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Spirited Away (2001) Certificate PG

Spirited Away

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Rated 4.0 stars
Average rating
(75%)
 
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Studio: OPTIMUM RELEASING
Run time: 124 mins
Collections: 100 Big Adventures
Genres: Children | Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Languages: English
Released: March 26, 2004

In the middle of her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by witches and monsters, where humans are changed into animals.

Rating of 4 stars out of 5
Radio Times

Having broken box-office records and added an Oscar to its share of Berlin's Golden Bear, this animated fantasy adventure about a sulky girl who learns the importance of being true to one's self has become an instant Japanimation classic. It contains echoes of Alice in Wonderland that are reinforced by the gallery of rogues and grotesques that resourceful heroine Chihiro encounters after she's trapped inside a fantasy world ruled by twin witches. Director Hayao Miyazaki's insistence on hand-drawn graphics gives the CGI visuals an ethereal charm that ensures the story is always a pleasure to behold, even during its rare moments of inaction.

Highest rated reviews

86 out of 91 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Beautifully Drawn Animation

Laurie from East Grinstead, England, 26th April, 2004

The single most impressive thing about this Japanese animation is that it is a wonderful hand drawn work of art. You have to go right back to the Disney animations of the 1940's and 50's to see anything this well crafted. And unlike American animations, the characters feel real and the Japanese work ethic shines all the way through. Whether young children will enjoy it as much as the Hollywood movies, I doubt. But as an adult, I adored it.

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68 out of 76 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 3.0 stars
Strangely compelling

RIP from Manchester, 9th April, 2005

This animation is far East Asian, culturally , the story held my interest and kept drawing me back to find out what would happen. Enjoyable and different.

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26 out of 30 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Utterly unique genius

A Customer from Birmingham, 9th April, 2004

A surreal fantasy about a little girl getting lost in an abandoned theme park, where her parents get turned into pigs and she has to work there until she can find a way of rescuing them.

I'm not sure what kids would make of it - it's no Finding Nemo, plot wise and it might be a bit surreal for some adult's tastes, but I loved it.

In fact I consider myself very lucky to have seen this on the big screen too, but it isn't an over-exaggeration to say that every frame is a work of art. Amazing work, amazing imagination.

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23 out of 28 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 1.0 stars
I was spitited away to the land of sleep

sharon from Northampton, 29th May, 2007

This film started well but within 20 Min's I was bored and started to fall asleep (in bed luckily) The children were engrossed for about 40 Min's then they were bored with it. The point of the story was????????? I would give it a miss if I was you, unless you want a film to send you to sleep.

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Most recent reviews

Rated 2.0 stars
A bizare tale...

A Customer from Bromley, 18th March, 2010

A strange Japanese fantasy cartoon. A very bizare subject. My daughter and I couldn't decide if we enjoyed it or not -although we were keen to see if there was a 'happy ending', so I guess we must have.

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Rated 5.0 stars
Amazing

Flooow from , 10th January, 2010

An amazing movie from Miyazaki which let us have a look into the japanese culture and religion. Perfect in every way.

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Rated 4.0 stars
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Corey K from Derbyshire, England, 11th November, 2009

Amazing, this is a must see. It is sutable for familes but there are some wierd creature which may scare young kids. But you hav to see this film !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Rated 5.0 stars
Spirited Away

A Customer from Warminster, Wiltshire, 17th October, 2009

This film is surreal and definitely weird but I, my husband and 11 year old son were riveted. The animation is beautiful and the main character a feisty girl. Definitely worth a look.

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