Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away is, first and foremost, an animated film of superb quality. Every frame is a work of art; the animation is so smooth it is like watching a fluid painting. Spirited Away is THE yardstick against which other animation is measured.
With that out of the way, on to what makes Spirited Away come to life.
The score is mostly simple, classically beautiful piano pieces. The heavy focus on piano, and the inherent, uncluttered simplicity of that sole instrument, is able to surge to the foreground with the voice acting, without actually crowding out the other sounds. The score swells right where it's needed, and is silent when the viewer's attention should be elsewhere. While not quite as show-stealing as the animation, it is also very well done.
Miyazaki also doesn't disappoint when it comes to the story. If nothing else, the film is fascinating to watch, with all the intricacies of the spirit world culture and mannerisms, and how the heroine navigates this strange, strange world. The world has the feeling of teeming activity, and a complexity and realism that the viewer barely scratches the surface of. In this regard, the incoherent world of Alice in Wonderland doesn't hold a candle to Spirited Away.
The pacing of the plot has a certain duality. On one hand, it is a whirlwind of events, and on the other, it has breather periods of subtle focus- such as the scenes in the boiler room and on the train. When it comes to characters, Chihiro overcomes hardships in a believable, age-appropriate manner. She is very well balanced, and you can't ask for much more out of 10-ish character. Haku is mysterious, and straddles the line between trustworthiness and untrustworthiness throughout much of the film, which is very difficult to pull off well, but he did. Yubaba the witch is a captivating character who immediately steals the attention in whatever scene she finds herself in, and is not knee-jerk evil, more domineering and alien than anything. The only places in the film that I think could use some improvement was the rather downplayed relationship between Yubaba and Haku, and the ambiguous, bittersweet ending.
Overall, my rating: 10/10. A must-see for any fan of animated film, or just film, period.
Miyazaki's answer to Alice in Wonderland
Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away is, first and foremost, an animated film of superb quality. Every frame is a work of art; the animation is so smooth it is like watching a fluid painting. Spirited Away is THE yardstick against which other animation is measured.
With that out of the way, on to what makes Spirited Away come to life.
The score is mostly simple, classically beautiful piano pieces. The heavy focus on piano, and the inherent, uncluttered simplicity of that sole instrument, is able to surge to the foreground with the voice acting, without actually crowding out the other sounds. The score swells right where it's needed, and is silent when the viewer's attention should be elsewhere. While not quite as show-stealing as the animation, it is also very well done.
Miyazaki also doesn't disappoint when it comes to the story. If nothing else, the film is fascinating to watch, with all the intricacies of the spirit world culture and mannerisms, and how the heroine navigates this strange, strange world. The world has the feeling of teeming activity, and a complexity and realism that the viewer barely scratches the surface of. In this regard, the incoherent world of Alice in Wonderland doesn't hold a candle to Spirited Away.
The pacing of the plot has a certain duality. On one hand, it is a whirlwind of events, and on the other, it has breather periods of subtle focus- such as the scenes in the boiler room and on the train. When it comes to characters, Chihiro overcomes hardships in a believable, age-appropriate manner. She is very well balanced, and you can't ask for much more out of 10-ish character. Haku is mysterious, and straddles the line between trustworthiness and untrustworthiness throughout much of the film, which is very difficult to pull off well, but he did. Yubaba the witch is a captivating character who immediately steals the attention in whatever scene she finds herself in, and is not knee-jerk evil, more domineering and alien than anything. The only places in the film that I think could use some improvement was the rather downplayed relationship between Yubaba and Haku, and the ambiguous, bittersweet ending.
Overall, my rating: 10/10. A must-see for any fan of animated film, or just film, period.