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Movies / On DVD / Spirited Away
Spirited Away

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Spirited Away (2002)

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Reviews Counted:154

Fresh:150

Rotten:4

Average Rating:8.5/10

Consensus: Hayao Miyazaki's dazzling, enchanting Spirited Away takes viewers, young and old alike, through the looking glass.

Runtime: 2 hrs 12 mins

Genre: Childrens

Synopsis: Directed by animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, SPIRITED AWAY is the tale of Chihiro (voiced by Daveigh Chase), a young girl who is taken down an unusual road by her parents while moving to a new home... Directed by animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, SPIRITED AWAY is the tale of Chihiro (voiced by Daveigh Chase), a young girl who is taken down an unusual road by her parents while moving to a new home in an unfamiliar town. The curiosity of Chihiro's mother (Lauren Holly) and father (Michael Chiklis) leads the reluctant child into what appears to be an abandoned amusement park. Soon her parents are greedily feasting on various delights from an enticing food stand and are literally turned into pigs. The frightened and bewildered girl then encounters a young man named Haku (Jason Marsden), who explains what she must do to navigate this strange and magical realm. Finding employment in a bathhouse for spirits and other odd characters--including kimono-wearing frogs, lumbering tentacled monsters, and a mysterious apparition named No Face--Chihiro attempts to figure out how she can free her parents from the clutches of the resort's owner, a powerful witch named Yubaba (Suzanne Pleshette). In the process, she makes some very eccentric friends--and has to deal with some notoriously stinky customers. A surreal adventure reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's ALICE IN WONDERLAND, SPIRITED AWAY continues Miyazaki's streak of groundbreaking animated films that also includes PRINCESS MONONOKE and MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. Succeeding MONONOKE as the most successful film in Japanese cinema history, this charming movie follows its own bizarre yet engaging logic as it reveals a cast of fascinating characters and jaw-dropping settings through stunningly beautiful hand-crafted animation. A movie experience like no other, SPIRITED AWAY is sure to enchant audiences of all ages, leaving viewers grinning with a giddy sense of wonderment. [More]

Starring: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Michael Chiklis, Susan Egan

Starring: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Michael Chiklis, Susan Egan, Lauren Holly, Suzanne Pleshette, David Ogden Stiers, John Ratzenberger

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki
Composer: Joe Hisaishi
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

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Reviews for Spirited Away

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Spirited Away is wonderful.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/03/08
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite a dip midway through, this is a captivating fantasy that sets a new benchmark for animation.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Patrick Peters
Patrick Peters
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Initially seems like a Through the Looking-Glass fantasy, but rapidly picks up a resonance, weight and complexity that make it all but Shakespearean.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even if CG cartoons come to dominate Japan as they do much of the world, there's a corner of the animation field that will be forever Miyazaki.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
09/03/03
Andrew Osmond
Andrew Osmond
Sight and Sound

One of the most impressive animated features of this year, or any other.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
09/03/03
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A genuinely magical experience that both adults and children will enjoy. See it -- you’ll be glad you did.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
08/17/03
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

I could hardly wait for the next plot twist or astonishing set piece, not to mention what visual magic Miyazaki still had up his sleeve (and he has plenty!).

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
04/13/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Spirited Away exalts the young girl Chihiro's uncanny experiences into an adventure that is as thrillingly ambiguous as it is vividly soundtracked and illustrated.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
08/25/09
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

I went nuts over this movie.

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

Filmgoers of all ages should not pass up the opportunity to experience such a work of staggering imagination.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
12/28/08
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

This persistently fascinating if slightly over-long fairytale is propelled by the seemingly boundless imagination of writer-director Hayao Miyazaki.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
10/18/08
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
10/18/08
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News

A fractured, knotted story about adjusting to new surroundings and having courage in the face of peril.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Think you're too hip for Japanese anime about a lost ten-year-old girl whose parents turn into snorting pigs? Get over it.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment 1 Comment
08/14/07
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

I struggled to find the source of imperfection in this film

Full Review Source: Draxblog Movie Reviews | comment Comment
09/20/05
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews

Far and away the best film I've seen this year.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

Not instructive, as Disney is, and not aloof, like anime. Spirited Away is fun without being a lesson, and it welcomes you in.

Full Review Source: F5 (Wichita, KS) | comment Comment
07/06/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

'Mostrando un profundo respeto por el mundo espiritual, Miyazaki logra una verdadera joya de la animación que a veces raya en lo poético'

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
01/09/04
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola

It races along with the speed of a bullet train, visiting weird, enchanted places the likes of which have never been seen before.

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
10/28/03
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette

The wonders never stop.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
10/08/03
Jurgen Fauth
Jurgen Fauth
About.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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Latest News for Spirited Away

September 24, 2008: Get Drawn to RT's Best Animated Films!
Animated films: they ain't just cartoons anymore. Nor have they been for quite some time. RT celebrates the imaginative, dazzling world of animation with out countdown of the... More...

August 21, 2008: Japanese Audiences Flocking to Miyazaki's Latest Opens in new window
He delighted audiences with Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle -- and now director Hayao Miyazaki is doing it all over again with his latest film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the... More...

March 20, 2007: Will Miyazaki's Next Film Be His Last?
It's been speculated that legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki will retire after the release of his next film, "Ponyo on a Cliff," but now it looks like we'll have at... More...

October 03, 2006: Miyazaki Prepares Next Animation Classic
Let's face it: When the director of "Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoke," and a whole bunch of other brilliant pieces of animation announces that he's about... More...

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