RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / Spirited Away
Spirited Away

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Spirited Away (2002)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
97 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:154

Fresh:150

Rotten:4

Average Rating:8.5/10

Consensus: Hayao Miyazaki's dazzling, enchanting Spirited Away takes viewers, young and old alike, through the looking glass.

Runtime: 2 hrs 12 mins

Genre: Childrens

US Box Office: $9,855,615

Synopsis: Directed by animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, SPIRITED AWAY is the tale of Chihiro (voiced by Daveigh Chase), a young girl who is taken down an unusual road by her parents while moving to a new home... Directed by animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, SPIRITED AWAY is the tale of Chihiro (voiced by Daveigh Chase), a young girl who is taken down an unusual road by her parents while moving to a new home in an unfamiliar town. The curiosity of Chihiro's mother (Lauren Holly) and father (Michael Chiklis) leads the reluctant child into what appears to be an abandoned amusement park. Soon her parents are greedily feasting on various delights from an enticing food stand and are literally turned into pigs. The frightened and bewildered girl then encounters a young man named Haku (Jason Marsden), who explains what she must do to navigate this strange and magical realm. Finding employment in a bathhouse for spirits and other odd characters--including kimono-wearing frogs, lumbering tentacled monsters, and a mysterious apparition named No Face--Chihiro attempts to figure out how she can free her parents from the clutches of the resort's owner, a powerful witch named Yubaba (Suzanne Pleshette). In the process, she makes some very eccentric friends--and has to deal with some notoriously stinky customers. A surreal adventure reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's ALICE IN WONDERLAND, SPIRITED AWAY continues Miyazaki's streak of groundbreaking animated films that also includes PRINCESS MONONOKE and MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. Succeeding MONONOKE as the most successful film in Japanese cinema history, this charming movie follows its own bizarre yet engaging logic as it reveals a cast of fascinating characters and jaw-dropping settings through stunningly beautiful hand-crafted animation. A movie experience like no other, SPIRITED AWAY is sure to enchant audiences of all ages, leaving viewers grinning with a giddy sense of wonderment. [More]

Starring: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Michael Chiklis, Susan Egan

Starring: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Michael Chiklis, Susan Egan, Lauren Holly, Suzanne Pleshette, David Ogden Stiers, John Ratzenberger

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki
Composer: Joe Hisaishi
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 2 of 2

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Spirited Away

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

...brilliant in its imagery and astonishing in its creativity. Many films are billed as voyages into fantasy, but this one actually delivers.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
10/04/02
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

'Alice's adventure through the looking glass and into zombie-land' is filled with strange and wonderful creatures.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment 6 Comments
10/04/02
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

That rare movie that has the emotional and psychological depth to match its stunning surface.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
10/03/02
Tom Maurstad
Tom Maurstad
Dallas Morning News

A film not to miss.

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
10/02/02
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

The closest American counterpart to Spirited Away is Alice in Wonderland, but no analogy will fully prepare you.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
10/01/02
Dan Fazio
Dan Fazio
Citysearch

An exquisitely formed, flawlessly executed masterwork...As sheerly imaginative and groundbreakingly wondrous as any animated motion picture you are sure to have seen.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
09/28/02
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

To say that Miyazaki's intelligent, painstaking, hand-crafted anime is magical, dazzling and brilliant is an understatement - it's incomparable, ingenious and inventive -just watch for a win at Osca-time!

Full Review Source: www.susangranger.com | comment Comment
09/27/02
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

This is one heck of a movie, and one can see why it made all that money in Japan.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
09/26/02
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

There's a sense of delicacy, and artfulness, in the tone and in the magic. The 10-year-olds who see this like to be scared, but they won't have nightmares days afterward.

Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
09/26/02
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

There's a sense of delicacy, and artfulness, in the tone and in the magic. The 10-year-olds who see this like to be scared, but they won't have nightmares days afterward.

Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
09/26/02
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

An animated film that is among the most delightful, imaginative stories I've seen all year.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
09/26/02
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Spirited Away is a trip, in the literal, metaphorical and indeed lysergic senses of that word.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
09/26/02
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com

Miyazaki has created such a vibrant, colorful world, it's almost impossible not to be swept away by the sheer beauty of his images.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
09/26/02
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International

Although anime features aren’t all the rage in a majority of American movie theaters, Spirited Away should be a legitimate excuse to change this pending sentiment.

Full Review Source: TheWorldJournal.com | comment Comment
09/26/02
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
TheWorldJournal.com

For all its slapstick and even the occasional gross-out gag, Spirited Away is an animated film whose major delights are also its subtlest.

Full Review Source: Journal News (Westchester, NY) | comment Comment
09/26/02
Marshall Fine
Marshall Fine
Journal News (Westchester, NY)

Steeped in lore and unabashedly surreal, the film is just charming enough for children and just bizarre enough for adults -- a perfect balance.

comment Comment
09/25/02
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Even when Spirited Away follows the easy route, with true love as the solvent to most problems, it's so jam-packed with spectacular images, sights, and sounds that it conjures up a million dreams you've had (lovely, awesome, and terrifying) and tra

Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine | comment Comment
09/25/02
Jeremiah Kipp
Jeremiah Kipp
Matinee Magazine

Something akin to a Japanese Alice Through the Looking Glass, except that it seems to take itself far more seriously.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment 11 Comments
09/25/02
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

This fantastically weird cartoon is definitely one of the most intriguing movies of the year.

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
09/24/02
Paul Salfen
Paul Salfen
Supercala.com

Miyazaki seems to have an inexhaustible supply of ideas to fill the screen and to fill screen time.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
09/23/02
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for Spirited Away

September 24, 2008: Get Drawn to RT's Best Animated Films!
Animated films: they ain't just cartoons anymore. Nor have they been for quite some time. RT celebrates the imaginative, dazzling world of animation with out countdown of the... More...

August 21, 2008: Japanese Audiences Flocking to Miyazaki's Latest Opens in new window
He delighted audiences with Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle -- and now director Hayao Miyazaki is doing it all over again with his latest film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the... More...

March 20, 2007: Will Miyazaki's Next Film Be His Last?
It's been speculated that legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki will retire after the release of his next film, "Ponyo on a Cliff," but now it looks like we'll have at... More...

October 03, 2006: Miyazaki Prepares Next Animation Classic
Let's face it: When the director of "Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoke," and a whole bunch of other brilliant pieces of animation announces that he's about... More...

See All

More Movies

Coming Soon in Australia
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

70% 70% Where the Wild Things Are 03/12
83% 83% Paranormal Activity 03/12
89% 89% Zombieland 03/12
76% 76% The Informant! 03/12
— The Strength of Water 03/12

What’s Hot On RT

Shock! Horror?

Shock! Horror?

Lars von Trier talks Antichrist

Zombieland

Zombieland

Director Ruben Fleischer's favourites

New Avatar action

New Avatar action

Watch an exclusive chase clip from the film

Kids' Book Films

Kids' Book Films

We fly through 10 of the best

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
15
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
36
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
22
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
118
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
176
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
130
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
76
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
75
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
59
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
37
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
18
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
13
  • Total Recall: Children's Book Adaptations
3
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
13
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
9
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • RT on DVD: Wassup, Bruno
3
  • Scott Hicks Talks The Boys Are Back
0
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Richard Kelly chats about The Box
2
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Spirited Away at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Spirited Away at IGN
  • Spirited Away at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Dressing Wonderland
Dressing Wonderland External Link

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Win Glee DVDs
Win Glee DVDs External Link

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Win tickets to Cold Souls
Win tickets to Cold Souls External Link

Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter External Link

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.

Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Win Star Wars prizes External Link

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Win the entire 007 collection
Win the entire 007 collection External Link

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more External Link

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.