千と千尋の神隠し / Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi / Blu-ray + DVD

Spirited Away Blu-ray Review

"Once you meet someone, you never really forget them."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, June 15, 2015

The reality that there will only be a finite number of Hayao Miyazaki films is beginning to sink in. Fortunately, it won't be long until every Miyazaki masterpiece -- obscure, award-winning and beloved alike -- along with every Studio Ghibli production, will be available in high definition.(2001) is arriving later than many had hoped (later), but the waiting is finally over. And if the quality of Disney's release and the timelessness of the film itself are any indication, it's been worth the wait. Winner of the Best Animated Feature Oscar at the 75th Academy Awards and recipient of the Berlin International Film Festival's highest honor, the Golden Bear, Miyazaki's breathtaking animated fantasy adventure is arguably his best, and certainly one of his most profoundly satisfying. It's also not a film to be taken lightly. Children will be awestruck by the magic of the spirit world and the wonder of its strange denizens and entranced by an at-times overwhelming sense of discovery, but adults will be drawn into the tale as well, and more deeply than their sons and daughters. Few films have captured childhood fear, anxiety, ingenuity and adaptability more thoughtfully and sincerely. Fewer still have done so through such a believable, endearing young protagonist exploring such an inexhaustibly fascinating fantasy realm.(2013) may have served as Miyazaki's powerfully poignant farewell to animation, but it'sthat remains his quintessential masterwork.After stumbling upon an abandoned amusement park with her mother and father, ten-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi, Daveigh Chase) finds herself trapped in a magical world where a witch named Yubaba (Mari Natsuki, Suzanne Pleshette) runs a bathhouse for an array of supernatural patrons. With her parents transformed into pigs, Chihiro is frightened and alone; her only ally a stranger, a young man named Haku (Miyu Irino, Jason Marsden), who races to save her life. Haku offers a warning: if she's discovered, Yubaba will turn her into a pig as well. But if she can convince the bathhouse's boiler attendant, Kamaji (Bunta Sugawara, David Ogden Stiers), to give her a job, she'll be spared. And so Chihiro embarks on a journey beneath and ultimately into the bathhouse, struggling to adapt to her new surroundings, survive Yubaba and other spirit world threats, save her parents, and find a way home.Yubaba, impressed with Chihiro's tenacity, offers her work but steals her name, demanding Chihiro call herself Sen instead. Unbeknownst to Sen, this trickery slowly robs her of her memories, a process Haku secretly interrupts so Sen still has a chance of escape. With the help of her fellow worker Lin (Yumi Tamai, Susan Egan), Sen learns her trade as best she can, winning accolades when dealing with a stink spirit then landing herself in hot water when she grants a masked creature called No Face (Akio Nakamura, Bob Bergen) entry into the bathhouse. Soon Sen encounters the mysterious Zeniba (Natsuki, Pleshette), Yubaba's twin sister, walking into the middle of a family feud that leaves Haku on death's doorstep and Chihiro fighting to save his life.How is it that such a bizarre, otherworldly realm rings so true? That such high fantasy tells so human a story? It's not the animation, though it's an example of Ghibli at its most striking and imaginative. It's not the story, though Miyazaki's script is magnificently simpledeceptively complex, crafting layer upon layer of context and significance for cinephiles to unearth. It's not the eclectic cast of supernatural creatures or the outstanding voice performances (Japanese and English), though you won't soon forget a single one. No. It's fear. Chihiro's fear. Miyzaki devotes substantial screentime to the difficulty Chihiro endures adjusting to the spirit world, conceiving and capturing the sort of convincing panic and sheer terror you'd expect from a real 10-year old girl thrust into such extraordinary circumstances. Chihiro is not only forced to face these overpowering moments of crippling fear -- sometimes with help, sometimes on her own -- she's forced to overcome them; her courage and confidence growing, bit by inspiring bit, naturally and organically within the story.Miyazaki grasps childhood more intuitively and instinctively than any animation filmmaker living today, and it's in this understanding of a child's emotions, conflicts and inner-strength that his films grab hold of the imagination. The stunning visuals, gripping script, infectious humor, unsettling horror and sweeping music form a riveting framework, and perhaps that undermines just how crucial the whole of the production truly is to's success. But without the heart of the film, the body would not live long, no matter how beautiful or lyrical or dazzling. Miyazaki exerts a command of the screen, a control of his art, and a connection with his audience few writers and directors achieve, be it animation or live-action filmmaking. There's simply nothing like a Miyazaki film, and simply no Miyazaki film like