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Review: Spirited Away 212

Posted by michael from the there's-plenty-of-soot-around-here dept.
Spirited Away, or Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, is a made-for-Japan animated film that has now made it across the Pacific. Famed director Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are well-known for producing exceptional films, and this one is outstanding. It made some vast amount of money in Japan, and U.S. critics are raving about it, but it probably isn't showing in your neighborhood: it's opening in ten large cities this week, a few more next week, and perhaps still more the week after that. There's a proprietary-format trailer available.

Let's get a few things out of the way first. There's both a subtitled version with Japanese audio, and an English-dubbed version. The dubbed version appears to be showing in more theaters, with the subtitled version only showing in a very few locations. I saw the subtitled one, not because I'm a purist (I usually prefer the dubbed versions so my eyes can concentrate on the animation rather than having to read), but just because it was showing at a convenient time, so I can't comment on the quality of the English dub.

The film might be too intense for very young viewers in a few places. One theater nearby has a note saying they won't allow kids under six to attend - I have no idea how they came up with that age, but there's definitely a few scenes that could be frightening to very young kids. You might want to watch it ahead of time, or at least be prepared to hold them tight.

And on to the film. It is excellent. Several of Miyazaki's other films have had themes involving the spirits of nature, and this is a continuation of those. Other tales it made me think of: Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Alice in Wonderland, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Narnia in general), The Neverending Story, and the tale of Circe the Enchantress in the Odyssey. You remember Circe, don't you, the sorceress who turned Odysseus' men into pigs? No doubt if I knew more about Japanese legends I would see lots of places that Miyazaki drew from there as well.

The basic plot is simple: Chihiro's parents stumble into a place they shouldn't be, and get turned into pigs, and she must save them. I'm not going to elaborate on it because I really enjoyed discovering what was going on throughout the movie and I'd rather not spoil it for you. There's a happy ending - this isn't a Grave of the Fireflies - so you don't have to worry about your kids being permanently traumatized.

Everything about the film says that a great deal of effort was put into it. Tiny details are included in every frame of the animation. There's a pretty extensive use of CGI for rendering background man-made objects (nature backgrounds are mostly drawn), but it fits in very well with the hand-drawn art and adds rather than detracts from the movie. I don't know how I can really convey the difference between this and a typical Disney animated film... Maybe this: think about how, in the Lion King or a similar movie, there are often large swatches of a similar color taking up large parts of the screen. Oh, here's a lion, and it has three square feet of an absolutely pure tan color (which, incidentally, takes very little effort to draw). An equivalent lion in a Miyazaki film would have a hundred shades of color and streaks and details and highlights and lowlights, and it would have that in every frame that it appeared in. The colors are brighter, the whites are whiter. (Note that apparently the subtitled version I saw is being shown in a digital projection, while the dubbed version is traditional film.)

You don't have to like anime to like this movie - it will be fun for nearly all ages. It's not quite as endearing as Totoro, not quite as mystical as Mononoke (well, maybe it is, at that). But it's definitely as good as either of these. Well worth seeing in the theaters.
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Review: Spirited Away

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  • This is great (Score:2, Redundant)

    by DarkHand ( 608301 )
    Its great that we're getting some anime in mainstream US theaters. Now we need some of the DBZ movies. :)

    • Re:Hell no! (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Now we need some of the DBZ movies.

      A 1-hour constipation grunt fest? Characters taking 1/2 an hour to charge energy while straining their bowels like a madman? I think not! :)

  • I second that review (Score:2, Interesting)

    by darthBear ( 516970 )
    I saw it last week at an anime showing and was very impressed with the movie. Even the non anime people I brought with me to see it were glad that they came.

  • Trailers (Score:5, Informative)

    by Derkec ( 463377 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:08PM (#4307510)
    There are other formats of trailers and more sizes to choose from at the main movie site. [go.com] Real and WMA are provided in addition to quicktime. Be warned, the page is flash intensive.

    • Re:Trailers (Score:1)

      by t ( 8386 )
      Not to mention that the apple quicktime format is not the problem. Rather it should say "encoded in a possibly proprietary-format trailer" since there is nothing stopping you from using a source-available encoder to make your quicktime movies.

      So what is the encoder? If it is indeed Sorenson or similar garbage then say so.

      t.

    • Re:Trailers (Score:1, Offtopic)

      by Green Light ( 32766 )
      Be warned, the page is flash intensive.
      Indeed, the site tells you that it requires Flash. I just don't want to install Flash on my browser, so I won't see the main site. A pity really...

      It looks to be an interesting movie, anyone know if it will play in Columbus (Ohio, of course 8^)?
      • There are also WMA/RealMedia clips and things in Yahoo.com's movie section; however, I don't have the URL handy and don't know where it is, so you'll have to search for it. (Searching Yahoo, fancy that. :) Or maybe someone else will find it.
    • Of course, Real and WMA are decidedly propriatary as well, though at least there's free Real support on Linux.
      • Never said they weren't. Just pointed out that you have your choice of some formats and sizes, which is better than only being able to use a tiny quicktime format.
        • The large size quicktime one is the only one worth watching. VMA has horrible quality, and realmedia seems more like a slightly bad rand() function than a video stream.

          Once again shows the need for a high quality, free, codec to be spread throughout the world.

          But then again, the DVD will hopefully be out in not too long, I just hope they do put the japanese DTS-ES on it (as the dub on the trailer was enough for me, I simply don't like it).
  • Anybody know when this movie is going to be shown in the UK?

    • Re:UK Release (Score:4, Interesting)

      by schambon ( 416146 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:22PM (#4307564) Homepage
      Well, it's been showing in France for a while (under the name of "Le Voyage de Chihiro" -- Chihiro's Journey), so I kind of assumed it had been released more or less throughout Europe. Seems I was wrong.

      Anyway, it's a pretty good film, although I disagree with it being on par with Princess Mononoke; basically, this is a film for kids, while Mononoke isn't. All the adult undertones in Mononoke are gone here. For me, an adult, it made the film a lot less enjoyable; no doubt that a kid would find it a lot less complex and a lot more appealing.

      Just my two eurocents.

  • Dubbed version and animation... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ByronEllis ( 22531 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:11PM (#4307521) Journal
    So, the dubbed version (which I saw last night) is just fine. They use unique voiceactors for each character and they convey the emotion well enough. Of course, if you speak Japanese.

    Personally, I'm okay with dubbing--but then I also like to pick up the appopriate emotive cues, which is more difficult when people are speaking a language you don't understand. Of course, usually the dubbing is awful so having it in English doesn't do a bit of good. Oddly, I don't think the same thing about live action dubbing, but I think that's just because the loss of sync is WAY more annoying than not picking up tone of voice properly.

    • Well, the dubbed version had to have been better than the subtitled version. They chose to do the subtitling in white, which means several scenes were completely illegible due to white text on a white background.

  • Think of it as a cross between "My Neighbor Totoro", "Myst" and "Harry Potter".

    Go see this film!
    • I just saw it today, the 22nd, in Minneapolis at the Uptown theater. I must say that I enjoyed it greatly. I'm a big fan of his other work, and Studio Ghibli's work in general, but I must say that this film takes the cake. (Well, I love Totoro, but for more kiddie reasons I guess.) This film was, as many others have pointed out, a masterpiece.

      I think possibly the best thing of the movie is the way that Chihiro develops over the film. She starts out all whiny and soft but, well, go see the film if you can. It is a magnificent transformation. It shows something about responsibility in a subtle way here, something I think a lot of movies in the family category miss. There is really growth, not some cooked moral spoon fed to you.

      I also like the animation; Chihiro had a bit of Mei from My Neighbor Totoro drawn into her. Some of the spirits and scenery had a look of Mononoke Hime to them. Overall it was an enchanting place that was created. It put the two together along with some of its own style and made a style greater than either.

      I had some expectations for the film. Seeing the trailer made the film look great, and hearing that it won awards brought the expectations up even higher. Being Miyazaki's Spirited Away brought them up to levels I try to stay away from for films on fear of being disappointed. I'm happy to say, however, that I wasn't let down in the least and the movie was more than I expected of it.

      Honestly, go see this if you can. Bring your kids if you have them. It is a great film for everybody.

  • That's funny, I've been in France about 5 month ago and that movie was playing there (French subbed - "Le voyage de Chihiro") But I don't recall seeing anything about Disney... So what are there role exactly?

  • If you liked Princess Mononoke... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ealar dlanvuli ( 523604 ) <froggie6@mchsi.com> on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:18PM (#4307548) Homepage
    Watch Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind. (There is, of course, a page for it on nausicaa.net ... but for obvious reasons, you're not going to be able to visit it for a few hours now.) It's only available as a fansub, but it's well worth it -- IMO, it's the best anime I've ever seen. (And many of the themes explored in it were carried directly over into Princess Mononoke.) Spirited Away was also an amazing movie, and I hope that it's showed in my area at some point ... but Nausicaa was Miyazaki's best work.

    4294774.156801
    • I can't begrudge you enjoyment of Nausicaa the movie...

      But I hated it.

      Caveat: I would compare Nausicaa the movie to Nausicaa the anime as Dune, the abridged Lynch movie, to Dune, the series of books written by Frank Herbert.

      Explanation: The manga-books of Nausicaa are so much richer and endearing and touching than the movie was.

      Or, another explanation; the manga is abridged and castrated in my opinion.
      • Caveat: I would compare Nausicaa the movie to Nausicaa the anime as Dune, the abridged Lynch movie, to Dune, the series of books written by Frank Herbert.
        Except that in this case Nausicaa the Movie was written, directed, and mostly drawn by Miyazaki, and Nausicaa the manga (not anime) was written and drawn by Miyazaki. It doesn't suffer from the ill effects of a director's egotistic attempts to put his own spin on the story.

    • Alright, someone's already jumped on you and said that they hated Nausicaa. There's really no way I can argue that it's terrible. I liked it a lot, and I'm very picky about anime. Still, it had serious pacing flaws as a movie.

      The theme of progressing technology causing nature to revolt is very very common in anime. It is interesting, but it is not all that's required for a good movie. The animation and styling of Nausicaa (which may or may not have been copied from the manga. It doesn't matter.) was *fantastic*. Some modern anime fans may not like it, but I felt like I was watching a direct screen adaptation of the Airtight Garage.

      However, the movie dragged. It also (like many anime movies) telegraphed all of the discoveries, and as a result felt repetitive.

      You're going to have to say more than you already have to explain why Nausicaa is a better movie than Spirited Away. I'd say that Nausicaa is one of the few peices of anime that transcends the genre and is an excellent movie. But I'd say that Spirited Away is possibly the best children's movie ever made. I felt like every moment was conceived perfectly with a small child veiwer's well being in mind. The rhythm of the movie was also incredibly well orchestrated.

      You're going to have to explain what makes Nausicaa a better movie than Spirited Away... 'cause I certainly don't see it.
      • The theme of progressing technology causing nature to revolt is very very common in anime.

        Of course it's very common in anime. And if you'll look, you'll discover that most of the anime on that topic just happen to have been released after Nausicaa. It's hardly fair to criticize Miazaki for using a common theme when the main reason that it's so common is that other people were copying him.

  • but the trailer did nothing to make me want to see it....I guess I will catch it on DVD via netflix. Someday a company, probably not Japanease is going to make some good animation based on a good story NOT involving a prepubescent girl, or is that counter to the entire genre ?

  • That guy! (Score:2, Funny)

    by luuc ( 595203 )
    Is it me or do they use the same person for the "narrator guy" for EVERY American trailer???

    • Re:That guy! (Score:2, Informative)

      by Mononoke ( 88668 )
      Is it me or do they use the same person for the "narrator guy" for EVERY American trailer???
      It's the same guy. See him in an absolutely hillarious trailer for The Comedian [apple.com]
    • Yep, that's him. A couple years ago there was a short documentary about him on HBO or perhaps on one of the learning channels. Frankly, he came off as a self-important Hollywood prick. At first I thought that angle was there as some kind of post-modern joke, but I never saw a punchline coming and have to assume he's sincere in his self-importance.

      Then again how would you feel about yourself if you were some nobody voice actor one day who suddenly found himself the voice of ALL big-name trailers, rides in a custom limo all day, and makes an incredible amount of money. Not to excuse the celebrity mindset, but this guy is in heavy demand. I don't know about the rest of you, but he more or less breaks any suspension of disbelief I might have aquired during the trailer because he's just too damn ubiqitious. Perhaps the Comedian trailer will open some eyes and ears to how cheap the over-the-top dramatic gimmick really is.

      If only we all could turn up the bass knob in our voice box.

      There should be a formal study of trailers. When I saw the trailer for the Count of Monte Cristo and heard, "COUNT ON.... ACTION!!!" I laughed my ass off. Only the person I was with and myself enjoyed that, everyone else remained strangly quiet. If that wasn't an intersection of the real world and the Simpsons world (or some other parody heavy analogy) then I don't know what is.

  • unbelievable masterpiece (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Pave Low ( 566880 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:25PM (#4307580) Journal
    I ran and took the metro for about 45 minutes way across state lines. Living in Northern Virginia, this show was playing in only 2 theatres in the DC metro area (composed of DC, VA and MD). I had to head to the Mezza Galeria in Friendship Heights way out on the edge of NorthWest DC on the border with Maryland. Basically it is a trip that I will never forget and I will now always associate that area with the greatness of witnessing this masterpiece.. This film has already grossed over 200 million dollars and won major awards at film festivals, all without even being released in North America. Until now....

    Basically put here it is [not giving any info away that would be VERY wrong]. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi [Spirited Away], is a trip about a 10 year old girl who enters a magical spirit land with her parents who end up imprisoned. It is up to 10 year old Chihiro to find the strength inside to survive and perhaps rescue her parents.

    But this film isn't about that plot, it is about the imagination of youth, the magic and characters who exist in this world, and about growing up and gaining courage.

    I'll say this. I am having a really REALLY hard time putting the emotions I felt after witnessing this masterpiece on the screen. The scenes are masterfull, the animation is incredible, the backgrounds are pieces of art, there are things that happen in great stillness, and in great motion that take your breath away. It is very funny, and charming. However what separates this film from say Miyazaki's last recent work Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) is that this film is more universal for all ages and more imaginative, incredibly so on the later. Where Mononoke was more political and intriguing and ingenious this film is something every person can relate to including 7 year olds. As one earlier minor review I read said, "Kids will like it, parents will love it even more". I can't begin to describe my jaw gapping mouth that stood there hanging almost every 5 minutes at what I was witnessing.. I could spend hours describing the myriad of characters in detail, but I would be writing to the end of time....

    There is a scene in this film that just highlights everything that is grand about this movie. Chihiro takes a train ride with 3 spirit characters all very different and unique in their looks and personality. The purpose of the ride is simply just to go from A to B. Its not important for the story, it does not advance the plot on the grand scale of things. It is just something that is simply there to look at.

    This scene had me in tears. Not because it looks sad, or the characters are tragic, or because the story at this point is so gutwrenching (think of the opera music scene in Graveyard of The fireflies). It just pulls the emotion out of you because it is just so mesmerizing and beautiful to watch.

    This film which has just been released in North America, looks to be in limited release so far. I'll put it to you this way. I am not a major fan of Japanese anime, but I have seen a small handful of good ones. I was speaking with people after the show, and I ran into one guy who as he puts it, has seen SEVERAL anime movies. He said this is the best one he has EVER SEEN. Period.

    This film is going to be HUGE.. It just may get the North American public addicted to Japanese Anime, an art form that has been nothing more in the eyes of America as an overly grotesque cartoonish imature artform, that seems to be overtly sexualised, and overrun with violence and nonsensical stories. This film will not just break that barrier, it will be a tidal wave of movie history crashing through it with sunami punch! If it DOES NOT... then anime does not even deserved to be shown in this country to be appreciated. I can't see this film not being a huge buzz within the next few days. The audience I was with which was very varied kids and adults of all ages, were entranced and applauded MASSIVELY when this film was over in celebration.

    I can only think of one film I have seen that is of this level and would rank now as a tie after seeing this film for best film of the year (that would be Monsoon Wedding). A very different film obviously which can't be compared to this.

    This isn't just a great animated film. This isn't just a great Japanese film. This isn't just a great award winning film. This is one of the greatest movies ever made. Period.

    Once in a rare while, a film comes out in a year that everyone will be talking about non stop. This is THAT film!!

    DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE ON THE BIG SCREEN EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • "This film is going to be HUGE.. It just may get the North American public addicted to Japanese Anime"

      Let's hope not, it'll just get hyped and marketed and then anime will be lost among the money where earlier it was about the love to detail and storyline, 90% of the americans don't have enough sense to truly understand this movie. They'll just go because it was on their pepsi can. It might even have effects in japan in the sense that the animators will become jaded and forget why they used to make these movies. Instead they'll want to make to next big hit. We made this mistake with music, I would hope that we've learned.
      • This film is going to be HUGE.. It just may get the North American public addicted to Japanese Anime"


        Let's hope not, it'll just get hyped and marketed and then anime will be lost among the money where earlier it was about the love to detail and storyline, 90% of the americans don't have enough sense to truly understand this movie. They'll just go because it was on their pepsi can. It might even have effects in japan in the sense that the animators will become jaded and forget why they used to make these movies. Instead they'll want to make to next big hit. We made this mistake with music, I would hope that we've learned.
        This is quite unlikely to happen, since Miyazaki has already two of the three highest grossing movies in Japanese history (Momonoke Hime and Sen to Chihiro no mamikakushi), and has been a very well known and respected director from almost twenty years. What could happen though is that Disney or another American movie company decides that success warrants a bastardized american-made version, as they are well-known to do on a regular basis. I personnally hate these remakes.

        Xavier

    • This film is going to be HUGE.. It just may get the North American public addicted to Japanese Anime,

      Sorry I can't agree with this part of your comment. Disney will not let it be HUGE. They will keep it in the indie and art theaters, you will not see this on 6 screens at your local giga-plex theater. If it shows on more than 100 screens at a time I'll be shocked. The American public will never be addicted to Anime, simply because it's too foreign. To watch most Anime you need to understand the story behind it.

      On top of that you will see almost *no* advertisement and mostly Anime fans will be the only people to see it.

      The nearest theater to me will be 300 or 400 miles away. It will never show in a town close to me and no one around here will hear much about it. I get requests for every new Disney title no matter how obscure, but this one won't show up on my customers radar.

      • Disney will not let it be HUGE.

        You forgot the reason behind it-- because Disney makes more money off of selling their own fantabulous American movies than they do repackaging Japanese ones. Don't be a conspiracy theorist =P

        • No conspiracy implied, just fact. They didn't push Mononoke they won't push Spirited Away. If it didn't come from Disney studios it's not important enough to blast the airwaves with millions of dollars worth of ads, even the crummiest Disney made for video crap get at least that.
          • Wasn't it Miramax Home Entertainment who release MH? I have _no_ idea if they happen to be 0wned by Disney though.

            Considering how well many Disney (animated) movies are doing recently I would think that Disney should welcome Studio Ghibli since they do produce better movies these days (I still want to see Lilo & Stitch, as it looks to be the best they have done in ages, but they only show it dubbed around here, and I can't stand the dubs!).

            As far as "this will turn the american people on to Anime". This is the constant dream of all !.jp anime fans. I have a hard time beliving that anime will ever be big in the states. It won't be incorperated into society in the way that american culture is spread into europe and Japan (for instance).

            I am happy as long as I can get hold of the good movies on DVD so I can watch them. I am sick and tired of fansubs (the translation is just fine and all, I just don't like low quality formats, DVD is a must for me) and I will refuse to watch dubs. So I am of course looking forward to a nice DVD release of Spirited Away, preferable a HUGE special edition with tons of extras and all that. But then again, maybe that is this movie nut's dream...

  • saw it Yesterday in Toronto!~ (Score:4, Informative)

    by lo_fye ( 303245 ) <derek@geekunity . c om> on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:25PM (#4307584) Homepage Journal
    Saw it at the Paramount in downtown Toronto yesterday at a Matinee. The dubbing was *superb* Great work, Disney! Thanks for bringing this to N.America I'll wait and buy the sub-titled version with Disney-dub option :)

  • Roger Ebert (Score:5, Informative)

    by WEFUNK ( 471506 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:27PM (#4307597) Homepage
    Here's Roger Ebert's review [suntimes.com] of the dubbed version, as well an essay [suntimes.com] he wrote that includes an interview with Miyazaki and gives some good background on the dubbed version produced by John Lasseter ("Toy Story") and Disney.

  • My take on Spirited Away (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Henry V .009 ( 518000 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:31PM (#4307620) Journal
    Spirited away is tremendous. There is no excuse not to see it, especially if you have small children. However, in some ways it feels weaker than some of Miyazaki's other masterpieces. I was disapointed in the lack of tension. Some of the plot resolutions (esp. concerning the witch's sister) didn't seem to stand up to the magnificance of the backdrop. The environmental theme was touched on, but it felt like Miyazaki couldn't decide whether it should be a major or minor part of the plot.

    In the end, you have seen what amount to a series of viginettes, all exciting and interesting, but the fantasy world at the end of the movie seems smaller than the one introduced at the beginning.

    Of course, saying that Spirited Away is one of Miyazaki's weakest films is like saying the same of Kubrick and The Shining. There is still nothing out there that compares.
  • I'm suprised at the good revues I am seeing. I am surprised that Di$ney didn't seem to butcher this one like they have with so many other fine stories to make them "more family freindly." Disney is a joke, and everything they deal with is usually some form of sugar coated B$. It is too bad Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli couldn't find a better company to release their work in the US. I have refused to give Di$ney any of my money for years, and I hope that this movie is a worthy exception.

    • Disney's contract with Ghibli has a no-edits-allowed clause.

      This clause stems from the butchering that Nausicaa recieved which GREATLY pissed off Miyazaki.

      So no, it's untouched. Disney knows they'd catch WAAAY too much shit from critics and fans if they even tried to tone down the dub.
      • Nausicaa... Butchered? Naw... I've never seen Nausicaa released.

        Although, I have seen a movie that looks a LOT like Nausicaa, with very terrible dubbing. Can't remember the name though ;-)
  • I saw it last night.... I noticed the article in USA today on my flight home, mentioned it to my bride, and made a date of it last night. She mentioned the local radio station was talking about the movie, so I picked up tickets in the afternoon for a 7ish show. No crowds, not even close to being sold out....

    The movie was great! The good guys not all good, the bad not all bad. I love grey characters. After reading 'Memoirs of a Geisha' (Arthur Golden), a lot of patterns seemed familiar. Had to pay attention to the characters, but not terribly hard to follow. My take, anyhow... too bad folks are going to miss out on this one.
  • Well, that's what the movie poster on the web site made me think of...

  • other themes in the movie (Score:4, Interesting)

    by EngMedic ( 604629 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:42PM (#4307669) Homepage
    One thing i always end up doing while watching a film is to try to see connections with things in it and other cultures. One thing i noticed was that Yubaba, one of the characters, is a very close copy of the norse/russian myth-witch Baba-Yaga: the only difference being that she runs a bathouse of the gods, and doesn't have a house with chicken legs. anyone else notice other tie-ins?

  • On Anime & geeks (Score:3, Interesting)

    by seattle2napa ( 609603 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:44PM (#4307674)
    So I have yet to meet someone who likes or is interested in Anime who isn't also deeply involved in computers, comic books, or both.

    What's the connection?

    Are geeks just more open-minded about new experiences, or are they just more inclined to be interested in things like comics & cartoons as if they had never really grown up?

    And what's with the obsessiveness wrt Anime as well - I've never met anybody who sorta liked it, or occassionally rented one - people seem to be deeply affected by it and make it a huge part of their life if they enjoy it.

    • Re:On Anime & geeks (Score:5, Funny)

      by zulux ( 112259 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @02:30PM (#4307834) Homepage Journal
      What's the connection?

      We'll it goes like this...

      Geeks secretly want to become ROBOTS - so we can crush people in our mighty iron fists. The Japansese also want to becoe ROBOTS - so they can impale beautifull women with their GIANT ROBOT COCKS. *
      So by admiring the Japanse and their arts, we become more like the ROBOTS we want to become.

      All this was explained to you when you got your GEEK membership card, next time please pay attention. We woulden't have to explain Amigas to you again.

      * Some Japanses want to become SQUID, so they can impale beautifull women with their GINENT SQUID PENISES, while holding them down with their GIENT SQUID TENTECLES.

    • So I have yet to meet someone who likes or is interested in Anime who isn't also deeply involved in computers, comic books, or both.

      Maybe you're not sampling the right population. I have several friends who are also into anime, but they seem to be split on whether they're interested in computers and/or comic books. Interestingly, my two female friends who like anime are the ones who are not into computers or comics, while my male friends who are interested in anime are both very computer savvy. There may be a correlation there, or it may just be that the men are people I know from my work (which tends to involve a fair bit of computing) while the women are not from work and thus come from a less computer-centric background.

  • "Real" Import DVD? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Josuah ( 26407 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:44PM (#4307677) Homepage
    I was looking around for imports of Spirited Away on DVD. I searched places like eBay, Yahoo! Shopping, and AnimeNation [animenation.com]. I found a few different versions, and was wondering which of these is an actual import and not a pirated version (I know, it's hard to say, but hopefully my next questions will make it clearer what I mean).

    There are appear to be three different versions, regardless of the region code. There is a 1-disc version with a light blue cover, a 1-disc version with a dark cover, and a 2-disc version with the same dark cover. So, I am wondering what the difference is between the light blue and dark cover DVDs?

    With regard to region codes, I was only able to find dics with either no region code (distributed by Manga International, Inc.?), and discs with a region 3 code (from Singapore), but none with region 2 code (from Japan). I'm guessing that the discs with no region code are not legal. But I couldn't say for sure. I'd never heard of Manga International, Inc. before.

    And finally, there are a several different language choices. Japanese + English/Chinese subtitles, Chinese + English/Chinese subtitles, Japanese + French/Chinese subtitles, Japanese/Chinese + English/Chinese subtitles, etc. Anyone have any ideas as to which of these are "real"?

    What I'm looking for is a Japanese + English subtitles region 2 2-disc set (or region free if those are not pirated versions). The reason I want the import is because I read the U.S. release of Spirited Away has had additional dialogue added and I don't want to see this dialogue, even in the subtitles.

    Any help?
    • well, the american dvd release will probably have literal and the dub script as 2 seperate subtitle tracks. Mononoke did, and the few rare sub reels around the country are literal, not off the dub.. However, you you are really interested in importing the r2 dvd, i recommend http://www.cdjapan.co.jp

      Please take note, All the legit dvds of this title have a "red tint" to them. Ghibli claims its for better presentation on plasma tvs. I would of imported this already if it wasnt for this odd issue. I decided to wait on the r1 release because of this.

    • Manga International is a known and fairly infamous bootlegger - the region-free discs are definitely bootlegs. I believe the region 3 is an authentic, official product, but at the moment I am not sure. More information sure to be available at nausicaa.net and/or animeondvd.com

      That said, there is an official region 2 Japanese release that came out a few months back. (Have you tried searching for "Sen to Chihiro"?) But there's a problem with it: the color balance is awful, awful, awful - very red. As in, those gorgeous whites the reviewer mentioned look pink. Very pink.

      Also, I think you have been misled about additional dialog for the US version. There have been no official announcements about the R1 DVDs yet, but I think you can probably rest assured that they have done no such thing, at least in the subtitled version. I wouldn't be surprised if the dub added extra lines to fill in the "empty space" in the audio, it's an all-too-common phenomenon, but the Japanese language track won't have been changed.
      • Color balance was tuned for 9300K white temperature. So if you go watch it on your computer monitor or decent recent TV, it should look properly.
      • I read here [cnn.com] that additional dialog was added to the U.S. theatrical release to help explain some things which would be more obvious to a Japanese citizen. I was thinking that the Japanese language track wouldn't be changed, but if I turn on sub-titles, would those sub-titles have the additional dialogue in them? I don't know.

    • Re:"Real" Import DVD? (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Manga International is an infamous HK anime bootlegger, so I woudn't recommend getting it. The original japanese R2 DVD includes English and French subtitles and French dub. You can order it at http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/ You can find the list of all legitimate releases at http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/video/sen/

  • Theatre listing (Score:5, Informative)

    by Comrade Pikachu ( 467844 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:54PM (#4307726) Homepage
    Here [nausicaa.net] is a list of theatres in the US that are/will be screening "Spirited Away".

  • Disney Screws Us Again (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Chasuk ( 62477 ) <chasuk@gmail.com> on Sunday September 22, 2002 @01:58PM (#4307743)
    Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi is a remarkable film, as good as the review indicates, maybe better. But Disney seems hell-bent on hiding that information from us, even as they spend millions of dollars dubbing and subtitling. I am no conspiracy theorist, but I am really beginning to wonder whether the real reason that Disney bought the rights to Miyazaki's films is for damage-limitation: let's pretend to be good guys - hey, we did bring these great films to the US, you geeks - but let's also limit distribution so that the general public doesn't realize that there is something better available.

    Several months before that drek Country Bears was released, everyone knew about it due to massive advertising. Where was the advertising for Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi? Where were the lunch boxes and McDonald's Happy Meals featuring Chihiro, Yubaba, Rin, Haku, or the Twin Witches? Do they think that American children are too stupid to appreciate Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi plush toys? Where are the coloring books and t-shirts and and all of the rest of the product placement that this film deserved more than all of the SHIT that Disney has produced recently ( Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and the retreads Cinderella 2, Lady and the Tramp 2, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II - all of which had more TV previews than the more worthy Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi)?

    [Lilo and Stitch being the notable exception.]

    Treasure Planet, Disney's space-based derivative of Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island, isn't due in cinemas until November, and it has already receieved more hype than Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi ever recieved. The aforementioned Alice in Wonderland (1951), which has never been re-released to theaters, receives more hype for its TELEVISION reruns than Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi has ever receeved!

    Do you get the point? Can you tell that I'm mad?

    Disney fucked the public with their minimalistic release of Princess Mononoke, and now they are doing the same with Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi.

    Honestly, I'm furious, though I don't know what to do about it.

    Slashdot recently reported that Dreamworks [was] Delv[ing] Into Anime [slashdot.org] Maybe a letter campaign could convince Disney to do the right thing and relinquish their control of Miyazaki's films to a company who might know what to do with them.

    I'm mad beyond spitting. Does anyone have any serious suggestions?

    • you have GOT to be kidding me. Spirited away made the front page of USA Today for fucks sake!

      Check out this thread [animeondvd.com] on animeondvd.com for more info.

      i dont think disney has a merchandising lisence for spirited away. Lisencing is a very complicated issue, and often the lisencer is very stingy about what they allow to be produced. I, however, have seen tv commercials, radio spots, and ads in newspapers.
    • A couple of things....

      Disney is all about making money. It makes no sense for disney to release a movie and not try to make money on it. With that said...

      (IMBM - I may be mistaken, but) Disney is under a lot of restriction by Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli about advertising and marketing.

      Miyazaki's movies (I haven't seen them all) do not seem to be about mass appeal and marketing. If anything, his movies push for a much more simple way of interacting with our enviornment and society. Is it really that bad if we do not get images of this motion picture flashed at us every 12 minutes during network TV commercials? Is it really that bad if resources are not wasted for lunchboxes that will be tossed away and forgotten and tossed into a landfill to decompose?

      If I'm not mistaken, Miyazaki doesn't want what you are asking for.

    • Re:Disney Screws Us Again (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Robotech_Master ( 14247 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @03:52PM (#4308139) Homepage Journal
      Calm down, man. Disney's doing a damn good job with Sen so far. I mean, just look at the publicity it's gotten already. Look at Rotten Tomatoes. In the first weekend of its release, Spirited Away has only five fewer reviews than Mononoke has years after it's gone.

      Mononoke was just released over here at the wrong time. Miyazaki was insistent that Disney show its good faith by bringing the film over. They did, but it didn't really have an audience. If people had known who Miyazaki was, then sure, they might have given it a shot. (And after "Miyazaki's Spirited Away," more folks just might.) Likewise, if the movie'd had "kiddie appeal" and been something families could attend together. But by and large, not many people went even in the places Disney did screen (and advertise) it. If they could have waited and familiarized the American audiences with Miyazaki through other films, like Spirited Away, then Mononoke would at least have had the name recognition. (And, if it does well, will have the name recognition to boost the other Ghibli films, which the USA Today article said they'd be releasing soon.)

      Sure, Disney's not advertising Spirited Away everywhere yet. They don't know if they're going to show it everywhere yet, and it would be pointless to advertise it in places it's not showing. They're going to let it earn its own expansion if it's that good. Remember, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? How it opened in just a few places (because "nobody wants to see a subtitled Chinese movie"), then took the nation by storm? Disney's going to give Spirited Away that chance.

      And Disney does know what to do with Miyazaki's films. They're doing quite well with them over in Japan, and in the rest of the world where animation doesn't have quite the kiddievid stigma that Americans attach to it. Be patient...I think they'll do it right this time.

    • Slashdot recently reported that Dreamworks [was] Delv[ing] Into Anime [slashdot.org] Maybe a letter campaign could convince Disney to do the right thing and relinquish their control of Miyazaki's films to a company who might know what to do with them.


      It's time for a reality check. The United States isn't Japan. Anime is becoming fashionable to admire, especially given the work of Miyazaki. But all the promotion in the world won't make people go to a movie that they don't want to, and no amount of promotion is going to change that.



      Disney is in the business of making money. They make money by promoting films, releasing them, and collecting ticket sales. Spirited Away is not going to make money in theatrical release, no matter how much promotion is done. As pathetic as it sounds, the Country Bears and Treasure Planet almost certainly will. That is not really a function of Disney's promotional capability, but a reflection of the audience.



      Perhaps you think that Spirited Away should open on 3000 screens and be promoted on television. But I suspect there are a large number of Disney stockholders who think otherwise. And having seen Sprited Away twice before with subtitles, and this weekend (on a digital screen no less!) with the new dub that John Lasseter consulted on,
      I think it is great that it is getting theater time. Kudos to Disney, I doubt they'll make a dime on this project, but it is great to see
      Miyazaki's work in theaters.

      • Re:Disney Screws Us Again (Score:4, Funny)

        by Chasuk ( 62477 ) <chasuk@gmail.com> on Monday September 23, 2002 @12:36AM (#4309718)
        The United States is a country where The Brady Bunch Movie was followed by A Very Brady Sequel, for chrissakes. Where The Flinstones was followed by The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas. There have been EIGHT Land Before Time films. I assume that they made money. If they can make money, then why can't something of quality make money?

        The sentence anime is becoming fashionable to admire chills me. Is the audience in the United States really so shallow that something has to be fashionable in order to be admired? People buy Pet Rocks here, and Singing Trout, and Boogie Bass, and glow-in-the-dark Elvis posters.

        Shit sells in abundance.

        I think I have the solution for Disney: the next time they need a risky film promoted, let Ronco handle marketing. Get George Foreman to promote it, and buy space on Oprah. Maybe Oprah can weep a little and tell everyone how Miyazaki's films helped her get off crack and find the strength to lose weight.
    • Where were the lunch boxes and McDonald's Happy Meals featuring Chihiro, Yubaba, Rin, Haku, or the Twin Witches? Do they think that American children are too stupid to appreciate Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi plush toys? Where are the coloring books and t-shirts and and all of the rest of the product placement that this film deserved
      You realize that if Disney really had produced all of those items, people would instead be raising hell about commercialization, exploitation, and corruption of art.

      I'm just glad that a "real" anime has finally made its way beyond the Miscellaneous section of the video store and will now appear in showbiz magazines and movie critics' columns.
    • When I see an article about it on the Wall Street journal (front page of their "style" (marketplace?) type section last week) I know that its starting to get the props that it deserves.

      Re: Mononoke; they carried it in blockbuster- the word is getting out there. Maybe not as fast as you'd like, but its seeping in.
  • I caught Spirited Away this past Friday at the art house theater in Kendall Square. The 9:45PM showing was packed- no with your typical Miyazaki fans, art theater fans, but with regular movie goers.
    My first impression is that (1) the voices didn't make me wince, (2) everyone was spell bound. The audience laughed at the fun moments, stunded by the sheer beauty of the animation, and was transported for those 2 hours into the world of Chihiro.
    Thank you Mr. Miyazaki for making me believe in magic again.
    • If you're in Boston, you should check out the late showing of it at Coolidge Corner theater. It's being shown subtitled with the original Japanese. I went Friday, and it was well worth it. Of course, I'm a purist. ;-)
  • It came out on DVD in Mid July (region2) and supports 5.1 surround. While I've already seen it it wouldnt be bad to watch it on a big screen. Though I would prefer Japanese (sub) vs English (dub). But nevertheless some astounding graphics, storyline, and music. Im curious to see when disney will ever make this a domestic release on dvd. Im sure for those who cant wait its available on a P2P network near you.

  • Multiregion dvd player owners might like to buy the R3 version from DDD House [dddhouse.com]

    And no. It's not a bootleg. It's legit. Just very cheap.

  • Spirited Away (Score:3, Insightful)

    by yar ( 170650 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @02:19PM (#4307803)
    Nausicca.net [nausicaa.net] has release dates (with sub/dub info).

    Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) is a really great film. To answer a person's earlier comment, no, Disney has not edited the film in any way. The only real change in the dub has been some "offscreen" English dialog to better explain ome of the cultural references that English-speaking audiences might not get. But they are very well done and don't take away from the rest of the film. Actually, I liked this dub much better than the dub for Princess Mononoke, and while it's not quite as accurate as the subtitled version it's still very good.

    As far as the "scary" scenes- I wouldn't have a problem allowing children to watch this movie. There are intense scenes, but there are intense moments in many children's stories- Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretal, etc. These scenes are a bit scarier than the Disneyfied versions of the same stories, but I'd say they are pretty comparable.

    Even friends that are not huge anime fans loved it.
  • Yes, its a fine movie. But I found it pretty uneven. Maybe it was the jaded boston audience who were laughing _at_ the movie at parts.

    that said, it's a bargin at $10 just for the visual aspect. Stunning, almost indescrible. And the attention to detail is amazing.

    I saw the dubbed version in DLP.
  • I don't know if Porco rosso has been released in North America but this is another of Hiyao Miyazaki's films that is very good.. It is lighthearted and has nothing to do with nature and nature spirits (which I find kind of monotonous.) I will definitely go see this movie though!!

  • Rant: Little kids at movies. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by IvyMike ( 178408 ) on Sunday September 22, 2002 @02:35PM (#4307858)
    One theater nearby has a note saying they won't allow kids under six to attend.

    I love that policy, and in fact, I'd like to extend it to ALL movies, except rated-G movies shown before 8 at night. And nobody below tweleve gets into an R-rated movie even with a parent.

    Partially, it's that I just don't like kids interrupting my movie with an inappropriate reaction. I don't think it's cute when little Johnnie makes fart noises, or cries that he's bored, or does anything at all to distract me from the movie experience. Maybe that's my problem, but I should be able to find a time and place where I'll have a kid-free movie.

    But the other part of that policy is that some parents take their kids to inappropriate movies at inappropriate times.

    I don't know what the hell is wrong with people these days, but I see more and more R-rated movies where people have brought their small children. One of the first times this happened to me was during the film "Three Days in the Valley". During the violent sex scene between the hit man Spader and his girlfriend Charlize Theron, a small girl (probably about five) cried out, "Mommy, why is he doing that?" It almost would have been funny, except for the fact that you realized a young girl was being traumatized, and her parents didn't care.

    Another thing I've seen is parents taking their children to late-night viewings of movies. I've gone to see things like "Toy Story" at the 10pm showing, just because I figure, "No sane parent would take their kids to a 10pm showing, since they won't be home until after midnight." Of course I'm always wrong, even if the kids look to be school-aged and it's during the school year!

    Look, I'm not a parent, and I know sometimes parenting is harder than it looks, blahblahblah, but this stuff seems like it should be common sense. If you take your eight-year old to see Blade 2, not only will it annoy me, it's going to warp his world view.

    • "...a small girl (probably about five) cried out, "Mommy, why is he doing that?" It almost would have been funny, except for the fact that you realized a young girl was being traumatized, and her parents didn't care."

      I agree with you totally. When I was no more than 8 my Grandmother took me to see "The Shining" and forced me to sit through it 'cause she just had to see it. I was terrified and couldnt even sleep that night. I had that image of the river of blood flowing through the hall of the hotel etched in my mind for days. I still cant watch that movie without thinking about that.
  • Now, I love anime as much as the next geek, and am all for it being the theatre, but I thought we hated Disney?
    • I for one only hate things that Disney does. When they do well, you have to give them all due credit. To do otherwise might feel like consistency to some, but its really just spite.
  • I can't believe they didn't even bother to open the film at their flagship theater at Pleasure Island here in Orlando. And I'm sure they'll make a point of establishing their ownership of it for the next 500 years.

    *sigh*
  • It's nice to not have to listen to John Kats for a change.

  • n.b. (Score:1)

    by sabine ( 206851 )
    it's not only the top-grossing film ever in japan, it's the top-grossing non-american-made movie in history, according to animenation [http]'s catazine. looking forward to seeing it, and wondering if this represents a new direction for disney.

  • Digital Version (Score:2, Informative)

    by kennedy ( 18142 )
    Ok first things first, i saw this on friday and i *loved* it.

    Here in Boston i saw the Dubbed version in a digital theater, so it isn't jsut the subtitled one that's digital.

    Anyway, the english dub was surprizingly not bad. since friday i have tracked down a subtitled copy and after viewing it with the dub version still fresh in my mind i can safely say go and see either version.

  • Every one of Miyazaki's movies that I've seen is one of my favorites, and Spirited Away is no exception. I haven't seen the dub yet (I'll go see it in theaters next week), but even if it is a bad dub I don't think that can spoil it. It's magical, just like all his others. If it does well in theaters, maybe we'll start to get more anime in America. But that aside, if any of you still aren't sure about whether or not to see it, I add my strongest reccomendations!

  • In France Too (Score:2, Informative)

    by ixache ( 123955 )
    The movie was released in France a few months ago, and has enjoyed quite a success. It got rave reviews and has been seen by over a million people, whereas Monomoke Hime sold over 5OO,OOO tickets. (France is about 60 millions people -- As a side note, box office in France is counted in terms of tickets sold, not of revenue. I don't know if this means something profound or not.)

    We got also some other Ghibli films, like Porco Rosso, Tonari no Totoro, Tonari no Yamada-kun, etc.

    Xavier

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