Part of
November 14, 2005
Japanese animated flick Spirited Away has wowed the world, pleasing punters and critics in equal measure. Knocking GGI movies for six, it relishes in its own resplendent and glorious colour. If animation ever looked this good (and it possibly did) then it doesn't anymore. It's unlikely that mainstream animation ever had the bite and edge of Spirited Away.
The stuff of dark fairytales or those one of those nightmares that never seem to end, Spirited Away follows a lonely young girl into a magical ghost world when her parents, unheeding of her warnings to behave, are turned into pigs. What follows is an epic, mesmerising tale. How will she get out? Will she find her parents? With Gilliam-esque grotesques and bonkers characters, Spirited Away wields a huge punch - weighing in with an eco-theme that hits between the eyes. You think animation equals kidflick? Think again. For one, this has some pretty scary moments, nightmarish indeed, amid the quirky humour and drama. Sophisticated, spiritual and a shock to the cultural system, Spirited Away deserves all the attention it gets.
The stuff of dark fairytales or those one of those nightmares that never seem to end, Spirited Away follows a lonely young girl into a magical ghost world when her parents, unheeding of her warnings to behave, are turned into pigs. What follows is an epic, mesmerising tale. How will she get out? Will she find her parents? With Gilliam-esque grotesques and bonkers characters, Spirited Away wields a huge punch - weighing in with an eco-theme that hits between the eyes. You think animation equals kidflick? Think again. For one, this has some pretty scary moments, nightmarish indeed, amid the quirky humour and drama. Sophisticated, spiritual and a shock to the cultural system, Spirited Away deserves all the attention it gets.
