It was pretty good
Spirited Away
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Magnificent, spellbinding movie has a bit of edge.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 11 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Spirited Away was written by Liz Perle
Parents need to know that this is an outstanding movie but it has a dark side. The heroine, Chihiro, is whiny in the beginning but transforms to save her parents. Scary scenes include a frightening old lady and a scary faceless ghosty spirits. If you're expecting Totoro -- don't. You might discuss the themes of loyalty and belief in the good in people that the film depicts.
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More on Spirited Away
What’s the Story?
Chihiro is a sullen 10-year-old girl who wanders into a world ruled by witches and monsters, where humans are changed into animals. When her parents gorge themselves on enchanted food, they turn into pigs and Chihiro must overcome her whiny self in order to enter the spirit world and win them back. To do this, she must appeal to Yubaba, the scary old witch who runs the spirit bath-house. Chihiro is aided by Haku, Yubaba's right hand helper and our heroine's friend.
Is It Any Good?
Despite the animation similarities, SPIRITED AWAY is not Totoro, the beloved "feel-good" classic, but an edgy portrayal of what a young girl needs to do to grow up and take responsibility for more than herself. She fights Yubaba, she rescues Haku and aids a wounded spirit, triumphing where others do not because she is not sidetracked by greed.
This is a spectacularly beautiful movie, with excellent voice-overs by Davleigh Chase as Chihiro, Jason Marsden as Haku, Suzanne Pleshette as Yubaba, Michael Chiklis as Chihiro's father, Lauren Holly as Chihiro's mother and John Ratzenberger as the Assistant Manager. John Lesseter of Toy Story fame directed the English voices. A thrilling movie but not for little kids who get scared.
Movie Details
Studio: Disney, Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Run time: 125 minutes
Theatrical release: 4/20/2002, DVD release: 4/15/2003
MPAA Rating: PG for some scary supernatural scenes
Run time: 125 minutes
Theatrical release: 4/20/2002, DVD release: 4/15/2003
MPAA Rating: PG for some scary supernatural scenes
Our Members Say
See all 90 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens
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I rate this title off for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
No way for kids!
Definitely not recommended for kids! Only suitable for Young Adults and above.
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I rate this title off for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
not for
kids
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I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Outstanding movie. Amazing.
This was an outstanding movie, while there are some scenes that are a little scary, and there's a bleeding dragon (significantly) there's nothing else really bad about it. It's a young girl that sticks to trying to save her parents in this spirit bath-house. It's a wonderful movie.
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I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Outstanding movie. Amazing.
This was an outstanding movie, while there are some scenes that are a little scary, and there's a bleeding dragon (significantly) there's nothing else really bad about it. It's a young girl that sticks to trying to save her parents in this spirit bath-house. It's a wonderful movie.
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I rate this title off for age 8 and give it
i think this is a creepy kinda movie and when i saw it when i was little i got really really scared and had bad dreams about being turned into a pig
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I rate this title iffy for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Amazing. Just... amazing.
This is absolutely my favorite animated movie of all time. The storyline if very deep. The animation is AMAZING. All of the monsters have a unique design; even the ones that are seen in the background. Hayao Miyazaki, the creator of this movie, is my favorite director. Something great about him is that he is slightly a feminist, for his movies contain brave, intelligent females (unlike lots of other movies in Japan). You can see this in Spirited Away, for Chihiro is a good a role model and so is, to a lesser extent, Zeniba. I recommend his other movies for those who like this one. Little kids might be scared of this movie, for the monsters can be creepy at times. There is some blood.
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Confusing
My 10 year old and I both thought this movie was very confusing...normal family one minute and parents turned into giant pigs the next. That's just for starters. The rest of the characters and happenings are equally outrageous and unexpected and therefore the move was a bit confusing and difficult to follow.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
great movie!!!!!!
that movie sacred the crap outta me when i was a little kid!!!!! bu now i love this movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Love It!
I love this movie...how many times I watched it? Only once. And my 8 year old brother was watching with me.
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Good messages but with a scary undertone.
I have watched Spirited Away many times. It is a wonderful, well thought out movie with many good messages. But there are some things that still scare me, like No-Face, a black figure with a white mask that makes various noises and eats bunches of people. Many scenes like the smelly, dirty bath house visitor may creep kids out. Some scenes aren't scary, but very strange and not familiar to kids in America. I recommend watching this movie before your kids watch it.
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Good messages but with a scary undertone.
I have watched Spirited Away many times. It is a wonderful, well thought out movie with many good messages. But there are some things that still scare me, like No-Face, a black figure with a white mask that makes various noises and eats bunches of people. Many scenes like the smelly, dirty bath house visitor may creep kids out. Some scenes aren't scary, but very strange and not familiar to kids in America. I recommend watching this movie before your kids watch it.
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I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
IFFY for age 8
this movie is good. I watched it when i was 5 and there were some things that i didnt understand and there was some vilonce and lots of peril. I think for the best intrest and age apropreatniss i would wait till your child is atleast 8. But even then i would give it a pause for some vilonce and some parts of the movie may not seem clear, interesting, or fun. So i recomend it for age 8 and up but some 8 year olds wont like it
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I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
one of my favorite movies
this movie is so incredibly imaginable! i love the adventures the girl goes through to save her parents. all the frinds and bad guys she makes. it's so creative and exiting! i wan to see it again. besides i out this on and it calms my annoying cousins down^^
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Very Sweet
Amazing animation. Weird... very cool. I watched it on my birthday when I was 10 and the kids all loved it. Also see My Neighbor Totoro.
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
One of the best
One of my person favorite by Miyazaki (tied with HMC); this movie is remarkable. I was (I think) 10 when I watched it; my brother was 6 or 7, and he didn't like it very much. The best example I can think of right now, is that it's got a polished kind of grotesque-ness to it, and the boy's sensitive so he generally avoids such things (a good comparison might be "Nightmare Before Christmas" - brilliant as it is, it was too dark for him the first few times we watched it). As to what might trigger that leeriness, the protagonist's parents are turned into pigs to symbolize their gluttony early in the movie; there are strange creatures throughout the movie, including No-Face, who appears as a black silhouette distinguished only by a mask; there are a trio of ogre-reminiscent heads that bounce around; there is a scene in which the protagonist is submersed in a muddy golden sludge-like stuff; there is a baby that stands about fifteen feet tall; late in the movie, a dragon coughs up quite a bit of blood. (Most of these probably wouldn't bother kids, but I'm just trying to be thorough). My only personal complaint is that Chihiro's parents really were kind of lousy, even if she did need to toughen up a bit. Otherwise, the movie is remarkable, just tread cautiously with younger ones.
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Wondrous Film; Hail Hayao Miyazaki
On Chihiro's move to a new town, her parents unexpectedly stop to check out a mysterious building. Little do they know that an entirely new realm of spirits lay beyond it. The film is really child-based and is one of Miyazaki's more child-oriented works. Chihiro, the lead, is a strong protagonist who, though scared at points, is able to outsmart evil and help those in need. She accepts a spirit who was looked down upon by others and receives a reward for doing so. There is a scene with BLOOD though, which some parents may not like their children to see. The movie has excellent morals and will keep your child's eyes glued to the screen through the whole thing.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 50% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 42% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 33% | of parents say there are good role models |
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