Spirited Away Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Spirited Away Blu-ray Movie Review

"Once you meet someone, you never really forget them."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 15, 2015

The reality that there will only be a finite number of Hayao Miyazaki films is beginning to sink in. Fortunately, it won't be long until every Miyazaki masterpiece -- obscure, award-winning and beloved alike -- along with every Studio Ghibli production, will be available in high definition. Spirited Away (2001) is arriving later than many had hoped (much later), but the waiting is finally over. And if the quality of Disney's release and the timelessness of the film itself are any indication, it's been worth the wait. Winner of the Best Animated Feature Oscar at the 75th Academy Awards and recipient of the Berlin International Film Festival's highest honor, the Golden Bear, Miyazaki's breathtaking animated fantasy adventure is arguably his best, and certainly one of his most profoundly satisfying. It's also not a film to be taken lightly. Children will be awestruck by the magic of the spirit world and the wonder of its strange denizens and entranced by an at-times overwhelming sense of discovery, but adults will be drawn into the tale as well, and more deeply than their sons and daughters. Few films have captured childhood fear, anxiety, ingenuity and adaptability more thoughtfully and sincerely. Fewer still have done so through such a believable, endearing young protagonist exploring such an inexhaustibly fascinating fantasy realm. The Wind Rises (2013) may have served as Miyazaki's powerfully poignant farewell to animation, but it's Spirited Away that remains his quintessential masterwork.

After stumbling upon an abandoned amusement park with her mother and father, ten-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi, Daveigh Chase) finds herself trapped in a magical world where a witch named Yubaba (Mari Natsuki, Suzanne Pleshette) runs a bathhouse for an array of supernatural patrons. With her parents transformed into pigs, Chihiro is frightened and alone; her only ally a stranger, a young man named Haku (Miyu Irino, Jason Marsden), who races to save her life. Haku offers a warning: if she's discovered, Yubaba will turn her into a pig as well. But if she can convince the bathhouse's boiler attendant, Kamaji (Bunta Sugawara, David Ogden Stiers), to give her a job, she'll be spared. And so Chihiro embarks on a journey beneath and ultimately into the bathhouse, struggling to adapt to her new surroundings, survive Yubaba and other spirit world threats, save her parents, and find a way home.

Yubaba, impressed with Chihiro's tenacity, offers her work but steals her name, demanding Chihiro call herself Sen instead. Unbeknownst to Sen, this trickery slowly robs her of her memories, a process Haku secretly interrupts so Sen still has a chance of escape. With the help of her fellow worker Lin (Yumi Tamai, Susan Egan), Sen learns her trade as best she can, winning accolades when dealing with a stink spirit then landing herself in hot water when she grants a masked creature called No Face (Akio Nakamura, Bob Bergen) entry into the bathhouse. Soon Sen encounters the mysterious Zeniba (Natsuki, Pleshette), Yubaba's twin sister, walking into the middle of a family feud that leaves Haku on death's doorstep and Chihiro fighting to save his life.

How is it that such a bizarre, otherworldly realm rings so true? That such high fantasy tells so human a story? It's not the animation, though it's an example of Ghibli at its most striking and imaginative. It's not the story, though Miyazaki's script is magnificently simple and deceptively complex, crafting layer upon layer of context and significance for cinephiles to unearth. It's not the eclectic cast of supernatural creatures or the outstanding voice performances (Japanese and English), though you won't soon forget a single one. No. It's fear. Chihiro's fear. Miyzaki devotes substantial screentime to the difficulty Chihiro endures adjusting to the spirit world, conceiving and capturing the sort of convincing panic and sheer terror you'd expect from a real 10-year old girl thrust into such extraordinary circumstances. Chihiro is not only forced to face these overpowering moments of crippling fear -- sometimes with help, sometimes on her own -- she's forced to overcome them; her courage and confidence growing, bit by inspiring bit, naturally and organically within the story.

Miyazaki grasps childhood more intuitively and instinctively than any animation filmmaker living today, and it's in this understanding of a child's emotions, conflicts and inner-strength that his films grab hold of the imagination. The stunning visuals, gripping script, infectious humor, unsettling horror and sweeping music form a riveting framework, and perhaps that undermines just how crucial the whole of the production truly is to Spirited Away's success. But without the heart of the film, the body would not live long, no matter how beautiful or lyrical or dazzling. Miyazaki exerts a command of the screen, a control of his art, and a connection with his audience few writers and directors achieve, be it animation or live-action filmmaking. There's simply nothing like a Miyazaki film, and simply no Miyazaki film like Spirited Away.

Spirited Away Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Disney delivers yet another stunning, faithfully remastered 1080p/AVC-encoded Miyazaki classic and fans and newcomers will be hard pressed to come up with a single complaint. Colors are nothing short of lovely, supported by perfectly balanced contrast and saturation, vibrant primaries, and deep, inky black levels. Detail is excellent too. The animators' line art is crisp and clean, free of bothersome ringing, and every last hand-painted or computer generated texture is intact. A hint of grain is present as well, and there aren't any significant instances of errant noise, macroblocking, banding or crush to report. (The faintest sliver of aliasing can be spotted on a wooden gate when Chihiro and Haku fly away from Zeniba's house, but it's both negligible and inherent to the source animation.) Those who love the film dearly couldn't ask for more.

Spirited Away Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The North American Blu-ray release of Spirited Away features two lossless audio options -- a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 presentation of the film's original Japanese language mix and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 presentation of Disney's English dub -- both of which are wonderful. Dialogue is clear, intelligible and convincingly grounded, effects are bright, weighty and engaging, and Joe Hisaishi's score has never sounded better. LFE output lends incredible power to key scenes (chief among them the stink spirit's bath, No Face's rampage, and Haku's battle with Zeniba). Rear speaker prowess and precision create a fully immersive soundfield with a surprisingly effective directionality and cross-channel pans. And dynamics are outstanding, capturing every subtlety and nuance of the film's sound design(s). Bottom line: Disney's AV presentation doesn't disappoint in the slightest.

Spirited Away Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Japanese Storyboards (HD): Watch the film, comprised entirely of 1.85:1 Japanese storyboards. The audio presentation is Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 with optional English, English SDH and French subtitles.
• The Art of Spirited Away (SD, 15 minutes): Jason Marsden (Haku) hosts this DVD-era trip behind the scenes, detailing the film's North American Disney distribution, the art of Miyazaki's world, the design of his characters, the animation, and, briefly, the casting for the English dub.
• Behind the Microphone (SD, 6 minutes): Marsden, Daveigh Chase (Chihiro), Suzanne Pleshette (Yubaba), Susan Egan (Lin), David Ogden Stiers (Kamajii) and John Ratzenberger (Aniyaku) discuss their performances, the process of recording an English dub, and key choices they made along the way.
• Nippon Television Special (SD, 42 minutes): This Japanese television special visits Studio Ghibli and delves into the production of Spirited Away. Included are interviews with Miyazaki and other key members of the Japanese cast and animation team, as well as candid behind the scenes footage that focuses on production meetings, story development sessions, animation and music, and much more.
• Introduction (SD, 1 minute): John Lasseter introduces the film.
• Original Japanese Trailers (HD, 18 minutes): A lengthy collection of trailers and promos.
• Original Japanese TV Spots (SD, 4 minutes): Several TV spots round out the package.

Spirited Away Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Few animated films -- any film for that matter -- achieve the level of visual, narrative and musical cohesion, the level of story, character and world wonderment, Miyazaki delivers with Spirited Away. It's poignant, powerful stuff, and he captures it all with the ease and command of a master filmmaker. It remains one of his finest, if not the finest, and continues to stand the test of time, proving itself as absorbing today as it first did fourteen years ago. Disney's Blu-ray release is a must-own as well, offering a stunning video presentation, two terrific lossless audio tracks, and a solid selection of special features. This one comes highly, highly recommended.