Movie Review: Spirited Away (2001)

Greetings, friends and readers!

My sister and I have been watching “Halloween” movies all week (note, not horror, just anything fantasy and magical!)! Today Iʼm bringing you a review of a movie that would be ideal to watch today if you have nothing else to do. In fact, it is such a good movie for anytime of year. One of my all time favorites! Iʼm also continuing to follow my goal for this year which was to review more international and foreign films!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This review is spoiler free! Feel free to read!


Spirited Away [Sen to Chihiro No Kamikakushi] (2001):

Chihiro and her parents are moving and she hates it. All of her friends are back at home and now sheʼll have no one. On taking a short cut they come upon an old railway station and her parents decide to explore even though Chihiro complains and tells them not to. They find what they think is an amusement park and her parents start eating the food that they find. It turns out that they were intruding on a place of the spirits and are punished. Chihiro is now trapped in this place, and after receiving some help is told that she must work very hard at the bathhouse and have her name changed to Sen. Names have power, and without hers Sen begins to forget who she is. Will she be able to get her and her parents out of there?

“Once youʼve met someone you never really forget them.” 

Genre: Fantasy.

Length: approx. 125 minutes.

Script: 10, no bad words.

Crew: Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki. Written by: Hayao Miyazaki.

Starring the voices of:

Usually I donʼt list the voices for every dubbed version of it, but in here Iʼm going to be listing the cast for two languages: The original Japanese and English (because that version is the one that I watch). One day I want to see the Japanese version just with English subtitles.

Rumi Hiiragi (Japanese) and Daveigh Chase (English) as Chihiro.

Miyu Irino (Japanese) and Jason Marsden (English) as Haku.

Mari Natsuki (Japanese) and Suzanne Pleshette (English) as Yubaba.

Mari Natsuki (Japanese) and Suzanne Pleshette (English) as Zeniba.

Yumi Tamai (Japanese) as Rin and Susan Egan (English) as Lin. “Someday Iʼm getting on that train.”

Bunta Sugawara (Japanese) and David Ogden Stiers (English) as Kamaji.

Ryûnosuke Kamiki (Japanese) and Tara Strong (English) as Boh.

Akio Nakamura (Japanese) and Bob Bergen (English) as No-Face.

Takashi Naitô (Japanese) and Michael Chiklis (English) as Akio Ogino.

Yasuko Sawaguchi (Japanese) and Lauren Holly as Yûko Ogino.

Costumes: 8, just fine. There are some guests at the bathhouse and a baby who don't wear that much. Something that is relevant to this time is a line from that baby: "You'll get sick if you go outside."

Animation: 10, this is incredible! Besides the fact that it is hand drawn and amazing in that feat alone, it is stunning. The water, the colors, the lighting, all of it top notch and leading to an amazing aesthetic and feel for this.

Music: 10, the music is gorgeous as well! This might be one of my favorite scores for an animated film. It is so relaxing, but has mystery whispering around the edges.

Music by: Joe Hisaishi.

Quotability: 9, there are all kinds of little moments through out the film that my sisters and I quote frequently, but the most used of all has to be:

“Wanna loose your nose?”

Oscars won: 1: Best Animated Feature Film (at the 2002 Oscars). Fun fact, it is so far the only hand drawn film to have won that award!

Content: 8, there is some smoking, gross things and scary scenes. All of it is so bizarre, but that is part of the magic of it!

Originality: 10, This movie is one of the most unique films that Iʼve ever seen. I can honestly (not that I'm ever dishonest!) say that I've never seen anything like this.

Good For: I feel that Chihiro is such a good character for anyone and everyone to follow, to see her struggles and what she does. Any fans of animation, anyone who has just moved and is missing home.

Age Range: Iʼm mentioning it again, there are some strange things in here. Some could be scary for little kids, but I think most people over 8 would be fine. As always (I probably donʼt even have to say it because you know whatʼs coming next), it depends on the person.

Overall Score: 9!

Worth watching?: So much so! There are so many golden moments in here. And, fantastic characters! I love Haku, Lin, Kamaji, and we can't forget the soot spirits!

Will I watch again?: Yes! So far I canʼt tell you how many times Iʼve seen it, and that will only continue to grow.

ʻ“Whatʼs going on?”

“Something you wouldnʼt understand. Itʼs called love.”ʼ

Bonus thoughts:

Where do I begin with an icon of a movie like this? It is so good. Let me straighten this out: Do I believe in “spirits” or “gods” like that who visit a bath house to relax? No. This is fantasy, but it takes place in our world, but I donʼt necessarily believe it then. Stories are impactful not because of the exact details but because of the characters, and in this case it is about Chihiro.

Chihiro is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. She is only 10 (that blows my mind), but goes through so much and grows so much as a result of her journey. The whole movie is fantastic from beginning to end, and she shines as the main character.

I canʼt encourage you guys enough to watch this film because, to me, it is such an important milestone for animated movies. You might be like me the first few times that I watched it and think that it is extremely weird, but it grows on you. 

If nothing that I said there convinced you, I have one final word: dragon.

Now, go find out what you think of it!

Oh and look!

My wonderful younger sister made this header for me for Halloween! What do you guys think about it?

Clockwise from the top left: Harry Potter, Casper (1995), The Princess Bride (1987), Hocus Pocus (1993), Ghostbusters (1984), & Hocus Pocus (1993).

Thank you so much for reading! I hope that you are all staying safe, healthy, and happy. Have any of you seen this movie? I would love to talk about it with you! What will you be watching tonight for Halloween? Hint, for me itʼs one of the movies in my header.

Happy Halloween! 

MovieCritic

Book vs. Movie Review: Howl's Moving Castle

Hello!
I just re-read Howl's Moving Castle - by Diana Wynne Jones, which reminded me how much better it is than the movie! Here I am to review both!

Howl's Moving Castle - by Diana Wynne Jones:

 

The eldest of three girls, Sophie, knows that since she is the eldest nothing will ever happen to her, or if she tries to seek her fortune something terrible will happen. The best thing to do is sit in the hat shop and make hats.
"You are going to have to marry money."
One day, the Witch of the Waste storms in and turns Sophie into an old woman! And the worst part is she can't tell anybody that she is under a spell unless they already know! Sophie runs away and comes upon the Wizard Howl's Moving Castle. Where she pretends to be a cleaning lady to try to find a way to break the spell she is under.
Genre: Fantasy
Characters: 9, there are so many fun characters and they are all so complex!
My Favorites:
Sophie, it is so interesting to see how a person's view can change. She is so determined. "Out Spiders! Out of my way!"
Michael, he is so sweet and kind and does his best.
Calcifer, he has quite a trickster side.
Lettie and Martha, I love their stories through all of this!
Words: 8, a few bad words, but not too bad. "Now go downstairs and think of something else to do. Please. I hate quarreling with people."
Quotes: 9, "Help me someone! I'm dying from neglect up here!"
Storyline: 9, it is such a good story! It has a little bit of playing with another person's feelings, and some drunkenness. I definitely recommend this!
Good For: Once again, anyone can read any book, but I think these people would really like them!
Sisters, Anyone who feels different than others, anyone going through a hard time.
Overall Score: 9!

VS.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

  

Based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones.
After being turned into an old lady, Sophie goes to the Wizard Howl's Moving Castle posing as a cleaning lady. She makes a deal with the fire demon, Calcifer, that if she breaks his contract he will break her spell.

"I'm the worst kind of witch, the kind that cleans!"

Genre: Fantasy

Costumes: 9, well, we are talking about animation here, but I like this.
Script: 9, only one or two bad words. "She likes my spark!"

Crew: Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki. Produced by: Toshio Suzuki. Screenplay by: Hayao Miyazaki
Based on: Howl's Moving Castle - by Diana Wynne Jones
Starring: (As this film is in both Japanese and English, I will list both country's actors.)
Chieko Baisho (Japanese) and Emily Mortimer (English) as young Sophie, √ Emily Mortimer has a bit too much of an accent.

Chieko Baisho (Japanese) and Jean Simmons (English) as old Sophie, √

Takuya Kimura (Japanese) and Christian Bale (English) as Howl, √

Tatsuya Gashūin (Japanese) and Billy Crystal (English) as Calcifer, √

Ryūnosuke Kamiki (Japanese) and Josh Hutcherson (English) as Markl, Eh

Akihiro Miwa (Japanese) and Lauren Bacall (English) as the Witch of the Waste, √

Music: 8, very nice!
Music by: Joe Hisaishi
Quotes: 9, "I don't cook. I'm a scary and powerful fire demon!"

"Nom, nom! Nom! Nom, nom!"

Notes: In one point Sophie is looking out the door and Markl asks, "Wanna lose your nose?" meaning that he is going to close the door. In another Hayao Miyazaki film, Spirited Away, one person asks another the same question!!
Storyline: 5, I'm giving it a lower score because of how different it is from the book (not that I really mind), but the content isn't bad. There are just some scary and intense scenes which may be too much for little kids. About 11 and up would be fine, but it depends on the person.

What happened! This is not the same thing as the book.
1. Who in the world is Markl!? In the book it is Michael, and he is fifteen, not nine.
2. What is with Howl turning into the creepy monster!?
3. Were they feeling sorry for the Witch of the Waste? That is not at all how her story goes!
4. They didn't do anything with Lettie and Martha!
5. The ending is all screwy!
But, it is a Hayao Miyazaki movie so it is spectacular!
Good For: 
All ages, but there are some really creepy scenes that little kids might not be able to handle.
Overall Score: 7

The book wins!

I have reviewed this for:

Meredith's Beauty and the Beast Week!
Howl's Moving Castle is really a retelling of Beauty and the Beast!

SPOILER ALERT! If you have not read or seen Howl's Moving Castle, read no further! 

1. Sophie is Belle, and Beast. She has to go off and live with this wizard, but because she is the ugly one not the beautiful one. She is under a spell and she is hoping that it will be cured.
2. Howl is Beast. He is more like Beast in the movie because of the terrible monster that he turns into. But he is still very vain.
3. Michael, or Markl, is sort of a Lumier, he is very kind and lets Sophie in though he does get tired of her.
4. The book is more like Beauty and the Beast it the way that so many things turn into other things.
5. (drum roll please)..... Calcifer is the Rose!

I hope you all liked this review!
Have you been able to see the 2017 Beauty and the Beast yet? I haven't, but I can't wait!
Thank you so much Meredith for hosting this great week!!!

MovieCritic