Unfortunately, this is all the plot I am able to reveal without spoiling the uniqueness of this film. Upon investigating the theme park, things are obviously very 'wrong' (at least to the little girl- her parents seem woefully oblivious) and as it gets closer to sunset, things just get worse. Upon investigating the tunnel, they find a strange 'theme park' on the other side devoid of inhabitants. The film concerns a young girl and her parents who find an odd tunnel in the side of a hill while moving to their new home. In the case of Spirited away, I'm glad I did not know what I was getting myself into, otherwise I might not have come (and surprisingly, not for the reasons you likely assume). All I knew was that the film was directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki, the same man responsible for Princess Mononoke ( a film released a few years back that I also enjoyed).

OK, that aside, was it a good film? I deliberately did no research before seeing this film as I prefer to go into films with little or no expectations. So whenever you go see the Disney release of a foreign film, realize the film you are watching may not be the 'same film' the rest of the world sees. For those that don't know, Disney has a nasty habit of importing titles from Japan and then changing the story when dubbing films or creatively editing the endings or plot to 'suit American audiences'.

This is another Disney purchase of a Japanese hit. Last night I was able to catch the Disney US Release of Spirited Away ( originally The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro). Chihiro must rely on Haku to save her parents in hopes of returning to their world. The owner of the bathhouse is the evil witch Yubaba, who is intent on keeping all trespassers as captive workers, including Chihiro. At the center of the town is a bathhouse where these creatures go to relax. In addition, the theme park turns out to be a town inhabited by demons, spirits, and evil gods. She runs to the restaurant and finds that her parents have turned into pigs. She meets a boy named Haku who tells her that Chihiro and her parents are in danger, and they must leave immediately. However, Chihiro refuses to eat and decides to explore the theme park a bit more. When her parents see a restaurant with great-smelling food but no staff, they decide to eat and pay later. They go through the tunnel and find an abandoned amusement park on the other side, with its own little town. Her parents decide to stop the car and explore the area.

On the way to their new home, Chihiro's father makes a wrong turn and drives down a lonely one-lane road which dead-ends in front of a tunnel. Chihiro and her parents are moving to a small Japanese town in the countryside, much to Chihiro's dismay.

Spirited away english dub subtitles