Spirited Away
Today marks ten whole years since Studio Ghibli first shared Spirited Away with the world. Thus far it is the only foreign film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, which says a lot about it and its success with foreign audiences.
Spirited Away is one of my favourite films for the simple reason that it has a lot going for it. A great coming-of-age story, a quirky yet layered set of characters, fantastic animation that stays true to traditional methods while incorporating digital technology and a superb score by Joe Hisaishi all combine to make it a very enjoyable film yet at the same time remain an emotional tale.
Its hard to believe its now 10 years old but it is. A true testament to the deftness and skill of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. John Lasseter also deserves an honourable mention for handling the better than usual English dub.
Oliver Good over at The National has a nice write-up on how Spirited Away helped break the mould for Japanese movies.
Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) is a 2001 film by the Japanese anime studio Studio Ghibli, written and directed by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki. Its original Japanese title can be translated as The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro or Sen and the Spiriting Away of Chihiro. However the name also forms a pun, with "Sen to Chihiro" sounding like "Sentou Chihiro", which means "Bath-house Chihiro". In Japan the film is commonly referred to simply as "Sen".
The film received many awards around the world, including the second Oscar ever awarded for Best Animated Feature and the only winner of that award to win among five nominees (in every other year there were three nominees).
Chihiro is a sullen little girl moving to a new home, in a new town. While travelling to her new house, with her parents, she seems sad. After taking a wrong turning, they enter a strange tunnel and find themselves lost in an empty town with restaurants everywhere. They're hungry and find some food.
Spirited Away is one of my favourite films for the simple reason that it has a lot going for it. A great coming-of-age story, a quirky yet layered set of characters, fantastic animation that stays true to traditional methods while incorporating digital technology and a superb score by Joe Hisaishi all combine to make it a very enjoyable film yet at the same time remain an emotional tale.
Its hard to believe its now 10 years old but it is. A true testament to the deftness and skill of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. John Lasseter also deserves an honourable mention for handling the better than usual English dub.
Oliver Good over at The National has a nice write-up on how Spirited Away helped break the mould for Japanese movies.
Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) is a 2001 film by the Japanese anime studio Studio Ghibli, written and directed by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki. Its original Japanese title can be translated as The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro or Sen and the Spiriting Away of Chihiro. However the name also forms a pun, with "Sen to Chihiro" sounding like "Sentou Chihiro", which means "Bath-house Chihiro". In Japan the film is commonly referred to simply as "Sen".
The film received many awards around the world, including the second Oscar ever awarded for Best Animated Feature and the only winner of that award to win among five nominees (in every other year there were three nominees).
Chihiro is a sullen little girl moving to a new home, in a new town. While travelling to her new house, with her parents, she seems sad. After taking a wrong turning, they enter a strange tunnel and find themselves lost in an empty town with restaurants everywhere. They're hungry and find some food.