Spirited Away

Miyazaki celebrates individualism and nature’s simple, untainted beauties, subsequently pondering the transcendent power of communication between the “inside” and the “outside.”

The fact that Miyazaki and his team hand-draw the images before they're digitally coloured and animated gives them an artistry that has been woefully lacking from so many recent American features.

An out-and-out charmer. It's almost impossible to do justice in words either to the visual richness of the movie, which melanges traditional Japanese clothes and architecture with both Victorian and modern-day artifacts, or to the character-filled storyline, with human figures, harpies and grotesque creatures.

Wondrously strange and just plain wonderful.

Enchanting and impressively crafted.

Offers a ride worth taking -- an excursion through a fantastical pop universe that is pure, enchanting magic. Try it; you'll like it.

Too intense for the youngest viewers, but teenagers will enjoy it -- an ill-smelling "stink-god" character is almost worthy of a Kevin Smith gross-out movie -- and grown-ups should find it diverting, if not exactly deep.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Spirited Away is probably the only Hayao Miyazaki movie I think is decent. The art is really the only thing that saves it for me since I couldn't get a feel for the characters outside the animals and minor ones. It just falls flat in many parts to me especially with Haku.

Decent movie worth a watch, with a strong storyline and a good script. However, I am not a fan of the animation, it reminds me too much of Pokemon and the typical Japanese cartoons.

Overrated Miyazaki movie. Of all the wonderful Japanese animation there is out there, choose something less mainstream

Pros: Great world building Good animation Cons: Plot is thin No memorable characters