Matisse van Rossum’s review published on Letterboxd:
It's always so hard for me to choose a favorite Miyazaki film, because every time I watch one, it's my favorite. If I have to actually make a decision for technical reasons, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro are tied for number one, but Spirited Away is such a close contender, I can hardly give it second place. I first saw Spirited Away when it came out in theaters, when I was 8 years old (thinking back, I can't believe I was so young) and it captured my heart and my imagination and it's never really let go. Every time I see it, it brings back the magic and wonder that I experienced the first time I watched it as a child so long ago.
This film is pure beauty, plain and simple. It manages to capture so much imagination and emotion that it's hard to believe that one film can contain it all. The world of Spirited Away is so vibrant and colorful that I always find myself lost amidst its scenery. And the characters are so wonderfully developed, and with such a rich variety of personalities. This is a very sentimental film, and while I'm not usually one for overt sentimentality, Spirited Away does it in such a convincing way that I always find myself legitimately attached to Chihiro and her struggle, and it tugs at my heart until I give in and let it sweep me away.
It's rare that I throw around the term "perfect film" but Spirited Away is one of the few that I feel deserves the title. It's one of the few films that never has me checking the time or looking to see how much is left. I get so lost in the perfectly paced story and the perfectly developed characters and the perfectly created world that when it's finally over, I'm always surprised to find that two hours have passed, because it feels like time stops when I watch this film. It's like living a waking dream, and such a beautiful one that I always want to just take stills from the film and hang them up on my wall so I can be surrounded by its universe at all times.
Okay, I'm rambling and getting way too sentimental myself, so I guess it's time to sign off, but before I do, I just have to reiterate one more time that Spirited Away is an absolute masterpiece that will never lose its magic, no matter how much time passes.