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| All rights go to Studio Gihbli |
Released in 2001 in Japan and in 2002 over at the States, "Spirited Away" is considered to be the greatest film ever to be made. But why is it a good film to watch for at least a PG rating? Let's find out why as we look at "Spirited Away". (Note that I brighten the colors from the 2003 DVD using a computer DVD player)
The Plot:
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| All rights go to Studio Ghibli |
Chihiro is a 10-year old girl who, in the beginning of the film, is moving to a new home with her parents. The father gets them lost in the forest 'til they see a big tunnel.
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| All rights go to Studio Ghibli |
They decide to go into the tunnel to find out what is on the other side of it. Chihiro at first doesn't want to go but thanks to a statue outside, she enters with her parents.
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| All rights go to Studio Ghibli |
They find out that there is an abandoned town/theme park on the other side and the parents go off exploring. Much to Chihiro's dismay.
The rest of the story is so great that you HAVE to hear what this film's gonna tell. It also gives us time to explore the world in a whole new level and I love this idea of going some place new and learn something from it. That's pure gold!
The Animation:
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| All rights go to Studio Ghibli |
If there is a MAJOR thing that I love about in this movie, it HAS to be the animation. Sure it's a Japanese anime form but it's from Studio Ghibli. Sure at times the model does go off a bit but it still looks amazing no matter what. The animation on the hair is pretty good for Disney standards as well as the use of multiplane cameras made digitally for the anime. For ink and paint, no cels are used since "Princess Mononoke" and is the 1st Ghibli film to be painted using digital software. Some times the animation can be goofy that I smirk and laugh a little because of it. (Ex: When Chihiro backs out when she sees her father-turned-pig collapse to the restaurant floor.) The CG is also good and is limited for other 2D elements to come to play.
The Score:
Joe Hisaishi worked on the music for the film. He had done so since "The Valley of the Wind". To him, it was his greatest film score he had ever done. He wrote scores based on the storyboards and tests them out, creating an Image Album. Once the production comes to a close, the score is rewritten while some elements are kept. An example is the scene where Yubaba is shown for the 1st time with the Image Album track #2 where it's supposed to be where the spirits 1st showed up after the sun sets. The music is just amazing though I can't help it that No-Face's song in the Image Album sounds like something from "Sesame Street" or "Barney and Friends".
The Conclusion:
Hayao Miyazaki has created many worlds. I think this is his best one ever made. Sad to say he's no longer into film anymore but I hope to see a sequel out very soon. The characters are so unforgettable that you want to feel the action these characters go through. The backgrounds are beautiful to look at as well as the smoothness on the animation. While this can be stupid (the ending in which I won't get out) it's still fantastic. "Spirited Away" as well as the many great Disney films are so good that we have to see more from them.
The film gets a perfect 10/10 rating for the best animation and story.
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| All rights go to Studio Ghibli |
