Comment by tehnub | Hacker News Reader

Comment by tehnub | Hacker News Reader

I always enjoy rereading the review Roger Ebert wrote when he added Spirited Away to his Great Movies list [1]. He touches on a similar point, about how the movie all feels like a gift:

>The story of "Spirited Away" has been populated with limitless creativity. Has any film ever contained more different kinds of beings that we have never seen anywhere before? Miyazaki's imagination never rests. There is a scene where the heroine and her companion get off a train in the middle of a swamp. In the distant forest they see a light approaching. This turns out to be an old-fashioned light pole that is hopping along on one foot. It bows to them, turns, and lights the way on the path they must take. When they arrive at a cottage, it dutifully hangs itself above the gate. The living light pole is not necessary. It is a gift from Miyazaki.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-spirited-away...

If you liked his review of Spirited Away, you will also like his review of Metropolis. I liked that he enjoyed movies from all genres as long as they accomplished what they set out to do.

> The movie is so visually rich I want to see it again to look in the corners and appreciate the details. Like all the best Japanese anime, it pays attention to little things. There is a scene where an old man consults a book of occult lore. He opens it and starts to read. A page flips over. He flips it back in place. Considering that every action in an animated film requires thousands of drawings, a moment like the page flip might seem unnecessary, but all through the movie we get little touches like that.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/metropolis-2002

To me, the animation in Ghibli movies feels lush and alive in a way that’s rare in the (seemingly) difficult, very cost-sensitive world of animation. Ebert’s review is wonderful; I also enjoyed this video, which touches on some of the same points: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM6PPxN1xas

That feels a bit like he hasn’t seen much Anime. Spirited Away was my first Miyazaki movie and I was similarly blown away, but after watching his other work and other Anime it felt more like a very polished and creative story but not mind-blowing in its originality.

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