Name(s): Spirited Away / Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi / Sen and Chihiro’s Spiriting Away / 千と千尋の神隠し / Chihiros Reise ins Zauberland / El viaje de Chihiro / Le Voyage de Chihiro
Format: Movie (124 minutes)
Studio(s): Studio Ghibli
Original Publication: N/A (unknown)

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Review

I remember Spirited Away scared the shit out of me when I first saw it as a kid. Most likely because of No-Face. The light horror elements are probably why it has grown to be my favorite Hayao Miyazaki film. Unreal that fucking Disney of all companies licensed this. Props for the having the chutzpah, I guess.

The biggest distinction for me is the draw of the mythology/folklore-inspired character designs. The world feels like a circus of the bizarre. It reminds me of how my favorite parts of Princess Mononoke were when they were exploring the forest and seeing the unusual creatures. Miyazaki stories can be somewhat shallow at times, so these idiosyncrasies elevate the experience. I really need to rewatch this. Some of my thoughts here were likely written upwards of 10 years ago, and they’re probably working off a memory that was almost as old at the time.