Tomato Soup

Saturday, March 29, 2003

...
(That would signify "happy silence".)

On something of a whim, I went to see Spirited Away this afternoon. (It's a miracle in and off itself that I got up soon enough to catch the 1:10 showing!)

I am truly impressed. Usually I do not think much of what the anime fans consider to be "great" (Evangelion, anyone?), but this was truly lovely.

There was a pretty solid crowd; the theater wasn't full, but it was not by any means empty. I have seen new releases with smaller crowds, and we are talking about a movie that was first released six months ago. (I think the Academy Award is responsible.) There were many parents with children. Not the sort of crowd you would expect to spontaneously applaud at the end.

If you get a chance to see this movie, do it! If you have any sort of imagination, you will enjoy it. The art is just lovely, of course, but the story is just as sweet. Not "empty", sweet, fluffy nothing-really-happens, either, and not pretentious.

The heroine, Chihiro, is adorable, but not overly cutesy, annoying, or precocious. She is—get this, what a novel concept—a refreshingly "real"-feeling little girl. What she accomplishes, in a world that is as fantastic, magical and complex as one could wish, she does by simply being a kind, loving child. You're not hit over the head with moral lessons, either. Yes, people, there is an actual story! (And it mostly makes sense, in a slightly kooky internal sort of way.)

This is a film to show to people who do not think that animation can accomplish anything worthwhile. (Or even better, to call to mind when you begin to have your doubts.) I laughed out loud (the little soot critters...when Chihiro helps one of them and the rest of them...hehe, I won't spoil it!), but more importantly, it still makes me smile, a couple of hours later.

That, and it left me with story-craving that could only be satisfied by splurging (okay, is three books for $6 really a splurge?) at the cheap books display on the way back, buying candy, and renting a movie. :)

(Aside: At the grocery store, they have this little display of maple sugar candies. Including these really adorable tiny ice-cream-cone-shaped candies with syrupy filling and a sugary layer at the top. I know because I was so intrigued and amused that I bought one. Pure sugar.)
Sarah - 5:50 PM - 0 comment(s)

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