spirited away (2001)

Spirited Away is a masterpiece of animation and storytelling in general. Hayao Miyazaki crafted a coming of age story with more heart, soul and creativity than most films these days. Miyazaki creates a world rooted in Japanese folklore that is beautiful to look at. All of the themes that are typical in Miyazaki films are present from environmentalism to the dangers of greed and capitalism. These themes are presented subtly so as to not insult the intelligence of the viewer. The themes are presented by using symbolism such as the parents being turned into pigs after eating so much food justifying that they will pay when the owner of the stand comes back, the spirit with no face, and the unrecognizable monster who is revealed to be the river spirit covered in pollution. The main character of the story grows throughout the story from a bratty child into a mature adult through learning manners from ancient Japanese custom and hard work. The antagonists of the film in departure from most kid's films are three-dimensional with at least some redeeming qualities. The producer for the English dub was John Lasseter, CCO of Pixar Animation Studios and director of the first two Toy Story films. He does a introduction to the film on the DVD where you can see how much admiration for the film he has. This film went on to win best animated feature at the Academy Awards, and the movie deserved the honor. I give Spirited Away a ten out of ten. I recommend the film to all ages.