Average Rating: 
Rating: - Wow... that's all I can say...
...It is awesome. Now I saw the Disney, English dubbed version, and there was a lot of unnecessary stating-of-the-obvious involved, but if you don't pay attention to that and watch the movie, it really is quite stunning. I especially loved the ocean landscapes and the abandoned park. It was eerie and pretty at the same time. I didn't think that Hayao Miyazaki could top his own Princess Mononoke, but he definitely did, both at the box office and in the film itself. Spirited Away is certainly more kidsy than Princess Mononoke, because the main character is a ten-year-old and the film is decidedly less bloody and battle-driven. In an nutshell: this movie is beautifully made, has a good message, and will entrance kids, teenagers, and adults alike. Go see it!!! (One more thing: if you have seen Princess Mononoke, don't try and compare the two films. I told my good friend and anime-fanatic that I was having trouble deciding which was better, and he solved all of my problems by telling me: "You can't. They're too different." Different, yes, but both awesome in their own respects.)
Rating: - Spirited Away by "Spirited Away"
If you liked Princess Mononoke, you will find this to be a rewarding feature to watch as well. I loved it!"Spirited Away" follows a young girl, Chihiro, who's family has moved into a new area. In the process of trying to find their new home, the family arrives at a secretive tunnel hidden away from the main road. Her adventurous father decides to investigate the tunnel, and leads his family into what he believes to be an abandoned amusement park, where, strangely enough, they find a single restaurant cooking up strange but tasty dishes. Still Suspicious, Chihiro wanders off while her parents dig in, and finds a hot springs bath house, where she meets a young boy called Haku. He warns her to leave, and in so doing, finds her Father and Mother turned into pigs by their gluttonous feeding frenzy! Needless to say, the young girl finds herself trapped in a strange place where 8 million gods come to relax at the hotsprings, where she ends up being employed to stay alive. Personally, I would rate this film PG-13 due to some graphic situations, but reccomend it for the entire family! This feature is full of beautiful imagery, timely action and the right touch of romance without being ground into the senses.
I found myself "spirited away" by "Spirited Away!" ^,^ |/,,
Rating: - Possibly the best film of the year
The true test of how good a kids' movie is is to see how long they can sit through it without fidgeting. Most animated features clock in at less than 90 minutes. Folks, here we have one that runs slightly over TWO HOURS, and our four, five, seven, and nine year old children stayed put for the entire performance. Need I say more?Of course I will. This truly awesome piece of work is equally entertaining for adults, and is at the top of the list of movies I can't wait for DVD release. They throw so much imagination at you that most people will need several viewings to absorb it all. The plot, at a simple level, involves the adventures of a girl who gets trapped in a magical land after her parents are "Spirited Away" by a spell. At a more complex level, it can get really complex, but let's just say it involves the girl working in a bathhouse for spirits who need to be cleansed of various things. To go any further would be confusing, but I will say that there are references to protecting the environment throughout. I've seen only a limited theatrical release of this film, even though it has made megabucks overseas. I urge people to put this high on their "must see" list, as it might not be available to see that long. You don't often see a movie with this much imagination, and has no space ships or references to flatulence that seem obligatory in most of today's films.
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