusion helps us to identify with her better than we normally would in an animated movie and draws us into the story with remarkable effectiveness. As a simple animated adventure, this film ranks as one of the best but to see it as just that is to miss the real brilliance that Miyazaki brings to the art. Subtle details along the way suggest a wealth of emotion and truth hidden within the characters and events of the story and Spirited Away offers something that every great film must have: depth. Good films fascinate you the first time you watch them and give you things to appreciate the second or third time you watch them. Great films can be watched hundreds of times, studied and analyzed, each time revealing something new to the viewer. Spirited Away is a great film. Not only does it offer the kind of depth that true film buffs crave, but it is one of the most watchable and purely enjoyable films you could ever ask for. A movie for film buffs and kids alike, Miyazaki has truly given us a treasure in Spirited Away and I would proudly recommend this film to anyone that I know of any age or interest. Along with Shrek, this film has set the bar extremely high for the Academy’s fledgling Best Animated Feature award and is yet another sign of the return to excellence that we have seen in the world of studio film this year. Here’s to a bright future for the world of animation and the world of movies.