Revisited: Spirited Away

Spirited Away 千と千尋の神隠し is a 2001 coming-of-age tale written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away tells the story of a spunky 10-year-old named Chihiro Ogino, who enters into the spirit world with her parents. After helping themselves to some food they came across, both are turned into pigs by the witch, Yubaba Chihiro takes a job at her bathhouse to find a way to free them and return back to the human world.

Spirited Away knocked my socks off the first time I saw it. Rightfully so, this movie is really a masterpiece. 19 years later, and the film still looks fantastic. At the time of its release, it was the top-grossing movie in Japan’s History and also received an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It’s not hard to see why. This hands down, one of prettiest animated films I have ever seen.

The story is consistent. The colors, illustrations, and sound design, among other things, are breathtaking. The character designs in this movie are top-notch. There are all sorts of creatures, you get a taste of everything. Some resembling animals, humanoids, and others that I can’t really sum up. The character designers really took advantage of the fantasy element.

When Sen helps to bathe the Mudd spirit. The things that they pulled out of there guest was crazy. I love how this movie takes mundane thin and makes them exciting. I also loved how urgent everything is to meet in this movie. It was a race, and Sen was constantly reminded of that. Knowing something and actually feeling it are two different things.

Spirited Away is really a magical ride. Action-packed from start to finish Likable characters and bunch of things to gush about. The feeling of nostalgia really hits home. This was what made me a fan because this legendary Studio Ghibli never disappoints.

Very special shout out to No Face.

What did you think about Spirited Away?