Spirited Away: MIYAZAKI Hayao’s animated masterpiece tells the story of a young girl who, moving to a new home with her parents, finds herself in a spiritual world, having to fend for herself and save her parents from a terrible destiny. This is an incredibly rich, entertaining, and touching story, of such inventiveness (visual and in its thematic elements) that new views always uncover something previously unnoticed. The protagonist starts off as a sad, uninterested girl, but she goes through a metamorphosis as she becomes responsible for her well-being. HIIRAGI Rumi voices her with a nice energy, changing as needed; IRINO Miyu plays the boy who helps her, and the villain, played by NATSUKI Mari with great effectiveness.

The animation is incredible. The world is amazingly well-designed, both the real world and the more fantastic locations; the attention to detail is unparalleled, and the colours are vibrant and attractive. Character design is also top-notch, filled with interesting and varied creatures, while all the main characters are distinctive and detailed. The musical score, by composer Joe Hisaishi, would be a pleasure to listen to even without the film to back it up.

This is more than simply top-notch animation; this is top-notch cinema.