As children we were captivated by the colors, movement and music of classic animated films. For me and many others, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Cinderella” and “Pinocchio” aren’t the only movies we watched as a kid. ‘Studio Ghibli’ was our ‘Disney’. The film “Spirited Away” incorporated all elements that make an animated film worth watching.

In the film we follow a young stubborn and naive girl named Chihiro. The film begins with Chihiro, her mother and her father perusing a small town with ancient history. The family stumbles  upon an abandoned fairground near an abandoned train station. After the ordinary sunny day changes course, Chihiro begins to learn the importance of relationships and how your attitude and actions can change someone’s life. Over time, she gradually learns to not be so dependent on her parents and adult figures in her life as she meets some adults whose morals aren’t up to par with Chihiro’s. The 10-year-old girl, who earlier that day impulsively clung on to her parents, now has to think for herself with a little guidance from figures such as Haku, a half mortal, half dragon teenage boy, Rin, a young servant that works in the bath house and the infamous white-masked black figure predictably named ‘No Face’, or Kaonashi. Chihiro returns to the realm she knew just a few days prior to being quite literally ‘Spirited Away’ as a completely transformed individual, which isn’t necessarily visible to the eyes.

“Spirited Away” was a large chunk of mine and many others childhood. This classic animated film draws you in with it’s unique storyline, memorable characters, depth, aesthetically pleasing graphics and color choices. “Spirited Away” allows your mind to expand to places it (your mind) hasn’t reached for years, you’ll feel like a kid again. I would give this film five out of five stars because qualities such as these have the power to make someone want to watch it again. The movie can be enjoyed from all levels of depth, even the colors and music alone are enough to make an enjoyable movie for younger children, but the movie still has deeper meanings and connections that are only visible to older people.  “Spirited Away” is a perfect movie for any age because anyone and everyone can find meaning within the film, making it a memorable and excellent classic animated family film.