Spirited Away – Review by Ebert & Roeper (2001)
Spirited Away – Review by Ebert & Roeper (2001)
Couldn’t find this anywhere here, so here it is!
**Ebert has added Spirited Away to his list of Great Movies: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120711/REVIEWS08/120719998
October 9, 2018 @ 11:18 pm
BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:20 pm
i watched it and it was good but i didnt LOVE it. can someone please explain to me why this is so praised. I dont want to start a fight i just want to hear other peoples opinions. thank you
October 9, 2018 @ 11:21 pm
This unparalleled masterpiece makes Disney’s long filmography look like a fuckload of shit.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:21 pm
i giggle a bit from 1:43 to 1:49
October 9, 2018 @ 11:24 pm
terrible movie
just plain terrible
way too random and slow
October 9, 2018 @ 11:24 pm
"You’d have to have a budget of a billion dollars" Wow. Times certainly change.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:24 pm
i like how he begins with calling it "masterpiece" ^^ everytime i introduce this movie to new people (sometimes by force) i’m changing their lifes for a couple days 😀 It is THAT fucking good
October 9, 2018 @ 11:25 pm
seen it 3 times now. amazing times.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:26 pm
One of the greatest films I’ve ever seen.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:27 pm
I loved the movie but the end seemed rushed like suddenly stuff are resolved. Like all my questions suddenly… "sprinted away" ??? and no face is my favorite character.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:30 pm
Far too often adventure movies set in strange worlds climax with a battle between the forces of good, represented by the hero or heroine, and the forces of evil, represented by the stranger, the odd, or the mean-spirited — for example, a witch, sorcerer, power-mad ruler, or someone else who uses their power inappropriately. These scenarios, like the recent Lord of the Rings, make it all too easy for filmgoers to cheer for the good guys (with whom they quite naturally identify) and boo the bad guys (stand-ins for everything they don’t approve of). The world is seen as the stage for dueling dualisms, "us" versus "them" where it is perfectly acceptable for one side to completely obliterate the "other."
Is this just harmless entertainment? Or does this kind of simplistic storytelling contribute to the creation of what Sam Keen has called the "hostile imagination"? This worldview develops out of prejudice and hatred, two diseases of the mind in which we project our feelings of fear, resentment, self-disgust, anger, alienation, and paranoia on others whom we perceive to be different (especially strangers). Fortunately, antidotes are available in the spiritual practices of hospitality, empathy, self-esteem, compassion, and forgiveness.
And sometimes a movie gets it right. Spirited Away is an English-language version of a Japanese animated film by acclaimed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. A ten-year old girl named Chihiro becomes lost in an alternate universe and must find within herself the pluck and the love to endure a series of dangerous tests before she can go home. It will remind some viewers of Alice in Wonderland and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is nothing short of wonderful to have a female protagonist on screen who engenders our empathy and support.
Equally refreshing and unusual for animated features is Miyazaki’s refusal to set up a dualistic battle between the little girl and an evil adversary. All the central characters have both a light and a dark side. Our heroine must overcome the forces of fear, entitlement, selfishness, gluttony, and greed within herself as part of the blooming of her soul. Little Chihiro does what spiritual seekers will recognize as "shadow work" — taking back her projections, learning to love all parts of herself, including those mirrored by others — healing both herself and those around her in the process.
The film is a follow-up to Miyazaki’s extraordinary Princess Mononoke (1997). Once again he has fashioned an animated feature which transports us to a mysterious and always surprising world of spirits. In Shinto folklore, everything in nature has a god living within it. And as we learned in his last film, these beings are vulnerable to the excesses and defilements of humanity.
The story begins as Chihiro (voiced by Daveigh Chase) and her parents (Lauren Holly, Michael Chiklis) are driving to their new home. She is sulking in the back seat, anxious about the future. Her father takes a wrong turn, and they wind up driving through a bumpy forest road to a hillside tunnel. When her adventuresome parents decide to explore the place, Chihiro is frightened and doesn’t want to go ahead. But she follows them, and they enter what her father decides must be a deserted theme park. When he smells the odors of food, they follow the scent and come upon a row of restaurants and one empty one where food is piled high on the counter. Chihiro’s parents begin devouring the fare and, to their daughter’s dismay, are turned into pigs. Chihiro flees this scene and soon realizes she has stumbled into a world of spirits. A strange boy named Haku (Jason Marsden) comes to her assistance, shows her how to keep from becoming transparent in this world, and how to cross a bridge without being detected as a human. Still, Chihiro is pretty scared.
Haku tells her that to save herself and her parents she needs to seek employment in a huge bathhouse that caters to all kinds of strange-looking nature spirits. He sends her to the boiler room where the keeper, Kamaji (David Ogden Stiers), is assisted by hundreds of little soot-balls that carry coal to the furnace. They take quite a fancy to the human girl. Eventually, she meets Yubaba (Suzanne Pleshette), the greedy and selfish sorceress who runs the bathhouse. This dominating woman puts her to work as a bath-attendant but not before taking away her name and giving her a new one, Sen. She is assigned to Lin (Susan Egan), another human. Their biggest challenge comes when they must deal with the "Stink Spirit," an incredibly foul smelling being. Only after his bath do they discover that he is a once noble and proud River God who is filled with sludge and worthless junk. Sen also proves her mettle in her relationship with Kaonashi (or No-Face), a lonely figure who follows her around and eventually brings havoc to the bathhouse spirits by drawing out their yearning for gold.
The Japanese version of Spirited Away, the most successful film ever to play in Japan, won the coveted Golden Bear Award at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival. The English language version, which uses the same animation, was guided by executive producer John Lasseter of Pixar Studios (Toy Story), director Kirk Wise, and producer Don Ernst. Similar in spirit to Princess Mononoke, this animated feature can be thoroughly enjoyed by both adults and children. It is a cross-cultural masterpiece that takes us to an unfamiliar world where we see familiar things with fresh eyes. For example, Miyazaki provides an ongoing commentary on contemporary society in Japan and elsewhere with the characters of Chihiro’s gluttonous parents who are turned into pigs; Yubaba’s gigantic baby, a spoiled brat who gets whatever he wants; and lonely No-Face whose efforts to use his wealth to make others like him backfires.
The transformation of Chihiro from a sulky, clinging, and fearful little girl into a resourceful, loving, sensitive, and respectful person is a marvel to behold. Her most magic moment comes when she embraces Haku’s dark side which manifests as a dragon. Instead of turning against him, she reaches out to help him in his mission to discover his true identity. That’s what is so remarkable about Spirited Away, it acknowledges the shadow elements in everyone and works with these warps as part of the process of soul-making.
Spirited Away frees us from excluding anyone from our world and helps us to see that we are all in this together — human beings and spirits, ghouls and benevolent ghosts, dragons and No Names. Or as John R. Mabry has put it: "We must not despise the rough, the dark, the empty, the flawed or the crooked. It is a package deal."
October 9, 2018 @ 11:31 pm
Miazaki sorry if I spelled wrong
Has made more movies but recently again sean he was done I hope not I love his films
October 9, 2018 @ 11:33 pm
This movie did something special to me as a kid, it’s probably still my favorite movie ever. it’s kinda like how you hear people who watched Toy Story say they paid way more attention to their old toys, in the same way, this movie made me think there was magic and adventure and something way bigger out there in the world than what I saw everyday.
I never had the guts to run away from my parents and go looking for it or anything, but I wish to this day that the world was kinder and more extraordinary because of this movie. I still wish people were better about understanding each other. i’m lcuky enough to have finally met someone who seems to understand me. I just have to get up the nerve to ask her out. XD
October 9, 2018 @ 11:34 pm
Love this movie :’) Good therapy
October 9, 2018 @ 11:35 pm
My top anime movies
1. Spirited Away
2. Princess mononoke
3. Howling’s moving castle
4. Ponyo
5. Akira
6. Fairy tail: Dragon cry
7. Naruto shipudden movie
8. Sword art online ordinal scale
9. Kiki’s
10. DBZ legend of the super saiyan
October 9, 2018 @ 11:38 pm
My favorite movie of all time. A masterpiece in every sense of the word. Christ, I really don’t know where to begin talking about this one. All I can say is if you haven’t seen it then DO IT IMMEDIATELY. It’s one of the few times that a movie is a genuine experience rather than a simple film.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:39 pm
This movie desperately needs to get an american live action remake directed by M Night Shamalamadingdong, produced by Fox studios, and released latest by the end of next summer if it is ever going to become relevant.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:40 pm
…i miss Ebert
October 9, 2018 @ 11:44 pm
"Well, it’s the world’s good fortune that he made this movie."
AMEN!
October 9, 2018 @ 11:46 pm
i adore aspirit away the most
October 9, 2018 @ 11:46 pm
If you have not purchased the Spirited Away DVD for your children, you have failed as a parent.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:46 pm
1 of the greatest animated movies ever
October 9, 2018 @ 11:49 pm
I’m so sad that Roger Ebert had passed away last year…His movie reviews gave me many thoughts that I wouldn’t have imagined! May him rest in peace.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:52 pm
Studio Ghibil’s best.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:53 pm
while i love spirited away I do think it made a bigger splash in the west than it did in Japan. Like, I know it grossed a lot and all that, but I mean to say that I think non-Japanese didn’t really know of Miyazaki until this film, which was the first to really make it big outside of Japan, but for the Japanese, this isn’t classic Miyazaki or Ghibli – that would be Nausicaa or Totoro or Laputa, and Totoro is probably the film synonymous with Ghibli. For Ghibli purists, Spirited Away is even a bit iffy because it uses computer graphics as well as hand-drawn animation, so it’s look is really different from the classics – I remember being pretty torn up about the computer graphics when I first saw it, to be honest.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:54 pm
Remember catching this film when it was first released at a showing in Times Square. The only english subtitled showing was at midnight. I thought I would have the theater to myself. It was jam packed with people and by the end of the movie everyone got up and applauded. It was a magical feeling see a Miyazake film on the big screen in NYC.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:54 pm
When i first watched this film i continued to watch it over 60 times that month, it’s the best!
October 9, 2018 @ 11:55 pm
The diference between the Miyazaki animated movies and the disney-pixar ones is the final objective of the creators. The Miyazaki’s objective has always wanted to give a spiritual message to the audience on all his films, Disney-Pixar’s objective to sell the movie, and the characters, songs, the american way of life, etc. To put it another way, Miyazaki is the good guy that try to tell you the best way to do something, and disney is the guy that sells door by door.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:55 pm
The soundtrack???
October 9, 2018 @ 11:57 pm
Spirited Away is in my top 10 favourite films of all time.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:58 pm
This is such a pedestrian review that gives no technical advise at all.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:58 pm
I watched it 2 days ago but still dont understand its greatness. I’m not saying it’s bad but.. I just dont understand.
October 9, 2018 @ 11:59 pm
I still have that on VHS, along with Kiki’s Delivery Service, and also I Have Howl’s Moving Castle on DVD.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:00 am
I not a big fan of this movie, because it both scares and grosses me out, but I respect its fandom. Anyway I’m not a big Anime fan at all and Hayao Miyazaki’s films are no exception, but since he’s regarded as one of the best animators of all-time, I respect his work too.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:01 am
Spirited Away may have highest imdb user rating for any animated film, but it’s certainly not remember by mainstream america today.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:01 am
Hey-o Miyazaki 😀
October 10, 2018 @ 12:02 am
Do you all think that maybe Spirited Away is kinda like a Japanese version of Alice in Wonderland?
October 10, 2018 @ 12:05 am
This movie has strong undertones of prostitution. Yubaba looks like a French madam and owns Chihiro.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:06 am
If you have not purchased the Spirited Away DVD for your children, you have failed as a parent.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:06 am
"Miyazaki’s last movie" said everyone every couple years
October 10, 2018 @ 12:07 am
Great film, but I like Mononoke and Castle in the Sky better. But Akira is the best anime film!
October 10, 2018 @ 12:07 am
We need another Ebert film critic. These assholes nowadays don’t give a shit about animation, especially anime. Even the Oscars are full of shit for snubbing so many anime films. They freakin nominated BOSS BABY this year! WTF LOL!
October 10, 2018 @ 12:08 am
Ebert could have stopped at "quite simply a masterpiece". That says it all.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:08 am
Spirited Away is not only my favorite Miyazaki film it is my favorite anime film of all time.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:12 am
I love how he points out that Miyazaki has been saying that he’s retiring since he finished Princess Mononoke. Such an artist can’t just stop.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:12 am
I really like this movie, but Princess Mononoke is still my faborite Ghibli movie
October 10, 2018 @ 12:13 am
holy shit dude. This movie was beautiful.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:13 am
Watching Miyazaki works is like watching Picasso on the big screen animated.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:15 am
Not to be a fanboy but when you watch studio ghibli films then watch other animated films they seem rubish in comparison. There is just some magic.
October 10, 2018 @ 12:16 am
Brilliant film but I still prefer Princess Mononoke.