Spirited Away

Hayao Miyazaki (2001)

124min

PG Certificate

Review

Our Score

by David Parkinson

Having broken box-office records and added an Oscar to its share of Berlin's Golden Bear, this animated fantasy adventure about a sulky girl who learns the importance of being true to oneself has become a Japanimation classic. It contains echoes of Alice in Wonderland that are reinforced by the gallery of rogues and grotesques that resourceful heroine Chihiro encounters after she's trapped inside a fantasy world ruled by twin witches. Director Hayao Miyazaki's insistence on hand-drawn graphics gives the CGI visuals an ethereal charm that ensures the story is always a pleasure to behold, even during its rare moments of inaction.

Summary

A petulant 10-year-old enters an abandoned amusement park while accompanying her parents on a family outing, and finds herself transported to a fantastical world controlled by two witches, where she must follow the rules if she is ever to return home. Oscar-winning Japanese animated fantasy directed by Hayao Miyazaki, with the voices of Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette and Susan Egan.

Cast & Crew

Chihiro Daveigh Chase

Yubaba / Zeniba Suzanne Pleshette

Haku Jason Marsden

Lin Susan Egan

Kamaji David Ogden Stiers

Chihiro's mother Lauren Holly

Chihiro's father Michael Chiklis

Assistant manager John Ratzenberger

Baby Boh Tara Charendoff

Director Hayao Miyazaki

Director Kirk Wise

Other Information

Language: Japanese dubbedColourTheatrical distributor: Optimum ReleasingGuidance: Contains scenes that some younger viewers may find frightening.Available on: video, DVD and Blu-rayReleased on: 12 Sep 2003

Drama

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