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That's all I have to say.
Maybe some people, seeing it was animated, expected a kind of Disney style mish-mash of cute talking animals, song and dance numbers and the like, but you don't get that; you get an intelligent movie that's not always clear cut, with meanings that go beyond what you see on screen and only a handful of talking animals.
Like some other people have already done, I'd definitely advise people who liked Spirited Away to check out some of Studio Ghibli's previous films.
It's the level of imagination and inventiveness that I enjoy with Ghibli films, shown particularly well with Spirited Away, and why I believe they dump on Disney from a great height when it comes to family friendly feature films. The simplicity but heartwarming feeling with Totoro, the coming of age tale with Kiki's Delivery Service, the eco messages combined with amazing action of Mononoke, the high-flying adventuring of Castle in the Sky, and a pig flying a plane in Porco Rosso; they enchant my mind as I watch them.
Great stuff.
As I've said on many occasions, for the various reasons listed below.
Woo etc.
A strange gruff creature he is.
> I hear there's a giant black spider in the film. Someone explain that
> please?
You could be thinking of Kamajii, a strange man/spider hybrid who runs the boilers with the help of his magical soot sprites?