Spirited Away [Blu-ray + DVD]

From the opening theme to the closing credits, this film is so beautiful to watch and to listen to that it almost hurts. The animation itself is above average, but the backgrounds are, quite simply, stunning. Above all, Spirited Away shows a breathtaking imagination on the part of the director in bringing to life this deceptively deep story.Having seen this film originally at the cinema, this was the sum of my opinion on it - that it was beautiful but not very profound. However, after repeated viewings, I now understand what some other reviewers have alluded to. In particular, while the story serves almost as a canvas across which the director can introduce all sorts of wonderful characters - some funny, some actually quite scary - there is also a meaningful narrative here as well. The young heroine who, at the beginning of the film, is scared of facing the unknown even with her parents present, by the conclusion has become strong, independent and courageous. This transformation is brought to the screen with the same care and attention as the animation itself, with various events having exceedingly subtle effects on Chihiro's personality.But the main reason why this film works so well, and is so moving, is not that we see Chihiro growing up; it is because the story is, at its heart, about the most important human needs: the quest to return home; the need for acceptance and belonging; and above all, love.I bought this primarily because it was very difficult to find a cinema showing the original language version, which is included on the disc. Althought the American dub is, for the most part, sensitively done, it's not a patch on the Japanese original, in which the heroine sounds slightly older and which (in subtitles) refuses to resort to Americanisms. (Comparing the subtitles with the English language soundtrack reveals some cringe-worthy liberties with the original script in the American form.) Still, congratulations are due to Disney for having the foresight to make this wonderful film as accessible as possible.Incidentally, the first disc of this two-disc set contains the film with a storyboard comparison accessed via the multi-angle feature. While this quickly gets tiresome, it does provide for a very nice feature indeed: the second angle of the last chapter contains the series of background stills from the closing credits, but without the credits themselves. This means that you can appreciate the intricacy of the drawings without interruption, and whilst being serenaded by the gorgeous song Always With Me, which, along with Joe Hisaishi's delicate original score, rounds off a pretty much perfect package.

Nothing was wrong with it, it was perfect the picture, the quality, was just great and the audio was amazing.

Wow!!!!! What an adventure! What a story! What a fantasy! I wish I could watch this animation when I was young like Chihiro! But even now being 28 years old, I am impressed.... So, what's special in this movie? Why everybody likes it?1) Well, first of all, there is a very unusual story. It's just not what you expect from fairytales or what you are accustomed to expect from fairytales. The story is intriguing and is absolutely unpredictable. Each next scene will make your eyes and mouth wide. That's why you'll be glued to the screen the whole 2-hour time while the movie goes. So, I am not going to tell you what's the story is about, as I want you to be excited in the same way I was when I watched it for the first time...2) Humour. There are plenty of moments there, which will make you laugh. The humour is very intelligent and that's why it's very pleasant and enjoyable. In the course of the movie you'll see various characters. Most of them will make you smile without saying a word!3) Main characters. I don't know whether you've seen already "Tokyo Godfathers". If yes, then you know how quality drawn characters can be. The 10-years old Chihiro is so real here. Well, actually, my favourite character there is not Chihiro, but wonderful granny Yubaba!!! Oh, she is so cool and witty! Quite a special character I must say, but so lovely! She is so smart and funny that I wish she could be my grand mother!!!4) Music. You know, with such an original score, you don't really need to watch anything. Just listen to this masterpiece of the famous Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi!!!! Splendid! You will not hear a single electronic sound, but what you'll hear are beautiful orchestral, piano and violin themes. This movie got rich and quality soundtrack.Conclusion: this movie is a masterpiece. I am very happy I watched it and I am glad I got this DVD.

Its still a brilliant film

Spirited Away is the kind of film that shines through not because of it's technical achievements, but it's story. And this is all down to the fact that Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are masters at storytelling, with their only rival in that area being Pixar, and until Toy Story 3, was in my opinion the best animated film I had ever seen. But because Spirited Away is a traditional animated film in the sense that it is 2D, it therefore belongs as the pinnacle of 2D animation. There are however, moments where this film exceeds many of Pixar's own films, in that each and every notable character in this movie is life-like in everythng other than appearance. They all have good and bad qualities in them, just like real people do. This is especially relevant for the lead charcater Chihiro, who in the film, has been transported to an alternate reality and her parents have been taken away from her. So in order to return home with her parents she must work in a bath house which is uder the control of the witch Yubaba, the one who took her parents away.The story is very Alice-in-Wonderland-esque, but is so much more than that. It is very easy to forget that this film is animated, as you really care for the characters, especially Chihiro, in a way that I have only experienced, other than in this film, in Toy Story 3. It is without a doubt the best anime movie I have ever seen, and is the running for one of the best animated movies of all time. It's a difficult film to describe without giving away spoilers, but in short, the animation is brilliant, the characters are realistic, the story is fantastic and for a dub the voice acting is very good (although I recommend watching it in both english and japanese, both of which are on this DVD). Spirtied Away is the benchmark all animated films should aim to be. 5/5