A little girl named Chihiro (voiced in the American version by
Daveigh Chase) moves to a new house with her parents. Chihiro is not really very
happy about this move to a new home, a new school, and a new life in general.
She whines and complains whenever she gets the chance, especially when her
father--while driving Chihiro and her mom to their new home--makes a wrong turn
and they wind up on an old trail that leads through the dense woods. The trail
ends at an old, abandoned temple, and Chihiro is annoyed when her parents want
to get out and explore. Walking through a tunnel that runs through the building,
they come out the other side and find what appears to be a deserted amusement
park of some kind. Feeling hungry, Chihiro's parents find food cooking at the
counter of an empty restaurant and chow down.
Disgusted at the sight of her parents making pigs of themselves, Chihiro goes
exploring on her own. She encounters a local boy named Haku (voiced by Jason
Marsden) who warns her that she is in grave danger with the coming of night.
Sure enough, as streetlamps come on all over, the once deserted town comes to
life with eerie, shadowy figures. When Chihiro seeks out her parents, she is
horrified to discover that their pig-like behavior had in fact turned them into
real pigs. Trapped in a mythical realm filled with all sorts of wondrous beings,
Chihiro soon learns that the only way to survive in this astounding and
frightening place is to get a job in the bath house of the Gods, run by a
sorceress named Yubaba (voiced by Suzanne Pleshette), who claims total
possession of her employees by taking their real names. But can Chihiro--who is
now known by her new worker name of Sen--save her parents from being turned into
bacon and escape this world before she forgets who she truly is?
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the visionary genius who gave us Kiki's Delivery
Service, Spirited Away is a magnificent story that is told with a stunning
visual style. Miyazaki's imagination is so rife in every frame that it almost
flows from the screen. There is the exacting attention to the fine details in
every aspect of the film that make it worth watching over and over. And despite
the lavish visuals, Miyazaki doesn't shirk the characters. Both humans and gods
are presented as fascinating three-dimensional people, with flaws and all.
Chihiro is the most sympathetic of all; she starts out as a whiny little girl
who, during the course of the story, finds her inner reserves and matures into
a confident young woman who can handle anything. The two-disc DVD set contains
such special features as "Behind The Microphone" a documentary about the
recording of the American version of the film, a "Select Storyboard To Screen
Comparison" and the original Japanese trailers. There is a ho-hum "making of"
documentary called "The Art Of Spirited Away". But much better is a Japanese-produced
"making-of" film, known only as "Nippon Television Special". Presented in
Japanese (with English subtitles) this film offers a marvelous look inside the
creative process of director Hayao Miyazaki, who based the character of Chihiro
on a real little girl. The film shows the extreme dedication of the staff of
animators, who all put long hours into the film to get it done in time for
release. Enchanting and dream-like in its quality, Spirited Away is one magical
ride you won't forget. --SF