Just saw SPIRITED AWAY

[Enchantress]

Wow. What else can I say? Miyazaki has really out done himself this time. This tops even Princess Mononoke. In fact, I liked it so much I went out and bought Kiki's Delivery Service just because it was also made by Miyazaki.(I still have yet to get Castle in the Sky) By the way, does anyone know what other movies I might have seen the voice actor for Haku in? I saw his face on the special features and its driving me insane that I can't figure out where I've seen him before! I would also like your oppinions on the movie as well.

 

[Samnell]

I liked Mononoke better, but it was close. If Chihiro had been less annoying, they'd have been dead-on even for me.

EDIT: Just checked the features. Jason Marsden has done a lot of things over the years. He was JT's goofy friend on Step-by-Step and had basically the same role on Boy Meets World ca. 1993. Before that he was Dash-X (the kid with the white hair) on Eerie, Indiana.

No idea what he's done more recently.

 

[Enchantress]

I could be mistaken, but I think he is also the voice of Gear on the animated series Static Shock on the WB.

 

[Chun-tzu]

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Marsden, Jason

He did the voice of Richie Foley. I only watch Static Shock occasionally, so I don't know anyone named Gear. Is that Richie's nickname?

 

[John Crichton]

Okay, I wasn't the biggest fan of Mononoke, but I did enjoy it. That said, is Spirited Away a good film or just a good anime? I was thinking of buying the DVD (I don't rent) because so many people have liked it.

 

[Tsyr]

In this case, I would advise you to rent... It is a great *film*, not just great anime... But it's not for everyone.

 

[Chun-tzu]

Spirited Away ranks as a good film, period. It stood head and shoulders above the other animated films nominated for the Oscar. But whether or not it's worth buying depends on a lot of things, of course. It's definitely worth seeing.

You may like it much more than you did Princess Mononoke, John C. The two movies are pretty different. Mononoke has a very mythological feel to it, and it's a bit different from Miyazaki's other films (darker, and heavier in terms of its moral about man and nature). Spirited Away is one of those rare movies that's great for both kids and adults. The story is roughly similar to Alice in Wonderland, with the main character finding herself in an adventure in a truly fantastic land.

If you have any kids in the family (cousins, nephews/nieces, whatever), then definitely get it. Because if you decide not to keep it, you can just give it to them as a birthday present or something.

 

[Tiefling]

Having only seen this film and Totoro, do all of Miyazaki's films start with a yound girl moving to a new town?

 

[Tsyr]

Having only seen this film and Totoro, do all of Miyazaki's films start with a yound girl moving to a new town?

No. Though many do.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Having only seen this film and Totoro, do all of Miyazaki's films start with a yound girl moving to a new town?

No. Though many do.

Yeah, Mononoke begins with a young GUY moving to a new town. Totally different

Spirited Away is great stuff, period. Despite all the spirit mumbo-jumbo, you don't need a doctorate in Japanese Culture to get into it. There's some visuals that are just downright captivating, the equal of any live-action film I've seen.

If Chihiro had been less annoying, they'd have been dead-on even for me.

I guess Chihiro was a little annoying in the beginning of the film (no more so than most preteen girls I've ever encountered), although given her oafish parents, I think you can see why. I think the point of the film is that she starts this adventure as a whiny kid, but over the course of events she finds reserves of strength within herself that she didn't know existed. Compare her at the film's opening to the film's closing, and I think you'll see what Miyazaki was trying to do. It was a tad heavy-handed, but it rang true.