Critic Rating
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Director
Hayao Miyazaki
Cast
Rumi Hiiragi,
Miyu Irino,
Mari Natsuki,
Bunta Sugawara,
Yumi Tamai,
Ryunosuke Kamiki
Genre
Animation,
Family,
Fantasy
Ten-year-old Chihiro does not want to move to the Japanese countryside. On their way to their new home, she and her parents become trapped in a strange world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
I waited far too long to watch this film for the first time; do not make the same mistake as me! The world is so lucky to have Miyazaki and his art in it. His films' themes and messages are evergreen, and all audiences can enjoy them. If you are curious about his movies or watching more animation in general, this is a great place to start.
If you made me choose, I would say that this is my favorite Studio Ghibli film. It has some of the most stunning animated visuals you’ll ever see, and its story about the often painful but essential journey of growing up and growing into yourself always stays with me.
One of the most beautiful and moving movies about coming of age and girlhood I've seen—not just for kids, this film is like a piece of art!
New York Post by Lou Lumenick
A Japanese cross between "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Wizard of Oz" -- is such a landmark in animation that labeling it a masterpiece almost seems inadequate.
Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven Rea
Wondrously strange and just plain wonderful.
TV Guide Magazine by Frank Lovece
Serenely stunning.
New Times (L.A.) by Luke Y. Thompson
Probably like nothing you've ever seen before. In a cool world, it would be guaranteed not only the Best Animated Feature Oscar, but Best Picture as well.
New York Daily News by Jack Mathews
Turns everything we know about the contemporary world on its head, and substitutes it with one in which spirits, monsters, magicians and animals mix it up in a carnival of energy, good humor and freewheeling illusion.
Charlotte Observer by Lawrence Toppman
Yet its visual surrealism, identity-bending and strong social/ecological message make it as much an allegory as a fable.
Baltimore Sun by Michael Sragow
A visual masterpiece about a scared little girl's breathtaking journey of self-discovery. All of the fun is getting there.
Time by Richard Corliss
Artful but not arty, Spirited Away is a handcrafted cartoon, as personal as an Utamaro painting, yet its breadth and heart give it an appeal that should touch American viewers of all ages.
L.A. Weekly by David Chute
Does full honor to Miyazaki’s teeming and often unsettling landscape, and to the conflicted complexity of his characters: Not a single frame was cut, and the voice casting and performances are uniformly excellent.
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
A triumph of psychological depth and artistic brilliance offered as the magical adventures of one skinny little girl.
Village Voice by J. Hoberman
A very nutty fruitcake, Spirited Away is characterized by wonderfully detailed animation, packed with incident and populated by all manner of comic creatures.
Salon by Andrew O'Hehir
It will disturb you as much as thrill you, make you wonder whether the boundaries between life and death, reality and fantasy, imagination and insanity are ever what they appear to be.
Chicago Tribune by Michael Wilmington
It's a movie full of bewitching images and timeless fun and beauty.
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