Rating of
4/4
Childhood revisited...
Mr. Storm - wrote on 03/17/08
There is a time in every child's life where the most outrageous fantasy can come true. Not physically, but somewhere in the recesses of the mind, where hope lives and thrives. A world exists that cannot be bothered with adults and happiness is an every-moment occassion. As adults, we try to achieve that state, although we deny it. After watching Spirited Away, I feel like I have come close to achieving a return to childhood fantasy worlds. And it feels great.
This epic, yet intimate story, begins with a young girl named Chihiro sitting in the backseat of her parent's car, complaining to anyone that will listen that she does not want to move to this new town because of her father's new job. They stop at an abandoned amusement park out of curiosity, but end up looking for food. Finding a little stall that seems to be in operation, although without any visible workers, they consume massive amounts of food. Suddenly, Chihiro's parents turn into pigs and are beaten and taken away by unseen forces. Chihiro, lost and abandoned, is helped in this strange new world by a kind young man she meets named Haku. After meeting with the boilermaker of the bathhouse (a very interestnig character, to say the least), she is to meet Yubaba, the ruler of this, what we soon realize, fantastical world, who gives her a new name- Sen. This leads to Chihiro forgetting who she was before, including memories of her family.
Along the way, she encounters some very interesting characters, including a Stink Monster that turns out to be something else (with a poignant message that cannot be missed) and the Radish Spirit, which is oddly creepy, yet sweet. This world she is thrust into is one of such wonders that you think to yourself "Why does she want to leave?" It is a crucial question and one that can only be answered with one word: love. Her parents will be killed and eaten if she does not help them and escapes. We are taken along for the ride and what a ride it is!
The animation is top-notch. It is not computer-generated, like the spate of new animated films in the U.S. There is no need for it. With vivid colors that burst off the screen, this makes me pine for the old days when animation was drawn by hand. Simplicity being at the center of a fantasy film is certainly an irony, but it has to be seen to be believed.
This is a Japanese anime film, by the Godfather of Anime himself- Hayao Miyazaki. He gives us a chance to leave our world of adulthood and be mesmerized by one of the finest stories ever seen in film. We want to be Chihiro, the child at the center of the story. As a poor substitute, we want so badly to be there by her side when she meets Yubaba and her two-ton baby boy. We want to have friends like Haku, the compassionate dragon. This world, centered in a Japanese bathhouse, provides us with a chance to enter a dream that we sometimes wish lasted forever.
Miyazaki, the creator of the almost-equally fantastic Princess Mononoke, has constructed a world the likes which have never been seen before. The story, which Miyazaki made for his ten-year old niece, rings with such sincerity that we cannot help but fall in love with his vision. It is what make this movie a true masterpiece and one that will be remembered for ages to come.
