"Well, it's the world's good fortune that he made this movie." AMEN!

as a youtuber said in a video essay "spirited away does something in the train scene that a disney-movie never had the guts to dare, it just breathes"

I'm so sad that Roger Ebert had passed away last year...His movie reviews gave me many thoughts that I wouldn't have imagined! May him rest in peace.

Spirited Away is in my top 10 favourite films of all time.

I love how he points out that Miyazaki has been saying that he's retiring since he finished Princess Mononoke. Such an artist can't just stop.

"I met Miyazake"... I miss Ebert. He had a good appreciation for anime while other critics just call these "cartoons" while hyping up brainless special effect extravaganzas from Hollywood.

"Well it's the world's good fortune that he made this movie." Powerful, honest, and deserving compliment for Miyazaki.

...i miss Ebert

Not to be a fanboy but when you watch studio ghibli films then watch other animated films they seem rubish in comparison. There is just some magic.

Remember catching this film when it was first released at a showing in Times Square. The only english subtitled showing was at midnight. I thought I would have the theater to myself. It was jam packed with people and by the end of the movie everyone got up and applauded. It was a magical feeling see a Miyazake film on the big screen in NYC.

If you have not purchased the Spirited Away DVD for your children, you have failed as a parent.

I love how after 12 years, Spirited Away's animation still looks AMAZING.

I recently watched "Spirited Away" for the first time ever believe it or not, and holy s*** I gotta say: It lives up to the hype!! This movie is a breathtaking experience of an anime movie. Chances are I woulda loved this one if I saw it back when I was (almost ironically) 10 years old in 2002. Even so, I instantly love it like some of my favourite animated movies ever including: Toy Story, Iron Giant, and 1991's Beauty and the Beast. 4/4 This movie left me speechless like "The Dark Knight".

one of the greatest movies ever made.

i like how he begins with calling it "masterpiece" ^^ everytime i introduce this movie to new people (sometimes by force) i'm changing their lifes for a couple days :D It is THAT fucking good

My life is forever in debt to this film. I could never return the joy it has given me.

This movie did something special to me as a kid, it’s probably still my favorite movie ever. it’s kinda like how you hear people who watched Toy Story say they paid way more attention to their old toys, in the same way, this movie made me think there was magic and adventure and something way bigger out there in the world than what I saw everyday. I never had the guts to run away from my parents and go looking for it or anything, but I wish to this day that the world was kinder and more extraordinary because of this movie. I still wish people were better about understanding each other. i'm lcuky enough to have finally met someone who seems to understand me. I just have to get up the nerve to ask her out. XD

This film opened the doors for Japanese animation in the Western market in many ways. Thank you Studio Ghibli. My 4 year old daughter loves Studio Ghibli films.

seen it 3 times now. amazing times.

I'm ashamed to say I have not seen any of his work. I must see them all ASAP

I completely agree with you, I get into very heated arguements with my older sister who simply refuses to watch any Studio Ghibli movie. I asked her "Why don't you want to see any of them?" And she had the most infuriating reply "Because it's Japanese" O.O I GOT SO ANGRY!!! That's not a reason not to see a film! What's wrong with watching a film from a different country???? I don't want to force her to like it, but I just want her to give it a chance :(

Spirited Away is not only my favorite Miyazaki film it is my favorite anime film of all time.

The diference between the Miyazaki animated movies and the disney-pixar ones is the final objective of the creators. The Miyazaki's objective has always wanted to give a spiritual message to the audience on all his films, Disney-Pixar's objective to sell the movie, and the characters, songs, the american way of life, etc. To put it another way, Miyazaki is the good guy that try to tell you the best way to do something, and disney is the guy that sells door by door.

"Miyazaki's last movie" said everyone every couple years

Spritied Away is one of those films where every frame would make an awesome screensaver.

I remember seeing the beginning of this movie premiere on cartoon network quite a few years back, being so enthralled and even shocked and confused by what I was watching. I eventually got so spooked by the beginning I ended up changing the channel, only to go back to watch the full film many years later when I was in freshman year of college. It was like no time had passed at all. It was in every sense of the word, a timeless masterpiece. I’ll never forget it.

Spirited Away is so visually stunning and beautiful. Somehow all the imagination of a 7 year old is brought to life in a world that operates under its own it’s own unique rules. I’ve never seen anything like it.

The greatest film critic reviews the greatest animated film.

1 of the greatest animated movies ever

R.I.P. Roger Ebert :(

Art transcends opinions. This movie is proof of it. Many people have different opinions. The opinions given in the clip are complementary but they dont come close to experiencing the movie for the first time.

The one thing with Most Ghibli films is that they are achingly beautiful. They shine on one area that most film makers and animators have completely forgotten. The power of the moment. Most films today tie the metaphorical rope around your waist and drive off with the other end tied to their bumper. It always has to be a moving, shiny, goofy, loud dopamine ride. This film has those moments but it really wants you to be in the world. There are times where it wants you to be more immersed with the world than the actual story. The one fault I give all my favorite ghibli movies are the endings. Out of my top 3 (Spirited away, Howl's Moving Castle and The wind rises) this one has the best ending, however they just ... End. It would be like if the credits were to start rolling when Luke Skywalker enters the emperor's throne room. Or if Frodo had a voiceover summing-up the rest of the story as he was holding the ring over Mt Doom. Every great Ghibli film has this "it's over?" feeling about it.

I really like this movie, but Princess Mononoke is still my faborite Ghibli movie

Your such an amazing critic Roger Ebert! :D Thank you for calling my favourite film of all time a masterpiece :) RIP Roger Ebert the worlds greatest critic I feel really bad that Gene Siskel never got to see this too, because I'm sure he would have loved it. Hopefully you two will now be argueing together forever :)

Eloquent and insightful telling his continent about a masterful work of cinematic art that so needed attention, that was the magic of Roger Ebert.

Having the opportunity to watch this film for the first time is a gift and a treasure, if you haven’t seen it yet, you are in for something special

I just saw this movie today and holy wow it is simply marvelous and by all means one of the greatest movies I have ever seen and experienced. It is easily in my top 10 of best movies of all time. I can't express how much I love it. Simply magical in every way.

Great film

Do you all think that maybe Spirited Away is kinda like a Japanese version of Alice in Wonderland?

I was fortunate enough to see this in theaters a couple years ago as part of that Studio Ghibli fest, it was an incredible experience

When i first watched this film i continued to watch it over 60 times that month, it's the best!

yes this is truly a masterpiece!

One of the greatest films I've ever seen.

Hey-o Miyazaki :D

I actually saw this review as a kid. I wonder what Roger Ebert would think about Maquia or A Silent Voice. Or Hasoda's movies I bet he'd like them

R.I.P Roger.

I've still have the VHS of This Movie, and It was Amazing From Start to Finish, also I've Got Kiki's Delivery Service on VHS, and Howl's Moving Castle on DVD, and My Neighbor Totoro on DVD.

Funny thing is that I think one of the lessons of this move is that you should do new things even if they are scary or "out of the comfort zone". Makes for a richer life.

holy shit dude. This movie was beautiful.

It's been 20 years in America

great review by roger Ebert rip it is one of my favourite movies by Miyazaki

I still have that on VHS, along with Kiki's Delivery Service, and also I Have Howl's Moving Castle on DVD.

spirited away might be my favorite movie, i remember the first time i saw it. un beleivable.

Far too often adventure movies set in strange worlds climax with a battle between the forces of good, represented by the hero or heroine, and the forces of evil, represented by the stranger, the odd, or the mean-spirited - for example, a witch, sorcerer, power-mad ruler, or someone else who uses their power inappropriately. These scenarios, like the recent Lord of the Rings, make it all too easy for filmgoers to cheer for the good guys (with whom they quite naturally identify) and boo the bad guys (stand-ins for everything they don’t approve of). The world is seen as the stage for dueling dualisms, "us" versus "them" where it is perfectly acceptable for one side to completely obliterate the "other." Is this just harmless entertainment? Or does this kind of simplistic storytelling contribute to the creation of what Sam Keen has called the "hostile imagination"? This worldview develops out of prejudice and hatred, two diseases of the mind in which we project our feelings of fear, resentment, self-disgust, anger, alienation, and paranoia on others whom we perceive to be different (especially strangers). Fortunately, antidotes are available in the spiritual practices of hospitality, empathy, self-esteem, compassion, and forgiveness. And sometimes a movie gets it right. Spirited Away is an English-language version of a Japanese animated film by acclaimed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. A ten-year old girl named Chihiro becomes lost in an alternate universe and must find within herself the pluck and the love to endure a series of dangerous tests before she can go home. It will remind some viewers of Alice in Wonderland and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is nothing short of wonderful to have a female protagonist on screen who engenders our empathy and support. Equally refreshing and unusual for animated features is Miyazaki's refusal to set up a dualistic battle between the little girl and an evil adversary. All the central characters have both a light and a dark side. Our heroine must overcome the forces of fear, entitlement, selfishness, gluttony, and greed within herself as part of the blooming of her soul. Little Chihiro does what spiritual seekers will recognize as "shadow work" - taking back her projections, learning to love all parts of herself, including those mirrored by others - healing both herself and those around her in the process. The film is a follow-up to Miyazaki's extraordinary Princess Mononoke (1997). Once again he has fashioned an animated feature which transports us to a mysterious and always surprising world of spirits. In Shinto folklore, everything in nature has a god living within it. And as we learned in his last film, these beings are vulnerable to the excesses and defilements of humanity. The story begins as Chihiro (voiced by Daveigh Chase) and her parents (Lauren Holly, Michael Chiklis) are driving to their new home. She is sulking in the back seat, anxious about the future. Her father takes a wrong turn, and they wind up driving through a bumpy forest road to a hillside tunnel. When her adventuresome parents decide to explore the place, Chihiro is frightened and doesn't want to go ahead. But she follows them, and they enter what her father decides must be a deserted theme park. When he smells the odors of food, they follow the scent and come upon a row of restaurants and one empty one where food is piled high on the counter. Chihiro's parents begin devouring the fare and, to their daughter's dismay, are turned into pigs. Chihiro flees this scene and soon realizes she has stumbled into a world of spirits. A strange boy named Haku (Jason Marsden) comes to her assistance, shows her how to keep from becoming transparent in this world, and how to cross a bridge without being detected as a human. Still, Chihiro is pretty scared. Haku tells her that to save herself and her parents she needs to seek employment in a huge bathhouse that caters to all kinds of strange-looking nature spirits. He sends her to the boiler room where the keeper, Kamaji (David Ogden Stiers), is assisted by hundreds of little soot-balls that carry coal to the furnace. They take quite a fancy to the human girl. Eventually, she meets Yubaba (Suzanne Pleshette), the greedy and selfish sorceress who runs the bathhouse. This dominating woman puts her to work as a bath-attendant but not before taking away her name and giving her a new one, Sen. She is assigned to Lin (Susan Egan), another human. Their biggest challenge comes when they must deal with the "Stink Spirit," an incredibly foul smelling being. Only after his bath do they discover that he is a once noble and proud River God who is filled with sludge and worthless junk. Sen also proves her mettle in her relationship with Kaonashi (or No-Face), a lonely figure who follows her around and eventually brings havoc to the bathhouse spirits by drawing out their yearning for gold. The Japanese version of Spirited Away, the most successful film ever to play in Japan, won the coveted Golden Bear Award at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival. The English language version, which uses the same animation, was guided by executive producer John Lasseter of Pixar Studios (Toy Story), director Kirk Wise, and producer Don Ernst. Similar in spirit to Princess Mononoke, this animated feature can be thoroughly enjoyed by both adults and children. It is a cross-cultural masterpiece that takes us to an unfamiliar world where we see familiar things with fresh eyes. For example, Miyazaki provides an ongoing commentary on contemporary society in Japan and elsewhere with the characters of Chihiro's gluttonous parents who are turned into pigs; Yubaba's gigantic baby, a spoiled brat who gets whatever he wants; and lonely No-Face whose efforts to use his wealth to make others like him backfires. The transformation of Chihiro from a sulky, clinging, and fearful little girl into a resourceful, loving, sensitive, and respectful person is a marvel to behold. Her most magic moment comes when she embraces Haku's dark side which manifests as a dragon. Instead of turning against him, she reaches out to help him in his mission to discover his true identity. That's what is so remarkable about Spirited Away, it acknowledges the shadow elements in everyone and works with these warps as part of the process of soul-making. Spirited Away frees us from excluding anyone from our world and helps us to see that we are all in this together - human beings and spirits, ghouls and benevolent ghosts, dragons and No Names. Or as John R. Mabry has put it: "We must not despise the rough, the dark, the empty, the flawed or the crooked. It is a package deal."

while i love spirited away I do think it made a bigger splash in the west than it did in Japan. Like, I know it grossed a lot and all that, but I mean to say that I think non-Japanese didn't really know of Miyazaki until this film, which was the first to really make it big outside of Japan, but for the Japanese, this isn't classic Miyazaki or Ghibli - that would be Nausicaa or Totoro or Laputa, and Totoro is probably the film synonymous with Ghibli. For Ghibli purists, Spirited Away is even a bit iffy because it uses computer graphics as well as hand-drawn animation, so it's look is really different from the classics - I remember being pretty torn up about the computer graphics when I first saw it, to be honest.

Better than all the Toy Story movies

awww.... Pixar and Ghibli in perfect harmony!

Yeah, that's understandable. I personally don't mind it, since I'm used to much more annoying, high-pitched voices from other anime, but I can see that iw ould be a bit of an issue for those who aren't.

English Dub version turns 20th! (2002) Y’all (Japanese version was release in 2001)

"You'd have to have a budget of a billion dollars" Wow. Times certainly change.

God I love this film! It is absolutely amazing, one of my favourites!

They said it totally right. This film is an absolute masterpiece.

R.I.P Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

One of the greatest films ever made.

i adore aspirit away the most

Yea, I guess that makes sense......

Hayao Miyazaki‘s last movie? What about Howl’s Moving Castle? And Ponyo? And The Wind Rises

By far the greatest animated movie of all time. By far

My personal ranking of Miyazaki films; 1. Howls Moving Castle 2. Spirited Away 3. Laputa The rest are all superb too

They actually reviewed this in September 2002 when it was released in North America, not 2001.

Great film, but I like Mononoke and Castle in the Sky better. But Akira is the best anime film!

better than akira for sure! the bath house reminded me of one of my dreams!.. loved this movie!!!

Movie came out in 2002 in the states

My mother is the same exact way, if I ask her why she wont watch it she says "The voices are annoying" and then we get into arguments about it but in a way I can understand but she says she used to watch speed racer which confuses me even more....

The soundtrack???

this is the greatest movie of all time

I kinda missed this guy

Spirited Away may have highest imdb user rating for any animated film, but it's certainly not remember by mainstream america today.

its my turn to defend the film, i tell my friends this, you have to embrace this movie to love it, you need to understand this movies motives and basically believe this movie, i loved this movie, and i think Ghibli is better than pixars, But we have our own opinions, i hope i didnt offended you in any way...

Awesome movie

This is not my favourite film of all time, nor is it my face Miyazaki film. However, I cannot in any way argue with somebody who says that this is Miyazaki’s best film, let alone the best animated feature to exist. Whether or not it’s objectively the greatest film of all time is debatable simply because there are too many to consider, but this definitely has its place.

The art challenges the technology,and the technology inspires the art -john lasseter, pixar

I wonder if Roger Ebert ever got the "it's about child trafficking" thingy so many people still fail to realize

I watched it 2 days ago but still dont understand its greatness. I'm not saying it's bad but.. I just dont understand.

I love this movie!

And you don't need cgi and computer rendering to tell a good story. Studio Ghibli is a living, breathing representation to that

Crazy to think Roger ebert was just days away from death when this was filmed

I loved the movie but the end seemed rushed like suddenly stuff are resolved. Like all my questions suddenly... "sprinted away" 🤔😂👻 and no face is my favorite character.

She might be, but wasn't that the point of her character? I mean, even the characters in the movie said she was whiny. It was all about her learning how to toughen up and face life and if you ask me, that's exactly what she did.

i giggle a bit from 1:43 to 1:49

Watching Miyazaki works is like watching Picasso on the big screen animated.

Okay, I don't agree with you on the Pixar comment. Sure, they have excellent technology, but no creativity? I still don't know how they put "Up" with all its characters and messages together into a good story, but they did. As for the people who think back to old, horribly dubbed animé and base their judgements on it (I am related to a few), they have to find the great works on their own. We can't make someone get around prejudice, but we can give them our perspective of our love for things.

My top anime movies 1. Spirited Away 2. Princess mononoke 3. Howling's moving castle 4. Ponyo 5. Akira 6. Fairy tail: Dragon cry 7. Naruto road to ninja 8. Sword art online ordinal scale 9. Kiki's 10. Demon Slayer the movie

Thank you for uploading this :D

Makes you wonder why some people don't like anime. "if it's not American animation, it must suck" WRONG!! The best animated works come from japan. Disney is the exception but I have never seen such hard work and dedication put into an animation than what Japanese animators have done. I don't talk about Pixar because they really like their technology over their creative minds. And only send out work with almost no target, (hit or miss)

I use the AiW example is that its essentially a young girl on her own in a fantasy world surrounded by imaginative characters which is essentially the premise here. The similar messages behind the imagery are not here. I've read the interviews and researched the motives behind making Spirited Away from the creator. Environmental message? Yes. Adventure for young girls around 10 yo? Yes. Prostitution? No. The whole theory is built around apophenia and misunderstanding Japanese culture. Cheers.

Miazaki sorry if I spelled wrong Has made more movies but recently again sean he was done I hope not I love his films

Ebert could have stopped at "quite simply a masterpiece". That says it all.

It's just too bad that Miyazaki is probably never going to make another movie ...

Yeah, I guess everyone has different opinions on things. But my sister has never heard or seen a single clip from any Studio Ghibli film and yet assumes it's gonna suck because of the country it's from! >:( I hate it when she makes presumptions about it! DX