Jun 22nd 

Spirited Away**                         

(Jap 2001) 
Studio Ghibli/Tohokushimsha Film/Tokuma Shoten. 125m.

A girl tries to get her parents back after they are turned into pigs in a parallel netherworld where the gods are fed and looked after.
Captivating Japanese animation with echoes of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, tricky to follow in some of its plot and setting but full of atmosphere and rich in imagination. The most imaginative film of its year - and this, bear in mind, was also the year of The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

Written and Directed by: Hiyao Miyazaki.
Producer: Toshio Suzuki.
Animation: Masashi Ando.
Music: Joe Hishaishi.
Art Direction: Yoji Takeshige.

(English version): voices of Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette, Lauren Holly , Michael Chiklis, David Ogden Stiers, John Ratzenberger.