Running entirely contrary to western prejudices about Japanese animated films, 'Spirited Away' is a gem of a film that works at many different levels.
In Japan, cartoons aren't just for kids, a distinctive style has emerged, domestically known as 'Anime', but known internationally as 'Manga'.
- the character's faces have characteristic 'doe' eyes, plot lines are usually epic, and centre around righting wrongs, conquering villains, and conflict is the order of the day - either martial arts, supernatural spell casting, or good old fashioned ordinance - with plenty of stylised explosions.
For the more adult audience, throw in a bit of sadomasochism and for good measure, a couple of gratuitous soft-porn snog-a-thons, and you have all the elements of a 'classic'.
Not my taste at all, and thankfully, none of this applies to 'Spirited Away'.
Mention the name Hayao Miyazaki in his
native Japan, and you'll get instant recognition, he's something of a Tex Avery, Fred Quimby, Don Bluth, Joseph Hannah, William Barbera and, dare I say it, Walt Disney all in one - he is simply the most respected animator in the business - strange that he has gone largely unnoticed outside the far east, except perhaps by the real cinema geeks.
'Spirited Away' won the 2003 'Best Animated Feature' category, against Ice Age, Lilo & Stitch, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Treasure Planet, so in some senses it could be argued it wasn't an especially strong field, but I'd say it would give practically any film in the past ten years a good run for the money.
Enough of the background, what about the film itself?
Like most Japanese films, Spirited Away works at any number of levels.
The main plot lien is pretty straightforward; Chihiro is a ten year old girl in the 'real world' who is moving house with her parents, on the way, they get lost and find themselves transported to an enchanted land, where her parents are turned into pigs, and she ends up in a traditional Bathhouse, who's clients come from the spirit world.
She faces many challenges, and through hard work, co-operation and a lot of bravery, succeeds in breaking the spell cast over her parents, and returns to 'real' life.
The bit in the middle, which takes up about 90% of the film is quite simply barking mad, however, so beautifully animated it hardly matters.
The 'look and feel' is certainly eastern, there's loads of cultural references, which although lost on most western viewers (myself included) simply enhance the integrity of the film.
What I especially liked was the typically pacifist approach - no fights of good verses evil, no violence, no use of force to resolve situations.
There's a healthy dose of 'eco propaganda' - at one time a 'stink spirit' comes for a bath, everyone is repulsed by the smell, however Chihiro gets stuck in, and gets on with the bathing - it turns out it isn't a stink spirit at all, but a river spirit which has been polluted by mankind.
The film is still on general release - although it tends to be screened on the 'odd' slots; Saturday Mornings, late afternoons etc., as far as I know the DVD hasn't officially been released in Europe yet, although 'grey imports' are available on Ebay (make sure you get one with an English sound track if your Japanese isn't up to it!)
I must admit, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this film, I'd heard some of the film buffs on telly raving about it, and imagined it would be a cross between the 'Seven Samurai' and 'Animatrix' - how wrong I was, and how pleased I was to find that out for myself!
If it's any measure this film's ability to engage different audiences; At no time during the film's 124 minutes did either my wife, or daughter's aged 12 and 6 start fidgeting in their seats - it's a mark of both the subtlety and clarity of the piece that allows it to work at so many different levels.
I wouldn't do anything as remotely geeky as read up on the plot, actors etc. before going, just turn up at the cinema (possibly better with a couple of kids to avoid drawing attention to yourself) and let it wash over you.
Make no mistake, this is pure escapism, but exquisitely done, and with powerful messages - I only hope the film distributors take note, and decide to share more films of this ilk in future.
'Spirited Away' was supposedly Miyazaki's last movie before retirement, and was distributed in the west by Disney - however I see from at least one web site, a film due for release in 2004 called 'Howl's Moving Castle' - so there's something to look forward to!
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The highest grossing film in Japanese box-office history, Hayao Miyazaki'sSpirited ... more
Away(Sen To Chihiro Kamikakushi) is a dazzling film that reasserts the power of drawn animation to create fantasy worlds. Like Dorothy inThe Wizard of Ozand Lewis Carrol...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The highest grossing film in Japanese box-office history, Hayao Miyazaki'sSpirited ... more
Away(Sen To Chihiro Kamikakushi) is a dazzling film that reasserts the power of drawn animation to create fantasy worlds. Like Dorothy inThe Wizard of Ozand Lewis Carrol...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
From one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animated cinema comes the ... more
most acclaimed film of 2002 winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin and the 2003 Oscar for Best Animated Film and the highest grossing film in Japanese cinema history. ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
A remarkable fantasy adventure film quite unlike any other. Spirited Away tells the story ... more
of Chihiro, a headstrong 10-year-old girl, unhappy that her family are moving house and that she will have to make new friends.As they make their way to the new h...
Advantages: As imaginative as a film can get, faultless animation, stunning design, excellent characters, decent dialogue, nice soundtrack, plenty of extras Disadvantages: Sure to be ignored in Europe
![Spirited Away [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/83201946.jpg "Spirited Away [DVD]")
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