If this film is a glimpse of what animated films are to become in the near future, animation will be the soul reason why anyone should go to the movies. What I thought was mesmerising and wonderful with Princess Mononoke only gets better here, with a masterpiece that should be the film that all animated films try to become. I have NEVER had this much fun at the movies. I was blown away. Actually, blown away is an understatement. I was held hostage willingly by the animation and genius of visionary director Hayao Miyazaki and am only waiting with excitement for what is to come from him in the future, because his films are the pinnacle of the animation empire and if his next film is as half as good as this one, it will be guaranteed an oscar. As for me, I will never look at films the same way agin. The bar has been raised exceedingly high for animation yet to come. Thank you Miyazaki for your most complete and realised masterwork. It is the best animated film I have ever seen.… Expand

This movie was GREAT!!! I was a bit confused at some parts (the whole purpose of no face) but it had me laughing, wanting to cry, shivering, smiling, THINKING...It was by FAR one of favorites now. It definitely is a must see by lovers of anime, fantasy and comedy.

The most vivid and fantastic animation i've seen in years. the best japanese movie of all time.

This was a good movie, but nowhere near as good as all the hype and reviews led me to believe. I saw it about the same time as I saw Waking Life, which totally blew this away as an interesting and original animated movie. I also find that it pales in comparison to another of my favorite animated movies, Ghost in the Shell. If you want to see a truly great animated movie, see one of these.

wonderfull film!, everyone, in all ages can enjoy this movie. it has this great, nice atmosphere and characters. despite some loose ends, this is one of the best animated pictures ever.

This movie is great, it's so wonderful that i watched it three times. What disappointed me is that where's the ending?? That's the ending, it does not really end off does it. What's gonna happen to Haku? Is Haku and Chihiro gonna meet again like he said they would? Did Haku escape from that place? With these and many more questions unanswered, the movie just ended. I hope they're gonna make a Spirited Away 2 or something, because I really enjoyed this movie and i would really like to know what happened... Hey what can I say? I'm curious...… Expand

Blown away.

Miyazaki tediously repeats the glories of his past with diminishing returns. The result is a cluttered, uninspired mess, an indulgent mishmash of ideas regurgitated like vomit. It's Miyazaki's Juliet of the Spiirts, imagination trashed about in the manner of a drunken orgy. After the tiresome phantasmagoric excesses, Miyazaki tries to tag on some ecological message but by then who the hell cares? Stick to Laputa, Nausicaa, and Totoro instead. … Expand

This movie was great. Even though I'm older and have a mature interset...this is awesome. It kept me mystified.

I would give this movie something much much higher then 10/10, but too bad there's no option for that. This movie is absolutely fantastic! Once you watch it, you'll want to watch it over and over again. Haku is the absolute best by the way ;)

I love and I mean LOVE animes, but this one just sucked. I fell asleep.....twice. If you want to see a great anime watch Akira. May Death find you quickly.

Beautifully animated, but it's the allegorical story and plotting that makes this a masterpiece and makes you forget that you're watching a cartoon. Takes the typical motif of how parents and children live in different worlds and then twists it in 14 multifaceted directions. A triumph in every sense of the word.

This movie was good, but I was a little confused when it came to Hakaku...what exactly was he and did he have any feelings while he was a dragon? As for Janet P, you need to chill out. Some people might find this movie "weird" and honestly I find you weird for acting so childish when a came to critisizing people. Have you ever though about therapy?

Brilliant and imaginative. To put this down as just for kids would be a travesty. To answer Hairy D's questions, the change in the no-face's behavior was obvious as he was fine when Chihiro first saw him, he only changed after she let him in when he was overcome with greed, a common theme in Miyazaki's films, and her recognition that none of the pigs were her parents is in keeping with the film's subtle theme of that you don't ever forget anything, hence Zeniba's quote in the film. It wasn't that she all of a sudden knew that they weren't her parents, but that she was able to remember who they really were from when Haku showed them to her. It's all there and it makes sense. And there's also no subliminal, creepy innuendos, Hairy. This is an amazing, imaginative and very thoughtful film that will surely stand the test of time as a classic. … Expand

For kids. As an adult I found the movie silly and boring in parts. I'm not suggesting a fantasy should make sense but this one made even less sense than I would expect - how did Chihiro figure out that getting No-face outside the bath-house would calm him down? (or that none of the pigs were her parents?) There were a lot of side plots like that where Chihiro got to be cute, lovable and heroic to the point of nausea. It highlights the fact that there was no overall plot. Basically side plots kept happening until the movie was ready to end and then the parents were just freed. So apart from a lame ending, lame side plots and pseudo pedo-erotic love between Chihiro and a River (did anyone not find that creepy!?), it was fine. As long as you're a kid and don't ask too many questions. … Expand

It's the best and the greatest!

One of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's a hodge podge of incoherent babble justified by all these so called comparisons by so-called reviewers. I gave it 1 star only cause it had Disney on it. I guess hell has frozen over.

Spirited Away is one of my favorite movies. But I believe it's a shame that some people don't think about what the story is trying to tell and just think about the neat animation and fun characters. While it's good to have good characters and animaion, I believe the story is what really counts in a film and Spirited Away has one of the most moving story lines that I have ever experienced. When comparing supposedly more "mature" movies such as "The HulK" or "Freddy vs. Jason" to Spirited Away.....it shows that even kids movies can be much more mature than a lot of the adult themed movies.… Expand

A beautiful, heartwarming tale for the whole family about...child prostitution?! It's true, Miyazaki even admitted it.

I love Haku. I love him so much that it hurts. I don't know how to explain it except that I have always had a strangesort of love for anyone like this. He is a thing of beauty, and if he were to exist in this universe as more than justan image, I think thati would die of happiness. I just can't express my gratitude at his existence.

Spirted Away is an emotional and touching story of a young girl in a search for her family. It's amazing how an aminated feature could connect so much to all age groups. One of the best aminated movies!

The story is moving and inspirational, without being completely trite. The animation is stunning. Miyazaki has the originality of a true artist.

I thought it was great, I was so disappointed When I found out there wasn't going to be a sequel.

It's absolutly worth a ten, I mean it's just the best movie I ever seen. Because the emotion that it bring forth, was the very best you ever can get in life. It was real! I feelt touched, that's the least I can say about this film. So, what now; It's the greatest film of all time. The end

I love this movie soooo much itz the best movie ever!!! im crazy about it i watch it over & over again.

It was the worst movie I have ever seen. Terrible animation combined with a senseless plot made it hard to sit through to the end.

See it!

One of the best animes ive ever seen and in my 16 year of life ive seen ALOT its a must see.

This is indisputably one of the best animated features ever to grace any screen. In my own fantasy land--if the oscars were an indication of anything--films like this would be recognized for being glaring statements on the process of growing up, and the childlike curiosity that is within us all. We can see that with Chihiro's parents, too, and it becomes the irony of the story that Chihiro takes charge and becomes an adult herself, all within the confines of one film. This is Miyazaki's masterpiece. If ever he achieves a feat higher, then I'll wet my pants, and that's a promise.… Expand

a beautiful film and original plot. I only saw the dubbed version, but it captured my heart. there was an original plot and an ordinary herione. Its a beautiful movie and I suggest any one of any age to look into it.

[**SPOILERS**] This film I found hard to rate. Let me clear up any misconceptions perhaps generated by that comment: make no mistake, this is a masterpiece. From the moment we follow Chihiro's lazy gaze at the passing townscape from the backseat of the family saloon, we are drawn into another world. This world is sustained by first rate animé-tion and truly breath-taking artwork, culminating in a visual feast. The characters we meet are typically bizarre and wonderfully imaginative without straying too far into an intangible dreamland; you have to remember, we're viewing a cartoon caricature of Japanese culture here, and this is beautifully reflected in the (often grotesque) spirits of the world. The plot is imaginative, lacking cliché and laced with tension, and we actually care about the characters thanks to excellent voice-acting. Stand-out examples of this are found in the characters of Lin and Haku, who are multi-dimensional and emotive. This really is the kind of film that would appeal to anyone, though it requires a perhaps more mature mind to appreciate the effort behind it. So where does it fall short? Well, it is successful in pretty much every aspect: we immediately feel comfortable in adapting to this new and visually overwhelming world, and decide that we would happily spend 3 hours watching Chihiro explore it. Unfortunately, we only just get past two. It's the PACING of this movie that makes us feel like we are facing a framed work of art, but are told we can only stare at the middle section of it. The film's entrance is a lulling experience (Chihiro and her family take a good 15 minutes just to discover the spirit plane, and remember, that's about 1/8th of the movie already). The ending, contrary to this, is inexplicably and unfortunately rushed: *SPOILERS* By the time our heroine is given train tickets to see Zeniba, she has amassed a cute collection of comrades to join her, and so we expect another hour or so of narrow escapes from dangerous situations while they realise how important they are to each other, and the fuzzy Disney allegory is complete; after all, this is meant to be an adventure. However, the train journey and the trip through the swamp are ENTIRELY uneventful. On reaching Zeniba, the troupe enjoy tea together (and as a pointless sideline, No-Face decides to stay with Zenoba to help her) and then Haku arrives, providing the remaining "adventurers" an equally uneventful trip home. This is, of course, until Chihiro randomly remembers Haku's name and breaks the spell binding him to work for the repulsive Obaba. The plot now flies along faster than the viewer feels confortable with, and the "final test" promised by Obaba turns out to be one question, which Chihiro immediately answers, though her method is never explained. So all is well, Chihiro hurredly rejoins her parents, who of course don't remember a thing of the spirit world, and the movie aruptly ends on a "I-should-be-ok-for-the-first-day-of-school-as-I've-just-survived-the-most-magical-journey-ever" dynamic. *SPOILERS END* This disappointingly mellow and rushed ending marrs what is otherwise a masterpiece. Thus, it falls short of a respectable 9, but to give it a 7 (a grade I usually reserve for mindless but enjoyable action flicks) would undervalue its achievement. An 8 it is then. I would recommend seeing this beautiful film, but ask if you don't mind leaving wanting more.… Expand

I love this move! I saw it once and I fell in love with it! I actually told my mom to buy it for me and she is looking for it every where.

Loved it. Best animated movie ever.

Fantastic, watch it once properly, then again to laugh at how funny it is... you should watch the other gibli ones too... in my opinion this wasn't the best one, they were all supreme.

An interesting story. I am a big anime fan, but when this movie came out in cinemas I took one look at it and thought... "No way will I watch that". I took it out on DVD after hearing it was actually a pretty good success and I must say I was impressed. I myself have watched "Princess Mononoke" and many other anime series'. I found the plot in this movie intruiging as well as uncomplicated and the characters rather easy to relate to (no I'm not 10, but I still feel they are more like 'us' as people). I would have to agree with some that there are certain aspects of the film that could be better and explained in more detail, for example: No-face's apparent mood swings and everybody's belief that Zeniba is (or was) evil when she obviously proved not to be. I do not think it is fair to compare this movie to one of Miyazaki's other films, "Princess Mononoke". The two films are (in essence) very different and are not meant to relate to each other. "Spirited Away" is a fantasy story that shows how a little 10-year old girl can have the courage to overcome her own fears and the greatest of obstacles, while still managing to find some semblance of love in a twisted and unfamiliar world. Rating 9 and a half to 10! Over-all a great story with very good animation. Enchanting, captivating, imaginative and true to the audience. I give it two thumbs up.… Expand

this is the kind of movie you can watch over and over for the rest of your life, then share it with your children, and your grandchildren. for those of you who gave it a zero, you must be really stupid or really cruel. either you flunked first grade and can't tell the simple plot of a movie or you fell asleep during the movie and obviously didn't get it.

This is a magnificent movie. It was the first anime movie i had ever watched and I was completely hooked. To those who do not understand the hidden meanings behind this film: It is not difficult to understand, you must simply think outside the box. It's like snow white, you can call it a stupid movie, with not much of a plot, but when you think about it, the meaning behind it all is very important (which I hope you will someday understand). Anyways, Spirited Away was an excellent movie, but as someone hs previously mentioned, the ending was too rushed. I had expected a longer adventure to Granny's house, or at least a peek to the later years, where one would expect Chihiro to be reunited with Haku. Basically this caused a great flaw in this movie. However, I still recommend it to anyone who hasn't watched it.… Expand

I'm almost sorry I've watched it because I'll never get to watch it for the first time again.

Even if you've never heard of this movie and are curious as to why it's on this top 10 list, you have reason enough to see it. You'll thank yourself later.

This movie was perfect. I could watch it over and over again. Please make a number 2!!!

Beautiful Art. Beautiful Scenery. Beautiful Music. This is a beautiful movie. I was captivated by the story line. I was taken in by the character. I got absorbed into this movie. Every aspect of this movie was done far above par. I can't think of another Anime, much less an animated movie that even comes close to this one. It is a modern day Alice in Wonderland, that has something for everyone. Adults and children, critics and average viewers, anime lovers and anime haters will find something in this movie that grabs them deep down and drags them along through the whole thing.… Expand

A wonderful story in an amazingly complex universe where magic is everywhere but often comes with a price. This is, I believe, the common recipe for a Miyasaki anime. But I cannot get enough of it! This one is especially moving, thanks to its characters and the feeling of a childhood summer you wished had never ended.

This film is amazing. Definately my favourite. I do not understand how people can write reviews here that say it has terrible animation because quite frankly this is the best written and animated Japanese film out there. It has stunning locations which insite wonder and fasination and has amazing and fantastical characters and creatures which amuse and entertain the audience. The English voice acting is superbly done and matches the Japanese-made animation incredibly well. The story can be slightly confusing at first but what you have to remember is that this film was made by Japanese for a Japanese audience so us obnoxious Westeners are just going to have to accept that it is a different culture with different myths and the story is built around those. This film is bloody amazing and should not be missed by anyone. Studio Ghibli's best film ever.… Expand

This is the greatest movie ever! From a great plot, to excellent animation, to originality, to the awesome music, this movie is the perfect movie that everybody much watch! Another great from Hayao Miyazaki!

One of those few animated movies that just bring out the imagination in us and take along with it on a winding and enchanting journey with sweeping music and lovable characters.

I really can't give it less than a ten.... one of the most enchanting films I've ever seen. Now first things first, if you are the kind of person that absolutely needs a coherent plot, then you might not digest the film easily. I have to admit, on a lot of films I tend to get fustrated too if things don't make sense. However Spirited Away has such catchy visuals and an AMAZING soundtrack you feel completely absorbed. If you want to get enchanted by something else than disney, watch this.… Expand

Amazing, simply amazing.

When I saw the movie, it was way too scary. It was more of a nightmare than a movie.

This movie, compared to Disney's, is really inspiring and entertaining at the same time. Unlike traditional animation movies, it leaves lots of space for the viewer to think about. Good and evil co-exist and constitute the real world.

Excellent film. Beautiful.

The only really bad thing that I thought about at the end of this movie was that although it will probably be nominated for best animated feature in the Academy Awards, it probably won't get the Best Picture nomination, which it more than deserves. Spirited Away is the best animated movie I've seen since Princess Mononoke. While the story doesn't deliver as well, it still is a gorgeous film to look at. The animated backgrounds are things of wonder just to look at and admire the amazing. Definately a film for kids and some older audiences. If some question whether or not this is Best Picture worthy, just realize that there aren't many films this year that are this good. … Expand

It's a decent movie, but really nothing to write home about. The plot and dialogue felt too scripted to be natural, and I found myself not really caring about what happened to the main character. I am a bit perplexed as to why the critics see this as a complete triumph, when it is not really a flawless movie. Eh.

I love this movie but I wouldn't say it's better than Princess Mononoke but it sure does come close.

Let me get a few things straightened out. First of all, I've seen better animation from Miyazaki's previous films. There was no computer animation in them, unlike some of the computer animation in "Spirited Away". Some people say it's more "realistic", but I think it looks so strange. Another thing is, how can a person enjoy all that weirdness? I mean, do they LIKE having a spirit barfing all over the place because he ate something that tasted bad? Do they like an obnoxious giant baby who resembles a sumo wrestler? Do they like an overly wrinkled witch that needs a taller body? Do they like being left hanging with questions such as:Why was the spirit No Face kind, then evil, and then kind again? Or, why did everyone say Yubaba's sister was dangerous when she was immensly kind? The "charm" the movie was SUPPOSED to have, was drowned in childish weirdness. Miyazaki had none of that in his previous films. Plus, his previous films had the charm that could beat some of Disney's animated films, but "Spirited Away" just didn't have that charm. Sorry Miyazaki. Your other films were fantastic though. … Expand

I was suprised at how much we could ephasize with Chihiro.I mean, notice how nervous and easily frightened she is in the Spirit World. We'd react the same way, especially if our parents were turned into pigs. I found Chihiro to be a very sweet little girl (you'll notice how kind and polite she is). But my favorite character had to be Haku. I loved that dragon he changes into! He's so cute! I also love how Miyazaki shows the messages in the movie in a show-not-tell manner. The animation is extremely detailed (you'll notice how the bottoms of Chihiro's feet are dirty from being barefoot for so long, very real). But I do think it deserved its PG rating, since there is a part where Haku (in his dragon form) bleeds severly, and the stains remain. But you can handle that. … Expand

For many years, people often mistaken anime as just one of those cheap Pokemon 'cartoon' where you usually get from cable TV. Well people of the world, watch this film and you'll certainly think twine about Japanese anime!

Just one word: SUPERB!

Creative characters, with touches of Maurice Sendak's imagery. Some characters appear just for affect, though, detracting from the meaningful ones. Plot does not, in the end, mean much: there is little motivation for the fate of the girl's parents, and little context for the fates she encounters.

Some airhead says its not entertaining, but it has something much more than that. I think this movie can be categorized as art. Also, this movie shows us very important messages in it.

Notice how often the word "masterpiece" crops up in the reviews above?

If you have an interest in animation, do yourself a favor and go see this movie. If you tend to stray away from animated work because you think it is "kid's stuff" then see this movie anyways and you might change your mind. Go see it now!

Great movie!

Beautiful graphics and enjoyable narrative. Don't miss this film!

I loved it. It was actually mildly disturbing... I know a lot of people who where realy scared by it. I mean her parents do get turned into pigs and there is a monser that keeps eating people and... well any ways I liked it It had a lot of interesting characters. and people who wheren't who they seemed. But deep down it's just a story of a girl growing up. She's sent into a crazy adventure one you won't likely forget so easily. It's a spirtiual jusrney even with a little love/friendship story. Over all very charming. (go coal sprites!)… Expand

I love this movie so much and haku is my favorite and i just love him! lol, im pathetic. if you wanna talk to me about this movie or harry potter or LOTR or the sammy keyes books or the claidi journals or the tamora pierce books or the artemis fowl books, you can im me @ IstarLinae!

This is one of the best movies I had ever seen, it is full of fantasy. The setting, characters, everything is amazing. I love this movie and I am Mexican.

[***SPOILERS***] Here's why the people that gave this movie bad reviews are fools: All the stuff they claim to be "weirdness" went right over their heads. No, Bo is not a fat baby just to be weird or Buddhaesque, he is supposed to provide a thematic parallel to Chihiro's character arc. Unlike her, he remained spoiled by his mom, and thus turned into a childish adult (hence the big size for a baby)--Bo had not gone through the transformation from youth to maturity that is the core of this wonderful film, and as such his character works as a thematic example of why, although a traumatic happening, Chihiro has to grow up. Second, the reason Yubaba alternates between "nice and mean" is because she's a regular person as opposed to a stock Disney villain, like the ones so often encountered in America. She's greedy, grumpy, and ruthless when running her business, but she has a good heart. Like real humans, she has more than one ethical setting. Next, No-face is the opposite of Bo: he's the child who grew up uncared for and unloved, and as a result has never really grown up either, and is thus unable to deal with generosity very well. This is also why Zeniba takes him under her wing in the end: he needs a parental figure. Finally, to all the dolts who called it "weird" or "phantasmagoric," you're dolts. It's called fantasy, which means it's an imagined world, different from our own. Just because it doesn't have mages and krakens and other stock fantasy beings doesn't mean it's weird, it means it is original, or, at the very least FROM A DIFFERENT CULTURE. This was a movie about transformation, and just because you were incapable of picking up on subtle thematics does not make it a bad movie. In fact, independent of the thematics, it's still a beautifully drawn and rendered film, rich in emotion and story, and, without a doubt, the best film of 2002. If you didn't like it, I have a hard time imagining you have any taste in any movie ever made, with the exception of really bad anime or stupid garbage like Titanic made for mindless automatons who need story and emotion spoon-fed to them much like Baby Bo.… Expand

It was so cute and it really grabbed my attention. When I first saw the cover, I thought it would be something totally different. I was so surprised by the great animation and stylistic flair Spirited Away had in store!

This movie is GREAT.

I loved this movie and I am unable to understand why some of you are so negative towards the absolute brilliance of this film! Anime is for every age group, not just "kiddies." Some of it can be serious, some of it can be silly. It all depends on the age of your soul. I give this movie a ten because it was so breath-taking. The animation is simply amazing and the characters are very meticulously designed. I will admit that the movie ends at what seems the wrong point, and for some of you it make take another viewing to fully appreciate the plot, but otherwise it is an excellent film and I recommend it to people of all ages. … Expand

One of the best movies ever!!! A quiet classic, this movie is touching from the inside out!!!

This is on my Top favorite film list of all times. Spellbinding! A MUST! MUST! MUST! SEE!

Whoever gave this movie a 1 is an idiot.

A critic said he didn't like this film, and he says it's because he thinks he just "doesn't 'get' anime". You don't need to 'get' anime to enjoy this film. Anime is just a type of animation that many people (sadly) take for granted beacause they think it's just a childish show like Pokemon. This means they're missing out on fantastic animes such as Princess Mononoke, Inu-Yasha, and, of course, this masterpiece. Their loss. Because this movie rocks.… Expand

To Damian P.--this is NOT kid's stuff. It's true imagination which YOU sound like you either: don't have it, don't know what it is, you don't appreciate it, are a very boring and not easy to entertain, you pick. Come on, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and many others had this kind of imagination. If you think this is kid's stuff--you are obviously complimenting the children on their rich imagination.… Expand

Best anime movie I've seen next to "Akira".

Mindblowing. Where I am a little late on the current review, I just now stumbled across this site. I absolutly loved Princess Mononoke, I have a poster above my bed that I charish. This was even better. As someone said, it took what seemed like a simple plotted kiddy movie into an adventure no one can look at without being in awe. Wonderful charcaters, wonderful feeling, just excellent.

I THOUGHT I was going to hate this film because so many reviewers give it a horrible un-appealing summary, "It's the story of a little girl who must rescue her parents, who have been turned into pigs, by working at a bathouse". I thought, "PIGS?! Get real!" But the scene was actually, in a way, scary. You felt as though you WERE the ten-year-old Chihiro! Miyazaki did such an incredible job with making Chihiro realistic by her reactions and everything. Henry M. makes a good point that Disney isn't even trying to make a movie like this, but Henry, I believe it's because Disney is too jealous of Miyazaki to work up the courage to actually use some of "Spirited"'s elements and want to use their own "imagination". The only time they actually suceeded was with the Pixar films and The Lion King, but that's pretty much it. Now they make really stupid films like "Treasure Planet"(??) Miyazaki never fails us. He used his imagination to create some incredible masterpieces, such as: the mythological "Princess Mononoke", the magical "My Neighbor Tortoro", and the sweet "Kiki's Delivery Service" none of which are sappy. Not to mention that in "Spirited Away" they don't have the moral as the centerpiece to annoy us. They never say the moral constantly. Instead, there are morals popping up everywhere, that include: don't be greedy towards others, a little bit of bravery goes a long way, and many others, yet Miyazaki doesn't show these morals in a way that it's constantly dangling right in front of you. Another thing is that they didn't edit out anything, or have a horrible dub with dreadful voiceacting. You don't usually find very many dubs like that. In fact sometimes America will turn certain teen-rated animes into sappy kiddie ones such as: Card Captor Sakura (they changed the name to cardcaptors, they changed the characters names, and they cut out about 85% of the episodes), and Yu-Gi-OH (they deleated the first season as it had intense violence and swearing,and that was the better season as it wasn't so focused on the card game, and changed the plot around. Yu-Gi-Oh was NOT originally a kid's show! It was supposed to be for teens, but it was sadly dubbed and edited by 4kids *stab**stab*). Please be aware of this! And see Spirited Away!… Expand

I'm sorry, but I don't see what everyone here is talking about! This movie was ok, but not this phenomanel experience that everyone is making it out to be. In my opinion, Princess Mononoke was a far superior story. Please stop hyping this movie up more than it deserves to be.

I shudder to think I *almost* didn't see this movie! *shuddering* I'll start the review with this simple statistic: THIS reviewer has now seen "Spirited Away" on the big screen 12 times... and intends to see it as many more times as his work schedule will allow before it stops running in theatres. (Do NOT wait to see it on your TV screen... unless your TV screen is the size of your house! THIS masterpiece MUST be seen in a theatre, as much as ANY film I have EVER seen!) First off: The noxiously sweet drivel Mouse & Co. keep churning out has made me borderline allergic to animation as a genre. The fact that it's been released in "The West" by Disney was (I thought) a strike against seeing it. WRONG! Secondly, the nearly unanimous and hyper-hyperbolic praise heaped upon it by every critic on the planet made me deeply suspicious, for some reason. Surely a "cartoon' couldn't be THIS good! WRONG! Thirdly: The plot summary, "little girl must rescue parents turned into pig in a bathouse in the japanese spiritworld"... well, not my normal cup of saki. I thought I would be the sole grouch who wouldn'y enjoy it. WRONG! This movie is, if anything, beyond a masterpiece. Miyazaki, is, if anything beyond a genius. The artwork seems to have sprung from the mind of a member of another species, a species far more evolved than us. Sigh... The morals transcend time and culture, are are applicable to every human who has ever, or will ever live, and the visuals more closely resemble a dream that is neither a "good dream" - nor yet "a nightmare" - just simply a dream - than anything ever done before. Period. I could go on for a short novelette praising and analyzing this wonderful wonderful wonderful movie... however, I'll spare the reader and close with this. There are two very specific elements in the movie that actually bring me to literal, (not figurative), literal sobs of nearly unbearable joy, and that this happens consistently with each viweing mystifies me. 1. The scenes incorporarating horizons: the green hills with blue sky - the blue ocean with white clouds. 2. The soundtrack's music. I would gladly pay to watch a 2 hour movie of nothing more than these visuals, accompanied by this soundtrack. I would! If you fail to see this movie on the big screen, I feel sorry for you. If you see this movie, and are not literally enchanted, swallowing the Gift of the River God is your only hope to recapture your soul.… Expand

Thorne T., we will NOT stop hyping up about this movie! Princess Mononoke was truly beautiful with realistic characters, gorgeous animation, and a great moral, but here's why no one seems to be saying Princess Mononoke is better: 1)The characters are much more interesting. Don't get me wrong on this, Princess Mononoke had great characters and of course they're not exactly all-around interesting because the characters are all adults and they were pretty busy with the things they had to do throughout the movie. But that's why Spirited Away had more interesting characters. The one who was busy throughout the movie was a 10-year-old litte girl! Not a serious man with a curse that'll kill him, yet he's strong, fast, smart, and cool, a tiny girl who isn't very brave, not very athletic, just simple. Which makes her character even more interesting as she didn't over come this spirit world because she was strong, smart, and athletic, no! Because she was using the thing she didn't have much of--bravery. 2)Not too intense. Princess Mononoke was more for ONLY people who liked any of the following: lots of action, anime, or fantasy. I love all 3 of these things, but many people don't. Princess Mononoke was a bit to bloody and gory for those who are quiet and like peaceful films. A bit like how The Matrix was. Spirited Away is a great film for anyone no matter what your taste or age. There are a few revolting scenes and one bloody scene, but it didn't happen constantly. My mother, who is NOT AT ALL into anime or fantasy, loved this film to death. 3)The moral is NOT the centerpiece. Spirited Away had many morals, but its main one was that bravery can get you through the toughest situations. But it wasn't said by any character at all. Princess Mononoke's moral on peace was said a lot, and sometimes too much. 4)A more enchanting and imaginative plot. Miyazaki used more of his rich imagination in this film: he used spirits and gods, and bathouses (which you can find in Japan, as the Japanese take many baths) and wove them both together in a very creative way that appealed to audiences both young and old while Princess Mononoke was mythology made by the genius Miyazaki, but it wasn't as creative as Spirited Away's. 5)A feel-good movie. Princess Mononoke was a nice movie, but not a feel-good one. Spirited Away had an ending that was happy, but not SO happy that it was sappy. It gave you more an enchanted feeling than Princess Mononoke (which had an ending that wasn't sad but wasn't necessarily happy either) did. Too bad they didn't put Spirited Away in the IMAX theatre. That would've been a real treat. Like many viewers have said, get Spirited Away on the big screen first, even if you have to drive 10,000 miles to the movie theature to see it! … Expand

Fun and silly and breathtaking and touching, all at the same time. Proof positive that animated films don't need theatrical song scores and sops to the popular culture in order to captivate.

The REAL Best Picture of 2002.

This might is my favorite animated movie of all time and possibly my favorite movie of all time. I saw it once at theaters, bought and saw it two more times in 24 hours. This is just too incredibly good for words. Watch it NOW. NOW!!!

This movie was miraculous and magical. at first i thought this was going to be a kiddie movie but when i went to see it i was shocked. the animation was beautiful as well as the story line. i was strongly impressed and i recommend this movie to anyone of any age.

I loved this movie SOOOO much!! in order to really like this film though, I think you have to have a good imagination and not get "freaked out" by weird stuff. Overall, it was original, the plot was cool, and the animation was WAY cool! 4 thumbs up!!!!!!

This was a thoroughly enchanting movie! And was exelantly done.If you enjoyed "Princess Mononoke", or "My Naibor Totoru" you'll enjoy this fascinating masterpeice!

Absolutely flawless.

Nice to look at but no classic. Plot is very weak and tries too hard to appeal to too many audiences. Stop over-hyping it ! It's just an Alice in Wonderland story. Definately one for the critics rather than the kids.

An absolute masterpiece. Georgeous animation and an action-packed storyline with excellent characters. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. My daughters were to young for this movie (5 and 3) and we had to leave the theatre, but luckily the DVD had just been made available so I bought it that afternoon. I HAD to see the rest. This is a GREAT movie.

Rather than just slobbering all over this movie myself, you might rather know what my friend's kids, ages 4 and 6, thought of it. My friend unknowingly took them to a theatre where they were showing the subtitled print! They were able to understand none of the dialogue whatsoever, yet they absolutely loved the movie. Once the dvd came out, they watched it (this time in English) six times in the first week! I'd call this a 10, wouldn't you? Now the family has purchased Totoro and Kiki's and is rapidly discovering the many wonders of Ghibli.… Expand

For a while now I've been a Fan of Anime, and This movie, if possible, pulled me even further into it's world of Perfectly logical, yet highly fantastic characters, and heart-filled plots. I'd Have to say, that anyone who compares this to a movie of non-animation form and gives it a low rating, just what are you thinking? There is no possible way to compare this movie to anything Non-Animation. There is nothing like it. This film is for the young, the old, and the eternally young at heart. It's a real mood-lifter, while still being slightly mysterious and highly romantic in it's own nature. Something for everyone!… Expand

It's the best animated flim ever no movie can be as good as spirited away.

This has to be my favorite movie ever because of the unnamable way it makes me feel...like a certain 10 year old... Unlike Chihiro, I wanted to stay in the enchanted land with Haku and gaze out into the watery expanse each night. Do yourself a favor and buy the foreign, undubbed, subtitled version. I saw the trailer for the American version and cringed at the voice casting. The original version loses none of its intended charm and wonder and beauty, go see it if you can! … Expand

To Nauman K. Shut up this movie was the bomb!!! Dont have to be complex or anything!!!Luv the movie Have the movie!!!

OK, I've only seen the dubbed. Some people say the dub is better, and some people say the "undubbed"(subbed is what it's called by the way) is better. My opinion--look, if you see the sub (subtitled version) first, you'll think the dub is bad. If you see the dub first, you'll think the sub is bad. So see either. It really doesn't matter. Than again, with the sound off, it's still fantastic. It annoys me how some people see this movie and think they'll hate it because: a)it's animated b)they hate fantasy c)they don't like japanese-animated movies d)it's a "kid's movie" Personally, I think all 4 reasons are stupid. My mother saw this and she doesn't really like animated movies, she doesn't like fantasies, the only japanese animated things she knows about are "Sailor Moon" and "Pokemon" and thinks this will be bad too. Instead, she adored it. She especially loved the movie's gorgeous animation. She said it was different, but she still loved it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, "Spirited Away" is for everyone!… Expand

Please...QUIT COMPARING THIS MOVIE TO PRINCESS MONONOKE! I know Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke are both Miyazaki films, and they're both fantasies, but they can't compare. Now if Spirited Away was a SEQUEL to Princess Mononoke, then I can see where you're going. But it ISN'T. In fact it hardly has anything in common with Princess Mononoke. Everyone's complaining about how Princess Mononoke was more "meaningful" and everything. True. But having the moral as a centerpiece does feel very cliche after seeing all those Disney films with that same theme (though Princess Mononoke expresses it in a more powerful way). But this film is a nice break from that, and even shows some morals that can't be expressed by words but by the feelings of each character. I mean, if you look closely, you can see these morals: a little courage goes a long way, treat others as you would like to be treated, and who knows, they may be kind in return, don't be selfish and/or greedy, love is a powerful medicine, and the importance of friendship and empathy. None of these morals were said (example: suppose in the middle of the film, Chihiro said: "Our friendship did it, Haku"), yet they were expressed more powerfully by the feelings of the characters, and the things that happened, and it felt more realistic too (in real life, you wouldn't hear a person say a moral out loud frequently). AND SHUT UP ABOUT THE FRIGGEN "LOGIC"! This is a FANTASY! Come on, it wasn't logical at all for how the people (including the old monk) in Princess Mononoke jumped so high, or how the arrows one character shot were able to slice off a man's head, yet I hear no one complain! I think everyone either (of the follwing): a)Is mad that Spirited Away got a high score (98) while Princess Mononoke got a lower score (81). b)Doesn't want to admit that this japanese animated, PG-rated film is incredible c)Doesn't believe in creative stories. d)Doesn't know much about the Japanese culture and finds the movie "weird" because of that e)is stupidly comparing this film to other films that have hardly anything in common f)hasn't even bothered to really see the film g)is hard to entertain h)has low intelligence.… Expand

This movie is a phenomenon. The animation is so beautiful that one can hardly describe it in words. Some of the characters may seem strange, but that's what makes the story so enchanting. I highly enjoyed it and could have given it a rating of a hundred billion if I could. Japanese anime has never let me down. Each background scene is so gorgeous that it puts the dull real world in shame. I don't feel that the movie is at all forced-up at all. The characters are very natural (Chihiro and Haku are so cute!), and there are a lot of attention to the details (e.g. the times when Chihiro trips). If you hate this film, it just shows much about your close-mindedness, doesn't it? (Well, maybe I'm being a bit too stereotypical) Anyone who has a young heart and who is full of imagination would appreciate this work greatly. I was simply mesmerized by the movie. (Bring a box of tissue paper when you watch this movie.. It can get quite emotional at times.)… Expand