Spirited Away: Live on Stage

This movie is the stage play version of the classic anime 'Spirited Away.' The sets were amazing, the costumes were true to the characters, the dancing and songs were wonderful and the acting was superb! If you love the original anime movie, this is definitely a "don't miss this or you will regret it" film. I hope that this version will be eventually be available on DVD, because it is one that I would definitely love to own. But the real experience is to watch it on the "big screen" with a vat of popcorn and a drink in a theater (even with a mask on), it is worth it! Take your older kids, they will fall in love with Chihiro's bravery and determination all over again.

You can safely ignore the idiot who wrote that this play was "too reliant" on the movie. What would you expect at an attempt to tell the same story, but on a stage, theatrically?

Everyone involved in this rose magnificently to the challenge.

This is a magical telling of the story, done with real imagination and tremendous skill. Every actor and actress is perfectly on point, the music and dancing are all superb, and every detail enhances the overall impression.

To give just one example, look at what the play does with the character of "NoFace." A dancer plays the part, in a black kaftan and a large mask. Without a word spoken, every move of the woman who does this builds a slow portrait of an alien presence that goes from threatening to scary to poignant.

To portray the fantasy world of the story the director uses puppetry and magic tricks and dance (like NoFace) and lighting effects in endless, inventive ways. It delights you simply in the profligacy of its invention.

There was no innovation or creativity to be found in this adaptation. Studio Ghibli was so hell-bent on creating "Spirited Away incarnate" that they forgot they needed to make it into a good play first. They didn't, and it was never going to land on its feet with that philosophy. The movie was one of the most stylistic animes ever made, an already hyperbolic genre of film. There isn't a production team on the planet who could accurately "bring it to life" on stage. It needed a different vision or approach, even if it meant at the expense of fan service. Unfortunately, they were never going to take that risk. This was clearly a shameless cash grab, attempting to sell more DVDs rather than create anything with artistic autonomy.

So what specifically went wrong? With the exception of the leading lady, the acting was generally over the top or grating, better at producing unintentional laughter rather than any form of immersion. The costumes, puppets, and makeup were clearly not made for closeup shots. They were cheap and cartoonish with very obvious seams, literal and figurative. What puzzled me the most was, despite their faithfulness to the source material, the producers still found a way to insert heaps of random music and dance breaks. These served no purpose to the plot other than to pad an already lengthy runtime. The plot as a whole was incomprehensible, both due to poor pacing and inconsistent design choices. Half the costumes and stage effects were impossible to decipher the meaning behind. That's rather poor form for a script so heavy on supernatural happenings and beings.

Credit where credit is due: The staging was excellent. The set pieces moved around so fluidly, a necessary choice when scenes jump around like they would in a movie. Overall, I do understand why so many fans of the movie love this production. I'd compare it to an Elmo mascot at a toddler's birthday party. It may not be as good as the original, but at least it's nostalgic and familiar. However, if members of the unintended audience were to sneak in, those unfamiliar with the 2001 film, this adaptation would give them the wrong impression that the original was too cheap, too confusing, too long, or too silly. Call me crazy, but I don't think that's fair to one of the best animated movies in history.

This is the story of Chihiro, a young girl whose parents turn into pigs when they inadvertently come across a magical world which strange spirits inhabit and her journey to return them to normal. To really appreciate the stage play you need to be conversant with the movie it is based on as it is in Japanese and the subtitles are difficult to totally follow whilst watching the stage. Having said that I think the original language captures the essence of the movie and how they portray the animation by puppetry is truly remarkable. I think the actors do an outstanding job of resembling all the character and the often ingenious way they replicate the magic of the movie. Very enjoyable particularly to fans of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki.

This was my very first Japanese live performance show that I've ever seen and it was a joy to experience such a great show filled with amazing talented performers! I don't think d5454 saw the same show we all did and didn't appreciate the true artistry of these talented performers. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see this show because of the amount of time, but I am so happy I did. I can only imagine how much better it was to see it in person! The costumes and the sets were brilliantly crafted. I especially loved the witch.......outanding performance! I recommend watching this show, if you get a chance.