A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her fam...
For the past 10 years of my life, I always considered The Iron Giant to be at the top of my list for my favorite animated films of all time......and after all those years, I think today is the day where I’ve finally found a very VERY CLOSE top contender to compete for that spot if not dethrone and take it’s place: I wasn’t prepared to be......Spirited Away. Honestly, I am bloody appalled by the fact that it took me THIS long to get to a Studio Ghibli film let alone one of, if not THE best they have to offer.
This film is filled with exuberant life and pizzaz everywhere, mirroring the trippy energy of Alice In Wonderland and the carefully crafted and imaginative worldbuilding of The Nightmare Before Christmas; it within itself showcases a VERY relatable open perspective within the luminescent, gorgeously realized world safe for children, but acknowledging blood, pain, greed, dread and death in ways that other animated films even in today’s standards wouldn't dare to go. The voice acting is some of the best I’ve ever heard, characters are delightful in how likable, terrifying or even how relatable they are, there’s impeccable cinematography, meticulous editing, beautiful splices of music, every single plot-thread speaks volumes regarding identity, Japanese culture, Western consumerism, environmentalism, adolescence, the cleansing of spirits and friendly love but NONE of those qualities would’ve worked nearly as well if not for this amazing of imagination in the animation. With everything popping off the screen so vibrantly and lavishly, the best way to describe the animation is INTOXICATING.
You know a film does it’s job right when it makes you traverse through every single field of emotion it can muster and you can’t get enough of it; I haven’t cried like this in a while. With a plot differing in its complexity on so many levels, from the basic storyline, to the omnipresent universal themes, to the riddling of Japanese history and fable throughout, children and adults alike will be mesmerised from start to end. A magical, awe-inspiring, tearful, laughter-filled, heartfelt journey through a land of sweeping fantasy and dreams. Step aside, Iron Giant.......I’ve got myself a new favorite.
