Along the way, Chihiro/Sen befriends several of the bathhouse employees, including the spider-like boiler man Kamaji, the spunky chambermaid Lin, and Yubaba’s mysterious apprentice Haku, all of whom at various times aid her in her quest for freedom. She also encounters a wide variety of bizarrely shaped spirits visiting Aburaya, including the spooky spook No Face.

Owing a lot, in my observation, to Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland books, Spirited Away boasts a host of incredibly detailed characters and locales, lushly rendered with beautiful water color backgrounds, and there are several exciting set pieces that, it should be noted, often delve into the graphic and gruesome, thus the film’s appropriate PG rating. And I admire that Miyazaki isn’t afraid to slow the pace down for reflective moments.

But the twists and turns of the convoluted plot, heavily relying on too many happenstances and stretches of narrative license, not to mention some blatant plot holes, imbues the film with a disruptive flow that it never quite gets over in my eyes. Although the English dubbing of the film understandably doesn’t quite synch up with the mouth movements of the characters in some moments, the American voice actors (supervised by Pixar’s John Lassiter and Disney animation director Kirk Wise, and including many Disney veterans, see Toon Talk Trivia below) pull off the unenviable challenge of re-dubbing the voices post-animation. Not quite so successful is the original musical score by Jo Hisaishi, which, with its often overblown dramatics, seems lifted from another, much more intense, movie entirely.

So, there you have it, probably the first mixed review that Spirited Away has received. I hope you readers take it in the ‘spirit’ it was given, for while (as stated previously) it is easy to admire the artistry and passion of and for Anime, for me it is just not my dancing cup of tea.

Toon Talk Rating: B+

Toon Talk Trivia:

• Daveigh Chase adds another strong-willed animated heroine to her resume with Chihiro in Spirited Away, following her Lilo in this summer’s Lilo and Stitch.
• Suzanne Pleshette, who has a duel role as twin sisters Zeniba and Yubaba here, is best known to Disney fans for her string of live action favorites such as The Ugly Dachshund, Blackbeard’s Ghost and The Shaggy D.A., and also voiced Zira in The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.
• David Ogden Stiers (Kamaji) was also heard in this summer’s Lilo and Stitch, as well as his many other Disney films, including Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas.
• Susan Egan (Lin), a Disney favorite as Meg in Hercules and as Belle in the original Broadway cast of Beauty and the Beast, recently starred in The Disney Channel movie Gotta Kick It Up!.
• Jason Marsden (Haku), another Lion King II alum (where he voiced the adult Kovu), is the voice of Max, Goofy’s son, in the Goofy Movies and House of Mouse. His other Disney television credits include Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, The Legend of Tarzan, Even Stevens, The Adventures of the Gummi Bears and Jungle Cubs.
• The recognizable voice of the giant baby is from Tara Strong, a.k.a. Powerpuff Girl Bubbles.
• John Ratzenberger (Assistant Manager) is a Pixar fixture, with roles in all four of their feature films to date.

Coming Soon in Toon Talk:

• Speaking of dancing teacups: A very special Platinum Edition 2-disc DVD set of the Academy Award-winning animated motion picture classic Beauty and the Beast, featuring three different versions of the film and an enchanted castle-full of extras, on sale October 8^th.

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Related Links

• List of all Toon Talk articles

-- Kirby C. Holt

Kirby, a former Walt Disney World Resort Cast Member (and Trivia Champ), is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...

Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.

The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.

-- Posted October 16, 2002