Spirited Away

SPIRITED AWAY (PG)

D: Hayao Miyazaki

Optimum/Studio Ghibli (Toshio Suzuki)

Japan 2001 (released 2002)

125 mins

Animated

W: Hayao Miyazaki

Mus: Joe Hisashi

voices of: Rumi Hiiragi / Daveigh Chase (Chihiro Ogino), Miyu Irino / Jason Marsden (Haku), Mari Natsuki / Suzanne Plachette (Yubaba / Zeniba), Bunta Sagawara / David Ogden Stiers (Kamaji)

Spirited Away is ample proof that Studio Ghibli's output is just as superior as Disney when it comes to animated films.

Hugely imaginative, compellingly artistic and wildly surreal, the story sees a forlorn 10-year-old girl, while on a car journey with her parents, get spirited away to a magical land full of gods, ghosts and other mythical creatures, where she must earn her keep by working in a bathhouse owned by a cunning witch.

Though the plot sounds a little too fanciful to be taken seriously, the style of Hayao Miyazaki's animation makes the film feel like a daydream, in-between the real world and the next, full of interesting characters and poetic dialogue.

One of the finest animated films of all time, and a fine example of how brilliant Japanese anime can be.

8/10