{Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi}
 Tagline: (The tunnel led Chihiro to a mysterious town...) "Spectacularly inventive." -- Jane Horwitz, Washington Post From one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animated cinema comes the most acclaimed film of 2002. Hayao Miyazaki's latest triumph, filled with astonishing animation and epic adventure, is a dazzling masterpiece for the ages. It's a "wonderfully welcoming work of art that's as funny and entertaining as it is brilliant, beautiful, and deep" (Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal). On their way to their new home, a young girl, Chihiro, and her parents stumble into what appears to be an abandoned theme park. But all is not as it seems, as the theme park is a bath-house for the spirits, and not a place where humans are welcome. Chihiro must fend for herself and rescue her parents, as they have been turned to pigs as punishment for eating the food meant for the gods. Storyline: Chihiro and her parents are moving to a small Japanese town in the countryside, much to Chihiro's dismay. On the way to their new home, Chihiro's father makes a wrong turn and drives down a lonely one-lane road which dead-ends in front of a tunnel. Her parents decide to stop the car and explore the area. They go through the tunnel and find an abandoned amusement park on the other side, with its own little town. When her parents see a restaurant with great-smelling food but no staff, they decide to eat and pay later. However, Chihiro refuses to eat and decides to explore the theme park a bit more. She meets a boy named Haku who tells her that Chihiro and her parents are in danger, and they must leave immediately She runs to the restaurant and finds that her parents have turned into pigs. In addition, the theme park turns out to be a town inhabited by demons, spirits, and evil gods. At the center of the town is a bathhouse where these creatures go to relax. The owner of the bathhouse is... Written by Zachary Harper Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, June 15, 2015 The reality that there will only be a finite number of Hayao Miyazaki films is beginning to sink in. Fortunately, it won't be long until every Miyazaki masterpiece -- obscure, award-winning and beloved alike -- along with every Studio Ghibli production, will be available in high definition. Spirited Away (2001) is arriving later than many had hoped (much later), but the waiting is finally over. And if the quality of Disney's release and the timelessness of the film itself are any indication, it's been worth the wait. Winner of the Best Animated Feature Oscar at the 75th Academy Awards and recipient of the Berlin International Film Festival's highest honor, the Golden Bear, Miyazaki's breathtaking animated fantasy adventure is arguably his best, and certainly one of his most profoundly satisfying. It's also not a film to be taken lightly. Children will be awestruck by the magic of the spirit world and the wonder of its strange denizens and entranced by an at-times overwhelming sense of discovery, but adults will be drawn into the tale as well, and more deeply than their sons and daughters. Few films have captured childhood fear, anxiety, ingenuity and adaptability more thoughtfully and sincerely. Fewer still have done so through such a believable, endearing young protagonist exploring such an inexhaustibly fascinating fantasy realm. The Wind Rises (2013) may have served as Miyazaki's powerfully poignant farewell to animation, but it's Spirited Away that remains his quintessential masterwork. After stumbling upon an abandoned amusement park with her mother and father, ten-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi, Daveigh Chase) finds herself trapped in a magical world where a witch named Yubaba (Mari Natsuki, Suzanne Pleshette) runs a bathhouse for an array of supernatural patrons. With her parents transformed into pigs, Chihiro is frightened and alone; her only ally a stranger, a young man named Haku (Miyu Irino, Jason Marsden), who races to save her life. Haku offers a warning: if she's discovered, Yubaba will turn her into a pig as well. But if she can convince the bathhouse's boiler attendant, Kamaji (Bunta Sugawara, David Ogden Stiers), to give her a job, she'll be spared. And so Chihiro embarks on a journey beneath and ultimately into the bathhouse, struggling to adapt to her new surroundings, survive Yubaba and other spirit world threats, save her parents, and find a way home. Yubaba, impressed with Chihiro's tenacity, offers her work but steals her name, demanding Chihiro call herself Sen instead. Unbeknownst to Sen, this trickery slowly robs her of her memories, a process Haku secretly interrupts so Sen still has a chance of escape. With the help of her fellow worker Lin (Yumi Tamai, Susan Egan), Sen learns her trade as best she can, winning accolades when dealing with a stink spirit then landing herself in hot water when she grants a masked creature called No Face (Akio Nakamura, Bob Bergen) entry into the bathhouse. Soon Sen encounters the mysterious Zeniba (Natsuki, Pleshette), Yubaba's twin sister, walking into the middle of a family feud that leaves Haku on death's doorstep and Chihiro fighting to save his life. How is it that such a bizarre, otherworldly realm rings so true? That such high fantasy tells so human a story? It's not the animation, though it's an example of Ghibli at its most striking and imaginative. It's not the story, though Miyazaki's script is magnificently simple and deceptively complex, crafting layer upon layer of context and significance for cinephiles to unearth. It's not the eclectic cast of supernatural creatures or the outstanding voice performances (Japanese and English), though you won't soon forget a single one. No. It's fear. Chihiro's fear. Miyzaki devotes substantial screentime to the difficulty Chihiro endures adjusting to the spirit world, conceiving and capturing the sort of convincing panic and sheer terror you'd expect from a real 10-year old girl thrust into such extraordinary circumstances. Chihiro is not only forced to face these overpowering moments of crippling fear -- sometimes with help, sometimes on her own -- she's forced to overcome them; her courage and confidence growing, bit by inspiring bit, naturally and organically within the story. Miyazaki grasps childhood more intuitively and instinctively than any animation filmmaker living today, and it's in this understanding of a child's emotions, conflicts and inner-strength that his films grab hold of the imagination. The stunning visuals, gripping script, infectious humor, unsettling horror and sweeping music form a riveting framework, and perhaps that undermines just how crucial the whole of the production truly is to Spirited Away's success. But without the heart of the film, the body would not live long, no matter how beautiful or lyrical or dazzling. Miyazaki exerts a command of the screen, a control of his art, and a connection with his audience few writers and directors achieve, be it animation or live-action filmmaking. There's simply nothing like a Miyazaki film, and simply no Miyazaki film like Spirited Away. Few animated films -- any film for that matter -- achieve the level of visual, narrative and musical cohesion, the level of story, character and world wonderment, Miyazaki delivers with Spirited Away. It's poignant, powerful stuff, and he captures it all with the ease and command of a master filmmaker. It remains one of his finest, if not the finest, and continues to stand the test of time, proving itself as absorbing today as it first did fourteen years ago. Disney's Blu-ray release is a must-own as well, offering a stunning video presentation, two terrific lossless audio tracks, and a solid selection of special features. This one comes highly, highly recommended. Spirited Away is arguably Miyazaki's best and most popular film. Presently, this Shout! BD/DVD combo is cheaper than the Disney package released two years ago. It sports a new video encode and includes a slim booklet. My HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION. Cast Notes: Rumi Hiiragi (Chihiro Ogino / Sen [voice]), Miyu Irino (Haku [voice]), Mari Natsuki (Yubaba / Zeniba [voice]), Takashi Naitô (Akio Ogino [voice]), Yasuko Sawaguchi (Yûko Ogino [voice]), Tatsuya Gashûin (Aogaeru [voice]), Ryûnosuke Kamiki (Bô [voice]), Yumi Tamai (Rin [voice]), Yô Ôizumi (Bandai-gaeru [voice]), Koba Hayashi (Kawa no Kami [voice]), Tsunehiko Kamijô (Chichiyaku [voice]), Takehiko Ono (Aniyaku [voice]), Bunta Sugawara (Kamajî [voice]), Shigeru Wakita ([voice]), Shirô Saitô ([voice]). IMDb Rating (11/24/17): 7.6/10 from 232,746 users
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