Spirited Away
Call No: TEMP 1317
Back in November, I reviewed Hayao Miyazaki’s film Howl’s Moving Castle. This time, I’ll be reviewing his film Spirited Away. It was the first foreign film to win in the Best Animated Feature category at the 2003 Oscars and as a result, it gained a great deal of publicity, both for the film and the Japanese filmmaker. Many have considered it to be his masterpiece. After seeing the beauty and magic of this film, it’s hard to disagree.
The film centers around Chihiro, a young girl who wanders into a magical world inhabited by spirits, ghosts, demons and witches. When her parents are turned into pigs by Yubaba, the owner of the bathhouse where the spirits come to replenish themselves, Chihiro is forced to stay in this world until she can find a way to save them. With the help of a mysterious boy named Haku, Kamaji the boiler man, and Lin, a fellow bathhouse worker, Chihiro sets off on the adventure of a lifetime full of wonder, excitement, and enchantment.
