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Essential Art House |
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Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) Sponsored by Price’s Creameries 2001 | PG | Animation, Family | d. Hayao Miyazaki Rumi Hîragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki Dubbed in English |
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| Directed by famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle), Spirited Away won the second Oscar ever awarded for Best Animated Feature film and became the first anime film to win an Academy Award. In the Japanese box office, Spirited Away remains the highest- grossing film in Japanese history. Ten-year old Chihiro isn’t happy to be moving to a new town with her parents. On the way, the family stumbles upon a disused park full of abandoned buildings. While exploring, they come across a mysterious banquet and Chihiro’s parents begin devouring all the food that appears before them – then they turn into actual pigs. The abandoned park and buildings transform into a lively spirit world where Chihiro takes a job as a bathhouse attendant while she tries to figure out what’s become of her swine parents and find a way for them all to make it back to the world she’s left behind. Much like the Harry Potter movies, Spirited Away shows empowered children who are able to negotiate between the real world and a world of magic while outsmarting powerful, evil forces. Spirited Away also contains criticism of the modern, industrial world and its impact on the family and on the environment. Pixar’s John Lasseter oversaw the English dubbing of the film and helped bring this captivating fantasy adventure to American audiences. - Ann Horak | ||