Spirited Away (***1/2)
review by Ken Gumbs

Ok, can I be honest with you for a second? I’m mean it’s just the two of us here and I feel I can open up. I went to school to learn about movies but I really don’t know that much about movies. I don’t know whom legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki is, and I’ve never seen any of his supposed critically
acclaimed films. But one thing this reviewer knows is a good film when he sees one, and Spirited Away is
a good one.

Now lets get through the standard information before we really get started. Miyazaki is the Japanese
filmmaker of such films as Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro. His latest film Spirited Away was bought by that nice good old-fashioned media conglomerate Disney. It was recently released in art houses in the United States after great commercial success overseas. OK, so the boring stuff is over, lets get to
the film.

Chihiro, a young girl whose adventure starts with a move to a new town. After stumbling onto what is
perceived as an abandon theme park, Chihiro’s parents go snooping around this ghost town. After eating some food found in the park they are turned into pigs (god, I hate when that happens!). Turns out this crazy abandoned theme park is actually the world of the spirits. Chihiro takes the remainder of the film
trying to stay in the world of the spirits so she can find a way to save her parents.

Ok, some pretty basic Disney storytelling, (think Alice in Wonderland) but it is better than that. The animation definitely is superior to anything Disney has put out in recent memory. For all hand-drawn animation fans sick of cheap computer generated thrills, you will know exactly what I am talking about. The subject matter in Spirited Away seems to be at times ‘un-Disney’- murders, vomiting, monsters, and a bunch of witchcraft doesn’t exactly say ‘bring the kids.’ That is where the difference between Miyazaki and Disney begins. While Disney’s team of animators and storytellers create worlds in which they believe children could enjoy, Miyazaki has made a world that seems created entirely by the imagination of children. Within all of its sophisticated beauty is this dreamlike child innocence that is a breath of fresh air compared to most animated films.

Spirited Away is good, and should be released soon nation wide. Just in time to battle the Harry Potter
and Lord of the Rings sequels for Christmas ticket sales. While those two films are probably both on
your ‘must see list’, don’t be surprised if Spirited Away joins those ranks soon.

respond to ken@filmbrats.com

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