Spirited Away (2001)

Of course it has to be a Studio Ghibli / Miyazaki film and it was a toss up between Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro (1988). I love the complexity of this story though and the way many of the antagonists are shown to not be quite what they seem. I love the exquisite beauty of backgrounds like the one above, the pluckiness and obstinacy of Chihiro, the pathos of No Face and the shameless audacity of Yubaba.

The English dubbed version provides a little bit of extra context for a non-Japanese audience and makes the film easier to watch for young kids but I would recommend watching it in its original language with subtitles. You get a better rendering of the characters and the culture, I think. It’s a great family film although some bits might be a bit scary for under 7 year olds.

What’s your favourite animated feature film? I have a feeling it might be a head-to-head contest between Disney and Ghibli.

Posted as part of the 30-Day Fillums Challenge, created by me. If you want to see what’s coming up, have a look at my post here and feel free to join in by commenting each day with your own choice.

Coming Next: Day 9: The scariest film you’ve seen