I blame Disney for my fascination with Japan. From visiting the Japanese pavilion at Epcot as a child, to watching Dic’s dub of Sailor Moon on Saturday mornings (Disney owned Dic at the time), to the Disney release of Kiki’s Delivery Service, I was quickly becoming obsessed with a culture that seemed as far away from Wisconsin as possible. But in 2002, the gap between Japan and myself became shorter when Disney gained the US distribution rights to Studio Ghibli’s newest film, Spirited Away.
I was lucky enough to have a dad who agreed to drive me to Chicago to see it when it was in a very limited release. We thought we were seeing the English dub, but it ended up being the Japanese version with subtitles, the first time I had ever seen a film that way… and it was glorious! I was captivated with the story and the animation and all I knew was that I had to see it again someday. It came as quite a surprise when it won Best Animated Feature at the 2003 Academy Awards, beating out Disney’s Lilo & Stitch. It then received a wide release to theaters and that’s when I saw the English dub.
The quality of Disney’s English adaptation of the film is stupendous. John Lasseter and Kirk Wise supervised the translation and recording sessions. Many of the voices are familiar to Disney fans. The voice of Lilo, Daveigh Chase, voices the main character Chihiro. Jason Marsden (Max in A Goofy Movie, voice of Thackary Binx in Hocus Pocus) plays her friend Haku. Suzanne Pleshett (Dean Jones’ costar for many Disney comedies) is the witch Yubaba. And other notable voices include David Ogden Stiers (Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast), Susan Egan (Megera in Hercules, Broadway’s original Belle in Beauty and the Beast), and John Ratzenberg (from ever Pixar movie ever).
When Chihiro’s parents stumble upon an abandoned theme park, they decide to explore and find themselves transformed into pigs. The theme park is now inhabited by spirits who travel there to visit the bathhouse, which is run by the evil witch Yubaba. Chihiro must be brave and work in the bath house in order to save her parents.
Spirited Away is one of the best films Studio Ghibli ever made and it opened the door for nearly the entire catalogue of Ghibli films to receive US distribution. It is one of the final films to arrive on Blu-Ray in the United States and Disney’s presentation doesn’t disappoint. The Blu-Ray combo pack includes a DVD copy of the film.
Video
Spirited Away looks breathtaking on Blu-Ray. The Studio Ghibli artists packed the film with so many great details in the background and with the added HD clarity, it’s great to finally see them all. Extreme brights and darks play better on Blu-Ray than they do on DVD and watching the two discs side-by-side reveals an extreme loss in detail on the standard definition presentation.
Audio
Spirited Away is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio in 5.1 English and Japanese options. There is also a Dolby Digital 5.1 French track on the Blu-Ray disc. The English and Japanese mixes sound amazing, making excellent use of the full sound field. The DVD features English and Japanese in 5.1 and French in 2.0.
There are two English subtitle tracks. The first is English for the Hearing Impaired, which is also known as dubtitles (the audio from the English dub in text form). The second English track, which is listed as simply “English,” is the true subtitle track and provides a more accurate translation of the original Japanese version. There is also a French subtitle track. The subtitle track on the Blu-Ray differs slightly from the one found on the DVD, but the changes are minor tweaks rather than a full redo.
Bonus Features
All of the bonus features from the 2003 DVD have been ported over here, mostly in standard definition.
- Introduction by John Lasseter (1:09) – Head of Pixar and Disney Animation John Lasseter introduces Spirited Away and talks about why it’s so special.
- The Art of Spirited Away (15:12) – Jason Marsden (voice of Haku) narrates this making-of featurette which features interviews from the cast, John Lasseter and Glenn Keane.
- Behind the Microphone (5:42) – The English voice cast talk about the challenges of dubbing a pre-made animated film.
- Original Japanese Storyboards (2:04:31) – The entire film is presented in storyboard form with Japanese audio and English subtitles. This feature is in HD widescreen.
- Nippon Television Special (41:53) – This Japanese TV special explores the inspiration behind the film, the tough animation deadline, the unique recording process for the Japanese version, and the song that appears during the end credits.
- Original Japanese Trailers (18:26) – 8 different theatrical promos are presented as a “Play All” feature.
- Original Japanese TV Spots (3:57) – 10 TV ads from the original release are offered as a “Play All” feature.
Since the DVD included in this release is disc 1 of a 2-disc set, the only bonus features on that disc are the introduction and The Art of Spirited Away.
Packaging & Design
Spirited Away is housed in a standard-sized Blu-Ray case with disc holders on each side. Both the Blu-Ray and DVD have disc art. Inserts included are a Disney Movie Rewards code and an ad for Disney Movie Club. The case is housed in a holographic embossed slipcover.
The Blu-Ray disc opens with ads for Aladdin Diamond Edition, Inside Out and an anti-smoking PSA starring Cruella De Vil. Selecting “Sneak Peeks” plays ads for Disney Movie Rewards and Descendants. The DVD is an exact clone of disc 1 from the 2003 DVD release. It opens with ads for Castle in the Sky and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Selecting “Sneak Peeks” brings up a menu with options to watch ads for Finding Nemo, Atlantis: Milo’s Return, Stitch! The Movie, Bionicle: Mask of Light, The Lion King Special Edition, and “New From Disney Interactive.”
Final Thoughts
If you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli, Spirited Away is a must-own. It looks breathtaking on Blu-Ray and comes with a great collection of bonus features. If you’ve never seen a Studio Ghibli film before, Spirited Away is a good place to start.