Spirited Away

This magical and supernatural ‘coming of age’ story has been one of Studio Ghiblis biggest successes and it’s easy to see why the famed Japanese animation studio struck gold with SPIRITED AWAY – the story of ten-year old Chihiro who unwittingly is drawn into a world inhabited by ancient gods and other shape-shifting creatures after her father accidentally takes a wrong turn on the road. To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of this ground-breaking and surreal fantasy, Studiocanal release the film as DVD & Blu-ray double-play in stunning HD, presented in a special Collector’s Edition box set.

10-year old Chihiro Ogino, a headstrong girl prone to whinging and complaining, isn’t too happy that her parents move to a new home as it means she’ll need to make new friends and bid farewell to her current ones. En route to the new house her father misses a right turn, thus unwillingly embarking on a detour which brings them to a narrow country lane where they discover a mysterious tunnel in the woods. Unlike her mum Yuko and dad Akio, Chihiro isn’t overkeen to explore what lies at the other end of the tunnel but some pagan stone figures seem to frighten her and she ends up running after her parents and clinging to her mum’s arm. To the family’s surprise the landscape at the other end of the tunnel looks different though they can’t exactly pinpoint as to why. What’s more, they discover what appears to be a dilapidated former theme park with a gorgeous bathhouse taking prominence. And yet, when Chihiros’ parents smell food coming from one of the long deserted snack bars they find, to their surprise, freshly prepared food piled on the counter but not a single soul working in the restaurant. Hungry, the parents decide to help themselves to copious amounts of rice cakes, roasts and other delicacies with Yuko pointing out they can always settle the bill once a waiter or kitchen staff turns up. As per usual, Chihiro prefers to protest and walks out of the eatery, instead exploring the strange lanes and buildings when she discovers a train running underneath a bridge. She also explores the stunningly designed bathhouse where she encounters a strange boy called Haku who advises her to return across the riverbed before sunset or “they will come and get you”. Unsettled by this bizarre encounter Chihiro hurries back to the restaurant to get her parents but discovers to her shock and horror that they have morphed into gluttonous fat pigs devouring all the food on the table! With her parents no longer human and unable to make any sense of what has happened sunset is fast approaching and she is now stuck on the wrong side of the riverbed and realises helplessly that slowly but surely she is turning transparent…

Haku comes to her aid with a strange plant which prevents her from completely turning transparent, he then advices her what to do and what not to do when crossing the phantom bridge leading back to the bathhouse as ghosts, ancient gods and shape-shifters assemble for a get-together that could bring Chihiro into mortal danger when Haku warns her that the spirit creatures must not smell a human being among them. With Haku’s help Chihiro makes it into the bathhouse and on his advice she must seek work from Kamaji, the bathhouse’s boiler man if she ever wants to see her parents again and get out of the building alive. After finally having secured a rotten job as everyone’s dogsbody she is then sent to Yubaba, the witch who reigns over the bathhouse. The witch makes Chihiro sign a contract but via magic alters her name to Sen. Haku then warns Sen that she must not forget her real name or she will be damned to spend the rest of her life working in the bathhouse. He then reveals that he was once human but because he has forgotten his real name he is unable to escape. This is the beginning of an incredible adventure during which Chihiro/Sen bonds with Haku (who later transforms into a dragon) and encounters ever more shape-shifting creatures, including the fearsome Zanuba, Yubaba’s scheming twin sister who can change into a paper bird at will. As the plot becomes ever more complex and multi-layered there is a happy end in store after all – with the biggest surprise perhaps that Chihiro’s parents have no recollection of anything odd happening after they had their meal in the restaurant. After walking back through the mysterious tunnel they find – to their utmost surprise – the parked car which has gathered dust and fallen leaves during their theme park excursion. When Chihiro turns around for one last time before getting into the car the tunnel entrance suddenly seems to have aged and is now partially covered with overgrowth and shrubbery. As the car drives away Chihiro is happy and relieved… and a more mature and responsible girl.

The sheer imagination plus the animation techniques and overall visual effects are simply mind-boggling and guarantee that SPIRITED AWAY will stand the test of time!

Bonus material includes Intro by John Lasseter, The Making of…, Meet the director, Behind the mic voice talent featurette, alternative storyboards and original trailer.