Spirited Away
Sen- sational
Release Date:
2001 | PG | Dual- format Blu- ray & DVD Director: Hayao Miyazaki Cast: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette, Michael Chiklis, Lauren Holly
OUT NOW!
Saving the
best for last, Spirited Away is the final Miyazaki movie to receive a Blu- ray makeover. Long overdue it may be, but if any Ghibli film was worth the wait it’s their 2001 masterpiece – one of the all- time great animations.
In the midst of moving, stubborn scaredy cat Chihiro and her parents happen across an abandoned theme park. After ma and pa are turned into pigs Chihiro finds herself trapped in a strange spirit world, where she’s made to work in a towering bathhouse for shapeshifting witch Yubaba ( and given the name Sen), all the while searching for a way home.
Beautifully written, animated and acted, this is a breathtakingly imaginative and utterly beguiling experience. It’s epic in scope, but deeply personal in nature. At its heart are the relationships Chihiro forms and her transformative journey of self- discovery. It’s got depth that few live- action films, let alone animated ones, can boast.
Uncompromisingly weird and wonderful, Spirited Away is movie- making magic. But you probably don’t need us to tell you that. If you haven’t seen it already, what are you waiting for?
Extras: Aside from a lovely HD transfer there’s nothing new to this Blu- ray if you own the DVD, just storyboards, a 48- minute Making Of, an intro by John Lasseter, a behind- the- mic featurette and a two- minute conversation with Miyazaki. Jordan Farley Spirited Away is also part of an 11- film Hayao Miyazaki Collection box set, which adds a 90- minute bonus disc.