Spirited Away

Spirited Away Japanese animated masterpiece reviewed on DVD - released March 29 th 2004

I cannot stress how great this movie is. Spirited Away is a fantasy adventure film unlike any other. It Won honors at the 2003 Oscars (best animated picture) & carried away the golden bear at the Berlin international film festival of the same year. Spirited Away was also the highest grossing movie of all time at the Japanese box office taking a staggering $230m.

Directed by Japanese Anime god Hayao Miyazaki the movie challenges the boundaries of reality and immerses the viewer in a magical world inhabited by dragons, sprits & gods. Miyazaki has created a modern Alice in Wonderland an hallucinogenic journey deep into his own imagination.

Miyazaki 's last film. Princess Mononoke, was previously the biggest film in Japan , overtaking Titanic at the box office. Revered by some of the world's leading filmmakers, Spirited Away has been greeted with almost universal praise across the globe. Its traditional hand drawn style with detailed interiors and lush pastoral scenes are stunningly realised.

Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a capricious, headstrong, 10 year-old girl, who believes the entire universe should submit to her every whim. Whilst en-route to a new home, Chihiro and her parents stumble on a mysterious cul-de-sac. Intrigued, they are confronted with an endless tunnel leading to a ghostly town. Chihiro's parents greedily devour free food and are turned unceremoniously into pigs as she looks on. Unwittingly, they have strayed into the Land of the Spirits, a world inhabited by ancient gods and magical beings, ruled over by a demonic sorceress Yubaba. Finding an ally in the enigmatic Haku, he explains that in order to fight annihilation, to survive this strange and perilous new world, Chihiro must make herself useful, she must work. Chihiro renounces her laziness, her humanity, her reason, her memories, even her name

The English language version is executive produced by Toy Story director John Lasseter and features the voices of Daveleigh Chase (Lilo and Stitch, The Ring), Mihael Chkis (The Sheid) and Lauren Holly (What Women Want).

Technical Information:

 
Film - Spirited Away Japanese animated masterpiece reviewed on DVD - released March 29 th 2004
Film - Spirited Away Japanese animated masterpiece reviewed on DVD - released March 29 th 2004
Film - Spirited Away Japanese animated masterpiece reviewed on DVD - released March 29 th 2004
Film - Spirited Away Japanese animated masterpiece reviewed on DVD - released March 29 th 2004

The feature packed DVD has been produced to a premium technical specification and includes these extras, many of them previously unseen outside Japan :

DISC ONE :

  • Original Japanese language feature
  • English language Disney produced feature
  • Audio: English Stereo, English 5.1,
  • Japanese 5.1 - Subtitles: English
  • Full feature storyboard to scene comparison

DISC TWO:

  • The Making of Spirited Away Nippon TV special - With English subtitles
  • Japanese Trailers And TV Spots - 30 Min - with English subtitles
  • Trailer of Cat's Return
  • Introduction by John Lasseter,
  • Behind the Microphone - voice talent featurette,
  • Disney US Trailer,
  • Meet Hayao Miyazaki

Certificate : PG

Running Time :120mins

Spirited Away is available to buy on Video and DVD from March 29 th 2004

Contactmusic