Spirited Away

SCRIBE'S...UM...I GOT NOTHIN' REVIEW:

One thing I love about this blog is that it often forces me to watch films I’ve wanted to see for years but have never been in the mood to actually watch. “Spirited Away” actually played in an art theater not far from my house but I could never get anyone to go see it with me and, eventually, I forgot about it. It sat on the shelves of my video store and my library but I never took it home until I was challenged to review it.

What a great film. For those unfamiliar with Miyazaki’s work, he is often referred to as the Walt Disney of Japan, although I find that to be a highly insulting comparison. Miyazaki is a true artist, an originator of images and concepts that Disney would have disregarded in favor of profit and exploitation of children, whom he secretly despised.

The film’s plot concerns a young, whiny girl whose parents are forcing her to move to the country. On the way to their new home, they stop briefly at a place that looks like an old, abandoned amusement park. They soon discover piles and piles of apparently fresh prepared food and start eating…and eating…and eating until they are turned into pigs.

From there, the girl finds herself thrown into a whirlwind of other dimensional creatures and customs that make absolutely no sense to her. Just being a human in this place is like bringing a new disease and so she must seek out work for protection while trying to find a way to rescue her parents.

Miyazaki’s animation runs wild and free of the physical constraints he imposed upon himself in “Princess Mononoke.” Here he creates a vivid world entirely different from our own that seems to never stop building into newer and more fascinating images of three-dimensional weirdness. And through it all, the human component is never sacrificed or lost.

When I found out Disney was the U.S. distributor for this film, I blanched. Then I shuddered, vomited violently and passed out for hours. However, their involvement is actually a good thing. The voice actors are phenomenal, no surprise since Disney uses only the best when it comes to that. One of my chief gripes about great anime' films has been the mediocre voice-over work.

Some parts of the film get a little slow, but each time you might think you’re growing bored, some new development occurs that breathes new life into the story. The arrival of the character known as “No-Face” alone is worth the entire movie! If that part doesn’t grab you, there’s also the train ride sequence, which is stunningly rendered.

I’m not sure I’d recommend this one for small children, though. Unlike Japanese kids, American kids are sheltered from everything to the point where the mere sight of blood can cause lifelong trauma. Sure their video games are gory but there’s no personal involvement in what’s going on like there is here.

See this one!

***** out of *****

GREEN’S BEING HUMAN IS LIKE HAVING A DISEASE REVIEW:

The first time I watched “Spirited Away“ was about four or five years ago. It was being shown on Cartoon Network and my daughter wanted to watch it. Previous to this, I had never heard of director Hayao Miyazaki or seen any of his other films. Since then I’ve seen this movie many times. Thanks to my daughter, this and several of Miyazaki’s other films are a part of my DVD collection.

The story is about a ten year old girl named Chihiro, whose parents are forcing her to move to a brand new house in a brand new town with a brand new school. And she’s not very happy about it at all. On the way to the new house, they take a wrong turn and are forced to stop at the end of a clearing in the woods. At the clearing there’s a building with a solitary, tunnel-like doorway.

Out of curiosity and due to the smell of food, Chihiro’s parents wander through the tunnel and across a field and end up at what looks like an abandoned amusement park. Chihiro reluctantly goes with them.

Walking through the empty streets of the park, Chihiro’s parents find mounds of steaming hot food at one of the restaurants and begin to eat and eat and eat and eat. Chihiro refuses to join in and runs away. As the sun goes down, the abandoned theme park comes to life with spirits of all kinds. When Chihiro returns to her parents, she discovers that they have been turned into large, ugly pigs.

Chihiro must now discover why her parents were changed into pigs and try to rescue them. She is befriended by a boy named Haku who tells her to insist on getting a job in the bath house, so she can continue to look for her parents in the spirit world. The bath house is run by an evil witch named Ubaba who controls the creatures who work there by stealing their names so that they forget who they are. Humans are not looked upon fondly in this spirit world. Chihiro is given the new name Sen.

There’s more to the story, but you’ll have to watch to find out more.

Yes, this is an animated movie, but please don’t let this hinder you from watching it. In comparison to the more familiar Disney or Warner Bros. styles of animation which we‘re used to, Japanese animation has the look of moving artwork rather than a cartoon. Miyazaki’s characters have depth and his storytelling ability is excellent. Disney has cultivated an excellent working relationship with Studio Ghibli to bring Miyazaki’s movies to the United States. They’ve done a masterful job with the English language version of this and other Miyazaki films, making them more appealing to American audiences by using well known English speaking voice talent. This is much better than keeping the original Japanese and using English subtitles.

This film is just over two hours long but you wouldn’t know it because the story is engrossing. This movie is not just for kids, adults will enjoy it too. If you haven’t experienced a Miyazaki film, you are missing out. “Spirited Away“ is an excellent choice to start with.

***** out of *****