Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

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 | Spirit | Pig | Car

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)

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

Colour:

Colour

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:

Lines were added in the English-language-dubbed version that do not exist in the original version: when Sen says that Haku is a dragon after she sees her parents in the barn; and the last lines between Chihiro and her parents in the car at the end.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Yubaba flies back to the Aburaya with the bag, she clearly flies above the side of the deck. However, in the next shot, the bag hits the side of the deck.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Soundtrack:

Paradise

better than Disney by a long shot

I really enjoyed this film-everything about it glows and shines in a gentle luminosity. This film, if you have seen some of Miyazaki's other work, is quite light. The characters are beautifully and lovingly created and the colouring and setting of this film is absolutely superb. This is a beautiful little film and I can't wait for the next feature from Hayao Miyazaki-he is better than Walt Disney.

Miyazaki blends the characters and the environment very well together, and I can see that this would be enjoyed for people at many different levels. Miyazaki enjoys creating female heroines and I was pleased that Chihiro lived up to the expression and beauty of her predecessors-like Nausicaa from the Valley of the Wind. This is beautiful and I would advise anyone to take a look at it's scope and serenity, along with it's fast paced plot and of course, the dreamlike settings that make it truly wonderful.