By: ERKIN ESENGELDIEV
Staff Writer
Released on August 31, 2002, “Spirited Away” is a Japanese animated feature (anime) created by Studio Ghibli and directed by legendary Hayao Miyazaki. The story follows a ten-year-old Chihiro, a girl who stumbles upon a seemingly abandoned amusement park, only to realize she’s transported into the spirit realm, where her parents are turned into pigs, so she has to work hard to free them. Being Hayao Miyazaki’s most successful work till this day, this movie widened general audiences’ view on anime and Japanese cinematography as a whole, and moreover established animation as its own genre and medium for all ages. In my opinion, this movie is a masterpiece. Charming characters instantly became iconic, reserving their spot in modern pop culture, flawless animation that captivates the viewer and really makes you engaged with the worldbuilding of the spirit realm, and, of course, an incredible score.