Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)

Director:

Hayao Miyazaki

Writer:

Hayao Miyazaki (written by)

Release Date:

27 July 2001 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

(The tunnel led Chihiro to a mysterious town,,,)

Plot:

In the middle of her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters; where humans are changed into animals; and a bathhouse for these creatures.

Plot Keywords:

God | Bathhouse | Pig | Spirit | River

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 35 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Rumi Hîragi	...	Chihiro / Sen (voice: Japanese version)
Miyu Irino	...	Haku (voice: Japanese version)
Mari Natsuki	...	Yubaba / Zeniba (voice: Japanese version)
Takashi Naitô	...	Chihiro no otôsan (voice: Japanese version)
Yasuko Sawaguchi	...	Chihiro no okâsan (voice: Japanese version)
Tatsuya Gashuin	...	Aogaeru, Assistant Manager (voice: Japanese version)
Ryûnosuke Kamiki	...	Bô (voice: Japanese version)
Yumi Tamai	...	Rin (voice: Japanese version)
Yô Ôizumi	...	Bandai-gaeru (voice: Japanese version)
Koba Hayashi	...	Kawa no Kami (voice: Japanese version)
Tsunehiko Kamijô	...	Chichiyaku (voice: Japanese version)
Takehiko Ono	...	Aniyaku (voice: Japanese version)
Bunta Sugawara	...	Kamajî (voice: Japanese version)
Noriko Kitou	...	Additional Voices (voice: Japanese version)
Shiro Saito	...	Additional Voices (voice: Japanese version)
Ken Yasuda	...	Additional Voices (voice: Japanese version)
Daveigh Chase	...	Chihiro (voice: English version)
Suzanne Pleshette	...	Yubaba / Zeniba (voice: English version)
Jason Marsden	...	Haku (voice: English version)
Susan Egan	...	Lin (voice: English version)
David Ogden Stiers	...	Kamajii (voice: English version)
Lauren Holly	...	Chihiro's Mother (voice: English version)
Michael Chiklis	...	Chihiro's Father (voice: English version)
John Ratzenberger	...	Assistant Manager (voice: English version)
Tara Strong	...	Bôh (voice: English version)
Mickie McGowan	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jack Angel	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Bob Bergen	...	No-Face / Frog / Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Rodger Bumpass	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jennifer Darling	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Paul Eiding	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Sherry Lynn	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Mona Marshall	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Candi Milo	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Colleen O'Shaughnessey	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Phil Proctor	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jim Ward	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)

Directed by
Hayao Miyazaki

Writing credits
Hayao Miyazaki		(written by)

Produced by
Donald W. Ernst	....	producer (English language version)
Lori Korngiebel	....	associate producer (English language version)
John Lasseter	....	executive producer: US
Toshio Suzuki	....	producer
Yasuyoshi Tokuma	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Joe Hisaishi

Cinematography by
Atsushi Okui

Film Editing by
Takeshi Seyama

Production Design by
Norobu Yoshida

Art Direction by
Yôji Takeshige

Production Management
Jeff Deckman	....	assistant production manager: english language version

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Masayuki Miyagi	....	assistant director
Atsushi Takahashi	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kô'hei Endô	....	color managment system
Yukie Nomura	....	color design assistant
Kazuko Yamada	....	color design assistant
Michiyo Yasuda	....	color designer

Sound Department
Toshiaki Abe	....	sound effects support
Atsushi Aikawa	....	DTS mastering
Petra Bach	....	adr supervisor
Jessica Gallavan	....	adr editor
Suminobu Hamada	....	surround mixing
Kaz Hayashi	....	sound: dolby digital/DTS stereo (as Kazuhiro Hayashi)
Takeshi Imaizumi	....	sound mixer
Takeshi Imaizumi	....	sound recordist
Kazumi Inaki	....	sound production
Shuji Inoue	....	sound: dolby digital/DTS stereo
Michihiro Ito	....	sound effects
Tamaki Kojo	....	sound production
Rie Komiya	....	sound effects assistant
Mayuka Miyazawa	....	sound effects support
Eiko Morikawa	....	sound effects support
Daisuke Murakami	....	sound effects assistant
Kazuaki Narita	....	sound effects support
Toru Noguchi	....	sound effects
Terry Porter	....	sound re-recording mixer: U.S.
Tetsuya Satake	....	sound mixer
Tetsuya Satake	....	sound recordist
Robert L. Sephton	....	American sound supervisor
Robert L. Sephton	....	sound effects editor
Tsukuru Takagi	....	sound mixer
Tsukuru Takagi	....	sound recordist
Noriko Tsushi	....	DTS mastering
Ayako Ueda	....	sound effects support

Visual Effects by
Robert Bagley	....	telecine operator
Thomas Baker	....	CAPS scene planning (english version)
Masaru Karube	....	digital animator
Mitsunori Katâma	....	digital animator
Miki Sato	....	digital animator
Yoichi Senzui	....	digital animator
Yuji Tone	....	digital animator
Hiroki Yamada	....	digital animator

Camera and Electrical Department
Wataru Takahashi	....	digital camera and composite operator
Wataru Takahashi	....	digital cinematographer
Atsushi Tamura	....	digital camera and composite operator
Junji Yubata	....	digital camera and composite operator

Animation Department
Shinichi Abe	....	inbetween animator
Akihiko Adachi	....	inbetween artist
Masashi Ando	....	animation director
Mi Kyoung An	....	inbetween animator
Myoung Hio An	....	digital ink and paint artist
Seiko Azuma	....	inbetween animator
Eun Soon Byeon	....	inbetween animator
Hye Soon Byeon	....	inbetween animator
Hyun Mi Cho	....	inbetween animator
Hee Eun Choi	....	inbetween animator
Soon Hwa Choi	....	digital ink and paint artist
Hanako Enomoto	....	inbetween animator
Ayako Fuji	....	inbetween artist
Emiko Fujii	....	inbetween animator
Kaori Fujii	....	animator
Hideto Fujiki	....	inbetween animator
Maya Fujimori	....	inbetween animator
Naoko Fujitani	....	inbetween animator
Naoya Furukawa	....	animator
Shôgo Furuya	....	key animator
Makiko Futaki	....	animator
Natsuko Goto	....	inbetween animator
Hideyoshi Hamatsu	....	animator
Hideki Hamazu	....	key animator
Sun Ki Ham	....	digital ink and paint artist
Keumi Han	....	digital ink and paint artist
Shinji Hashimoto	....	animator
Satoshi Hattori	....	inbetween animator
Soo Kyung Her	....	digital ink and paint artist
Kumi Hirai	....	inbetween animator
Rie Hirakawa	....	inbetween animator
Motonobu Hori	....	inbetween animator
Akira Hosogaya	....	inbetween artist
Young Mi Huh	....	inbetween animator
Hiroshi Iijima	....	digital ink and paint artist
Takeshi Imamura	....	animator
Masami Inomata	....	inbetween animator
Masayo Iseki	....	digital ink and paint artist
Hiroaki Ishii	....	digital ink and paint checker
Kunitoshi Ishii	....	inbetween animator
Kuniyuki Ishii	....	animator
Nobushige Ishita	....	inbetween animator
Yukari Ishita	....	inbetween animator
Keiko Itogawa	....	background artist
Nozomu Ito	....	inbetween animator
Yumiko Ito	....	inbetween animator
Yoshitake Iwakami	....	inbetween animator
Emiko Iwayanagi	....	inbetween animator
Cheo Ho Jang	....	inbetween artist
Hyeon Soo Joung	....	inbetween animator
Sung Hee Jung	....	inbetween animator
Hyun Ju Jun	....	inbetween animator
Megumi Kagawa	....	animator
Tsutomu Kaichi	....	inbetween animator
Shizue Kaneko	....	animator
Mioko Katano	....	inbetween animator
Byong Yor Kim	....	digital ink and paint artist
Eun Young Kim	....	inbetween animator
Shigeru Kimishima	....	key animator
Ji Eun Kim	....	inbetween animator
Jin Wook Kim	....	digital ink and paint artist
Jung-Hee Kim	....	inbetween animator
Mi Sun Kim	....	digital ink and paint artist
Mung Sook Kim	....	digital ink and paint artist
Myoung Sun Kim	....	digital ink and paint artist
Tae Jong Kim	....	digital ink and paint artist
Yumiko Kitajima	....	inbetween animator
Ogura Kobo	....	background artist
Komasa	....	inbetween artist
Daizen Komatsuda	....	inbetween animator
Junko Komatsuzaki	....	inbetween animator
Rie Kondou	....	inbetween animator
Ken'ichi Konishi	....	animator
Fumie Konno	....	inbetween animator
Kitaro Kosaka	....	animator
Misuzu Kurata	....	animator
Bok Kyoung Kwon	....	inbetween artist
Do Hee Lee	....	digital ink and paint artist
Eun Kyung Lee	....	digital ink and paint artist
Hye Sung Lee	....	inbetween animator
Mi Ok Lee	....	inbetween animator
Sue Shang Lee	....	inbetween animator
Daisuke Makino	....	inbetween animator
Kiyoko Makita	....	inbetween animator
Reiko Mano	....	inbetween animator
Yu Maruyama	....	inbetween animator
Tadahito Matsubayashi	....	inbetween animator
Mariko Matsuo	....	animator
Masaru Matsuse	....	animator
Atsuko Matsushita	....	inbetween artist
Satoshi Mikage	....	inbetween animator
Tomoko Miyata	....	inbetween animator
Yoshiyuki Momose	....	animator
Naomi Mori	....	digital ink and paint artist
Takashi Mori	....	inbetween animator
Kanako Moriya	....	digital ink and paint checker
Yasuto Murata	....	inbetween animator
Rie Nakagome	....	inbetween animator
Hiroaki Nakajima	....	inbetween animator
Yuki Nakajima	....	inbetween animator
Kazuki Nakamoto	....	inbetween animator
Katsutoshi Nakamura	....	animator
Yohei Nakano	....	inbetween animator
Hisashi Nakayama	....	animator
Mai Nakazato	....	inbetween animator
Kumi Nanjo	....	digital ink and paint artist
Akiko Nasu	....	digital ink and paint artist
Sumie Nishido	....	inbetween animator
Atsushi Nishigori	....	inbetween artist
Hiromi Nishikawa	....	inbetween animator
Minori Noguchi	....	inbetween animator
Fumiko Oda	....	digital ink and paint checker
Gosei Oda	....	inbetween animator
Norihito Ogawa	....	inbetween animator
Masahiro Ohashi	....	inbetween animator
Minoru Ohashi	....	animation checker
Shin'ya Ôhira	....	animator
Mayumi Ohmura	....	inbetween animator
Kumiko Ohta	....	inbetween animator
Kyoko Okabayashi	....	inbetween animator
Rie Okada	....	digital ink and paint artist
Chika Okubo	....	inbetween animator
Masashi Okumura	....	inbetween animator
Fumino Okura	....	digital ink and paint artist
Takeyoshi Omagari	....	inbetween animator
Aya Onishi	....	inbetween artist
Kazuyoshi Onoda	....	animator
Katsu Ôshiro	....	animator
Masaru Oshiro	....	animator
Norihiro Ôsugi	....	animator
Miho Otsuka	....	inbetween animator
Akihiro Oyama	....	digital ink and paint artist
Ji Hyun Park	....	inbetween animator
La Sung Park	....	digital ink and paint artist
So Hwa Park	....	inbetween animator
Suk-Hwa Park	....	inbetween animator
Young Suk Park	....	inbetween animator
Eun Me Pyun	....	inbetween animator
Shinobu Saeki	....	inbetween animator
Michiko Saito	....	digital ink and paint artist
Saho Saito	....	inbetween animator
Masaya Saitou	....	animation checker
Reiko Sakai	....	inbetween animator
Masako Sakano	....	inbetween animator
Chikako Sasagawa	....	inbetween animator
Masako Sato	....	inbetween animator
Akiko Seki	....	inbetween artist
Jin Hyuk Seo	....	inbetween animator
Kum Sook Seo	....	inbetween animator
Yuka Shibata	....	inbetween animator
Tomotaka Shibayama	....	digital ink and paint artist
Tsutomu Shibutani	....	inbetween animator
Ritsuko Shiina	....	inbetween animator
Ikuko Shimada	....	inbetween animator
Akiko Shimizu	....	digital ink and paint artist
Masako Shinohara	....	animator
Naoyoshi Shiotani	....	inbetween animator
Hyun Ju Song	....	inbetween animator
Jee Young Soung	....	inbetween animator
Akira Sugino	....	digital ink and paint artist
Ryozo Sugiyama	....	inbetween animator
Makiko Suzuki	....	key animator
Mariko Suzuki	....	animator
Kanako Takahashi	....	digital ink and paint artist
Naoko Takahashi	....	inbetween animator
Noboru Takano	....	animator
Nobuyuki Takeuchi	....	key animator
Noriyuki Takeuchi	....	animator
Atsushi Tamura	....	animator
Atsuko Tanaka	....	animator: Telecom Animation Film
Haruka Tanaka	....	inbetween animator
Yuichi Tanaka	....	animator
Kumiko Tanihira	....	inbetween animator
Hitomi Tateno	....	animation checker
Kumiko Terada	....	inbetween animator
Masako Terada	....	inbetween animator
Akiko Teshima	....	inbetween artist
Akiko Toba	....	inbetween artist
Yoyoi Toki	....	inbetween animator
Keiko Tomizawa	....	inbetween animator
Jinko Tsuji	....	inbetween animator
Koujirou Tsuraoka	....	inbetween animator
Kazuyuki Ueda	....	inbetween animator
Yumiko Ukai	....	digital ink and paint artist
Yukari Umebayashi	....	inbetween animator
Hideo Watanabe	....	inbetween animator
Alexandra Weihrauch	....	inbetween artist
Hisako Yaji	....	inbetween animator
Chikako Yamada	....	inbetween animator
Ken'ichi Yamada	....	animator
Satoko Yamada	....	inbetween animator
Shinichiro Yamada	....	inbetween animator
Tamami Yamada	....	key animator
Atsushi Yamagata	....	animator
Hirômi Yamakawa	....	animator
Eiji Yamamori	....	key animator
Hideshi Yamamori	....	animator
Rie Yamamoto	....	inbetween animator
Akihiko Yamashita	....	animator
Muneyuki Yamashita	....	inbetween animator
Shôjurô Yamauchi	....	animator
Yukari Yamaura	....	inbetween animator
Morihiko Yano	....	inbetween animator
Masafumi Yokota	....	inbetween animator
Yuki Yokoyama	....	digital ink and paint artist
Hiromasa Yonebayashi	....	animator
Mi Kyoung Yoon	....	inbetween animator
Hideaki Yoshio	....	animator
Hea Yeop Yun	....	digital ink and paint artist

Casting Department
Motohiro Hatanaka	....	casting coordinator
Jamie Thomason	....	voice casting: English version
David Wright	....	voice casting: English version (as David H. Wright III)
Keiko Yagi	....	casting coordinator
Naomi Yasu	....	casting coordinator

Editorial Department
Chris DeLaGuardia	....	color timer
Katie Hooten	....	post-production coordinator
Rich Mackay	....	US version
Kyoko Mizuta	....	assistant editor
Mary Beth Smith	....	negative cutter
Mutsumi Takemiya	....	assistant editor
Megumi Uchida	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Joe Hisaishi	....	conductor
Joe Hisaishi	....	musician: piano
Kazumi Inaki	....	music production
Youmi Kimura	....	composer: song "Itsumo nando-demo"
Tamaki Kojo	....	music production
Masayoshi Okawa	....	music engineer
Shinichi Tanaka	....	orchestra recordist
Joe Hisaishi	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Kazunori Miyake	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Jun Nagao	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Stephen Alpert	....	overseas promotion
Nao Amisaki	....	overseas promotion
Shokichi Arai	....	coordinator
Koichi Asano	....	merchandising development
Leo Chu	....	vice president of production
Cindy Davis Hewitt	....	adaptation: English version
Nozomi Fukuda	....	advertising producer
Mieko Hara	....	advertising producer
Donald H. Hewitt	....	adaptation: English version
Linda Hoaglund	....	subtitler: English
Hiroi Hosokawa	....	advertising producer
Minami Ichikawa	....	advertising producer
Tomomi Imai	....	merchandising development
Rieko Izutsu	....	merchandising development
Yasushi Kanno	....	advertising producer
Yusuke Kikuchi	....	advertising producer
Michiyo Koyanagi	....	advertising producer
Haruyo Moriyoshi	....	overseas promotion
Minako Nagasawa	....	public relations
Ai Nakanishi	....	advertising producer
Junichi Nishioka	....	public relations
Atsuo Ogaki	....	advertising producer
Naoto Okamura	....	advertising producer
Hiroyuki Orihara	....	advertising producer
Mikiko Takeda	....	overseas promotion
Masaru Tsuchiya	....	advertising producer
Morikazu Wakizaka	....	advertising producer
Kirk Wise	....	dialogue director

Thanks
Robert Bagley	....	special thanks
Matthew Jon Beck	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Studio Ghibli
• Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV)
• DENTSU Music And Entertainment
• Tokuma Shoten
• Buena Vista International (as Buena Vista Japan)
• Tohokushinsha Film
• Mitsubishi Commercial Affairs

Distributors

• Ghibli International (2001) (worldwide rights) (all media)
• Toho Company (2001) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002) (Japan) (DVD) (special edition)
• Bir Film (2004) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• Central Partnership (2002) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Cinema Mondo (2002) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (2002) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Gaumont Buena Vista International (GBVI) (2002) (France) (theatrical)
• JONU Media (2002) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Kulturföreningen Kedjan (2003) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Mikado (2002) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Triangelfilm (2003) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (200?) (South Africa) (theatrical)
• United King Films (2003) (Israel) (theatrical)
• Walt Disney Pictures (2001) (USA) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2003) (Argentina) (all media)
• Buena Vista International (USA)
• Buena Vista Pictures (2002) (USA) (dubbed)
• Europa Filmes (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Europa Filmes (2004) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2009) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (VHS)
• Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK) (2001) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2002) (Australia) (all media)
• Optimum Releasing (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universum Film (UFA) (Germany) (DVD)
• Vendetta Films (2001) (New Zealand) (DVD)

Other Companies

• AIC Animate Film  animation support studio
• Anime Torotoro  animation support studio
• Buena Vista Negative Cutting  negative cutting (US version)
• Buena Vista Sound  re-recorded at (US version)
• DOGA Productions  animation support studio
• Dr. Digital  digital ink and paint
• Dr. Digital  in-between animation
• Gainax  animation support studio
• Group Donguri  animation support studio
• Imagica  prints
• JEM  digital ink and paint
• Liberty Ship  animation support studio
• Mad House  animation support studio
• Milan Records  soundtrack released by
• Mugenkan  animation support studio
• Nakamura Production  animation support studio
• New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra  music performed by (as Shin-Nihon Firuhâmonî Kangengakudan)
• Oh Production  animation support studio
• Production I.G.  animation support studio
• Radical Party  animation support studio
• SHAFT  animation support studio
• Studio Boomerang  animation support studio
• Studio Cockpit  animation support studio
• Studio DEEN  animation support studio
• Studio Fuga  background art
• Studio Hibari  animation support studio
• Studio Kuma  animation support studio
• Studio Musashi  animation support studio
• Studio Takuranke  animation support studio
• Sumida Triphony Hall  music recording
• T2 Studio  digital ink and paint
• Takahashi Production  digital ink and paint
• Toho Sound Studio  sound effects recording
• Tokuma Japan Communications Co. Ltd.  soundtrack
• Tokyo TV Center  sound recording and mixing

Also Known As:

Miyazaki's Spirited Away (International: English title) (USA) (poster title)
Spirited Away (UK) (USA)
Sen (Japan) (informal short title)
Sen and the Mysterious Disappearance of Chihiro
The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro (informal literal English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some scary moments.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX | Dolby (English-language version) | Dolby Digital (English-language version)

Certification:

Netherlands:6 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Austria:0 | Brazil:Livre | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Chile:TE | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:I | New Zealand:PG | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG

Company:

Studio Ghibli

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Hayao Miyazaki] [gorging on food]Chihiro's parents eat greedily near the start of the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: The smudge on Chihiro's face changes shape, switches sides, and disappears at random during the first 40 minutes of the movie.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Chihiro: [reading a card] I'll miss you, Chihiro. Your best friend, Rumi.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest Cartoons (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Yuya no Asa

An Amazing Achievement in Animation.

'Spirited Away' is the first Miyazaki I have seen, but from this stupendous film I can tell he is a master storyteller. A hallmark of a good storyteller is making the audience empathise or pull them into the shoes of the central character. Miyazaki does this brilliantly in 'Spirited Away'. During the first fifteen minutes we have no idea what is going on. Neither does the main character Chihiro. We discover the world as Chihiro does and it's truly amazing to watch. But Miyazaki doesn't seem to treat this world as something amazing. The world is filmed just like our workaday world would. The inhabitants of the world go about their daily business as usual as full with apathy as us normal folks. Places and buildings are not greeted by towering establishing shots and majestic music. The fact that this place is amazing doesn't seem to concern Miyazaki.

What do however, are the characters. Miyazaki lingers upon the characters as if they were actors. He infixes his animated actors with such subtleties that I have never seen, even from animation giants Pixar. Twenty minutes into this film and I completely forgot these were animated characters; I started to care for them like they were living and breathing. Miyazaki treats the modest achievements of Chihiro with unashamed bombast. The uplifting scene where she cleanses the River God is accompanied by stirring music and is as exciting as watching gladiatorial combatants fight. Of course, by giving the audience developed characters to care about, the action and conflicts will always be more exciting, terrifying and uplifting than normal, generic action scenes.

Through Chihiro, Miyazaki is clearly (but non-patronisingly) talking to youth of Japan. There's a certain sense of revile about the youth of Japan at the moment. Many people consider them to be ill-mannered and baring no respect for their elders or their forefathers. They are simply bi-products of their material world and consumerism. 'Spirited Away' taps into this. At the start Chihiro is a selfish, spoiled, whiny brat. But as she plunges deeper into the spirit world, she becomes more independent, more assured, more respectful and learns some manners. No Face, a black figure with a white mask, is the catalyst behind Chihiro's transformation. Once he is let into the bathhouse, we are no longer tourists – the story propels forth. Watching No Face prey on the greed of the workers is a terrifying delight. The three main characters in Miyazaki's youth allegory are Chihiro, No Face and Bô. All of these characters are disconnected with their world. They are lonely, misunderstood and largely ignored. But when they go on their journey together, they united and become stronger individuals.

Miyazaki also talks about the ecology of Japan. What was once a beautiful; grassland has now turned into the Asian New York. That The Last Samurai had to be filmed in New Zealand to get a turn of the century Japanese look speaks volumes. The River God sequence is an unsubtle but unpretentious commentary on pollution. While these two themes are very much current in Japan, they are also universal themes – which makes 'Spirited Away' a universal story that most of us can connect with. I'm willing to bet everyone reading this has at some time seen bicycles lying on a lake bed or have had a child talk to them disrespectfully. Sure these themes aren't advanced philosophy. They are everyday issues told in an inventive, fun way.

The animation is wonderful, if not as smooth as Disney's works – but there's something superior to that. 'Spirited Away's imperfect, but detailed world is far more fascinating than the perfected blandest of Disney's latest offerings. The animators successfully balanced the tight-rope between not-enough animation on characters and too much animation on characters. No Ralph Balski ADD antics here! The film is full of vivid images – both beautiful and horrifying. The line between those two extremes is crossed over seamlessly. From Chihiro and Haku running through an opening flower field to Haku's dragon snarling with a bloody mouth, both extremes seem to belong in the film. It's also excellently done with the characters. Kamaji can be seen as a scary, daunting figure at the beginning, but soon he seamlessly changes into a humble, wise figure. Yubaba also seems to be able to turn from kind to witch with the snap of a finger.

The sound on the film was expertly done. The sounds perfectly match the on screen actions and objects. My sub woofer got a wonderful workout when Haku swoops Chihiro past the bridge at the beginning. And while I don't speak Japanese, I think the voice actors did a wonderful job of conveying their personality and emotions true their voice. Joe Hisaishi's music is sublime, definitely one of my favourite scores. His main piano theme is simple and evocative. His thunderous action music hits the viewers on the chest like a hammer. Like all great scores it heightens the greatness of a scene about three times. The score, unlike many American composers', is unobtrusive. It plays excellently with the scenes, but never overbears them. A lot of the time the it is barely noticeable, a sole piano plays softly in the background evoking a dreamlike/lullaby quality.

'Spirited Away' is a simply a modern masterpiece, easily one of the Top 10 films of the new millennium. It works on a multitude of levels; a social commentary on Japan, a homage to ancient Japanese/Russian mythology, a moral film for both children and adults. But most importantly, it is a simple story brilliantly told by a great filmmaker who appears to be at the top of his game. 'Spirited Away' works much like a relaxing journey. Pop in the DVD; leave this world for two hours and when you will be almost certainly enriched and ready to take the trip again.