Every aspect of our world and it's dreamlike neighbor is rendered in a manner that is intuitively right. This is animation as I've always wanted it to be, a medium that uses freedom from physical and technical confines to scrutinize emotion and behavior. Spirited Away has no songs by Elton John and no dominating comedy relief (aka toy commercial) characters. Closest to Disney's paradigm of pointless "aw, shucks" characters are the soot/dust bunnies and even they have an important role. Everything in this picture serves the story and the atmosphere, which are so locked together that there's little point in trying to define one without the other. Color, sound and geometry cooperate to a degree rarely seen in animated film, or in film at all for that matter. And to top it off, it's the most trim 125-minute film I think I've ever seen - compare to the visionary, trend-setting Akira, which at the same length is way too damn long. Spirited Away is simultaneously lean and expansive, with a storyline that bobs and weaves but persistently advances towards a satisfying conclusion.

Disney is releasing Spirited Away on a somewhat limited scope - a few major cities to start, then something they're calling a 'wide' release, but it's one that has none of the push given to any Disney-originated film. It's been reported that they didn't mess it up, with only a few small changes to dialogue, fewer additions, and no visual changes to speak of. I pored over the info at the best Miyazaki site on the net — Nausicaa.net — and found that among the conditions of the contract between Studio Ghibli and Disney was a stipulation that Disney could not alter the films in any way. They can request that Ghibli make changes, but Disney cannot make the cuts themselves. That's good news for audiences in the US, because it means we get a chance to see Spirited Away in near-unadulterated form. And it should most definitely be seen — it's the most worthwhile film I've come across this year, an essential one.

[I've linked to the DVD release of Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke, a film that is of equal quality but far more serious character. While Spirited Away is suitable for audiences of any age, Princess Mononoke is somewhat intense for kids under 12. Import copies of Miyazaki's films may be obtained through Poker Industries or Cd Japan, but be warned: these discs are region coded for playback in Asia, and will not work on DVD players purchased in the US. If you don't know that your player can accept discs from other regions, do not buy these discs.]