BY DANIEL BAIG | NOTE: Spirited Away opens today (9/20/02) at select theaters in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Washington D.C., Seattle, Minnesota, and Toronto. It will expand next Friday the 27^th to more theaters and cities.

Most likely, regular visitors to this site are more familiar than the average American moviegoer is with the name Hayao Miyazaki. For those readers for whom that name doesnt mean anything, it is the moniker of the figure revered in the animation world today above all else, the writer/director of classic Japanese animated films such as [using their English titles] Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kikis Delivery Service, and, most recently, Princess Mononoke.

Although Princess Mononoke was released here in the States in 1999 by Miramax, they did such a lousy job of it that the film unfortunately didnt much make much of an impression on the nations popular imagination, despite the fact that in Japan it was the second-highest grossing movie of all time (right after our behemoth export, Titanic).

Now, Miramax corporate parent, Walt Disney Studios, is handling the duties directly as Miyazakis newest creation is released in America, under the English title Spirited Away. (The original Japanese title is Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, which translates as The Spiriting Away of Sen [a name] and Chihiro [ditto]. It could also be read as The Mysterious Disappearance of Sen and Chihiro. Or, if you want to be really literal, The Hiding-by-gods of Sen and Chihiro.)

Hopefully Disney will do a much better job than their arthouse subsidiary did, because a movie this imaginative and full of wonder deserves to be seen. Even if doesnt make a penny here, though, Spirited Away will still be enormously successful  released last year in Japan, it far and away surpassed Titanic to become the biggest grosser ever there.

Its been a hit critically/acclaim-wise as well. It was the co-winner (along with the upcoming Bloody Sunday) this February of the Golden Bear [the top prize  Best Film] at the Berlin International Film Festival, which is truly a prestigious award. Spirited Away is the first animated film ever to have been honored this way. It also took Best Picture at the Japanese Academy Awards, and Best Asian Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

I would very much suspect that it will also end up as one of the nominees for the next Best Animated Feature Oscar.

As was done with Princess Mononoke, an English-dubbed version of Spirited Away was prepared for its American release, though its not as much of a star-studded affair as Mononoke was (it featured Claire Danes, Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Billy Bob Thornton, among others). This time, the biggest name is Suzanne Pleshette as the villainess, while to people who arent familiar with The Bob Newhart Show, the most recognizable voice will almost surely be Daveigh Chases in the title role of Sen/Chihiro, the little girl whos been spirited away to a shadow world of gods and demons: Chase was the voice of Lilo in Lilo & Stitch. (John Ratzenberger, Cliff on Cheers and veteran of every single Pixar feature, makes a vocal appearance as well, but in a quite small part.)

For the screening arranged for press in Los Angeles, it was the American dub which we saw (although we were accidentally shown about five to seven minutes of the original Japanese language version with English subtitles), since this is the version which most American moviegoers will end up seeing. It should be noted that some (though not the majority) of theaters playing Spirited Away will have prints of both versions, with showings of the Japanese language one on certain days/at certain times (which was why we at first saw the mistakenly loaded subtitled version; the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, where the screening was held, will run that print on Thursdays and Sundays at 7:00 pm only). Some multiplexes will actually be running the different prints on two different screens, with multiple showings of each. You should double check with the theater you plan to attend to make sure youre going at the right time if you have a preference for seeing one version or the other, assuming you have a choice.

And actually, for once I will recommend the dubbed version of something over subtitles. Unless youre absolutely fluent in Japanese (i.e. youre Japanese yourself), the American version is I think really the way to go here. Why? Well, having had the opportunity to compare both ways of seeing Spirited Away, back to back, I can say that with so much going on on screen, sometimes very quickly, you really are likely to miss something while youre reading, even if youre a fast reader. Usually with subtitled foreign films, this isnt a concern; live action films usually maintain shots for long enough that you can glance at the words at the bottom of the screen and the actors will still pretty much be in the same place, etc.

Spirited Away, however, has rampaging monsters, numerous metamorphoses, scenes with characters all over the frame, etc. Trying to take everything in while reading (and this is a fairly complicated story) would actually end up being a task, and this is a movie which youll really just want to let wash over you as you sit back in awe at the otherworldly land it takes you to.

Another reason to choose the dubbed version over the original language one, if youre only going to catch one, is that, at least on the basis of the two prints I saw at the press screening, for whatever reason, the American version looks better. Its colors are deeper/richer/more vibrant. I cant really say why this is the case, except that the subtitled prints are, I believe, actually from Japan, and might have been printed on a film stock which produces a slightly more washed out look. Actually, at the El Capitan, Spirited Away, at least in its English version, will be projected digitally, which is how I saw it (I dont think the few minutes of the Japanese version we saw were, but I cant say for sure), and perhaps that is why it looked so noticeably better.

And finally, this English adaptation is highly respectful of the original. Not a frame has been cut, and all the dialogue was approved by the Japanese filmmakers. Its almost exactly the same movie, really; the American versions few very slight changes/additions are mostly just clarifications of things which would otherwise be a little too confusing for/lost on an American viewer.

Actually, the biggest obstacle to Spirited Away finding large-scale success in the U.S. will probably be the fact that its central conceit and setting will indeed be literally quite foreign to most Americans, and not intrinsically appealing or interesting: the plot revolves around a bathhouse for nature gods.

If youre saying, Huh? youve proved my point. Now, the part about the nature gods  every thing, from individual rivers to daikon radishes, has its own god/spirit  shouldnt be too weird for Americans. After all, most of us had to study Greek and Roman mythology in school (does the name Edith Hamilton bring back any fond memories?), and those stories are full of deities of individual rivers, and gods of this, that, and the other thing.

Its the bathhouse part of the equation that will probably seem alien to Americans.

(First of all, just to clear up any misconceptions, bathhouse here is not a euphemism, despite the word being used in the U.S. as such, for the type of establishment, found in cities around the globe, catering to male patrons looking to get . . . well, clean is not the word that fills in that blank.)

The U.S. is just really not a public bath culture nation. Japan is. In every town in that country, youll find at least one public bath, where people go to soak, communally, in really hot water at the end of the day. Additionally, and this is very relevant to Spirited Away, Japan is dotted with famous bath [usually hot springs] resorts, to which people flock on vacation. Yes, Japanese will go and spend a week (and an awful lot of money, as well) at a place where the primary attraction is . . . taking a bath.

The nearest equivalent in the U.S. would be spa resorts. However, those tend to be the haunt of, well, rich people.

And even if you have been to a spa, its not likely to have resembled, in appearance, custom, operating style, etc. a Japanese bath resort. Whereas to a Japanese audience, the bathhouse which serves as Spirited Aways central setting will be, aside from the fact that it is far grander than most Japanese bath houses, and that its clientele are demons/spirits/gods, eminently familiar.

To an American, though, the idea of an animated movie being set in a bathhouse might seem less than appealing, if not downright boring.

So let me reassure you. Spirited Away is never boring. While it feels a little long, probably because at more than two hours its far longer than just about any American animated movie, it is so full of invention and event  a hallmark of Miyazakis films , along with stunning images, that the seeming oddness of its setting should not prove a barrier to enjoyment.

Because, if youve never seen a Miyazaki movie before, youve never seen anything like this. And even if you have seen previous Miyazaki works, youve never seen anything like this. Thats the wonderful thing about his movies  the imagination on display in them is just astounding at times. The worlds he creates in them, a mixture of our own reality and utterly fantastical elements, are full, and real, while at the same time being unreal.

Not to take away anything from classic Disney films, because theyre wonderful in their own right, but they for the most part tell familiar stories, fairy tales that were all familiar with. Even when they tell a story we might not know, or know that well, like, say, The Rescuers or The Fox and the Hound or Mulan, we generally know where things are going, and what to expect.

But with a Miyazaki movie, you really cant predict a lot of what happens. Its thinking outside the box, to use an annoying phrase, on a narrative level.

Instead of cute little mice, like those that befriended Cinderella (in Cinderella), Spirited Away has cute little living soot balls! (And they really are cute.)

Even when an element would seem to be familiar  Spirited Away has a dragon, for instance  it has a unique form or twist. Here, the dragon, instead of being reptilian, is more like an elongated flying wolf!

Of course, there are familiar Miyazaki tropes, things which appear over and over in his work, in Spirited Away  spirits of the natural world, a young female heroine (who crosses back and forth over the line separating spunky from really annoying), and, of course (that is, of course if youre familiar with Miyazakis work) flying, through dazzlingly clear blue skies.

Another hallmark of Miyazakis films is on display in Spirited Away: a terrific score by his longtime composer Joe Hisaishi. Hisaishi, who provided such memorable music for Laputa and Mononoke, does it again here with an incredibly strong, haunting (even scary at times)  though it also appropriately becomes inspiring and triumphant when it needs to be  theme that will stay with you after the movies over.

Along a similar line, Miyazakis movies are known for always having a terrific song or two, especially the one sung over the closing credits. And Spirited Away does not disappoint on this score either, concluding with a lilting, hypnotic tune, with just the right amount of a nursery rhyme feel, composed and sung by Youmi Kimura, with lyrics by Wakako Kaku. The number won the Best Song award at the Japanese Academy Awards. UNFORTUNATELY Disney has chosen not to subtitle the song (of course its in Japanese), so you wont know what Youmi is singing about. This is pretty damn stupid, since the lyrics (unlike those of the typical song which closes out an American movie) actually are relevant to Spirited Aways story!

Also similar to some of Miyazakis previous works, most specifically Laputa and Princess Mononoke, is one of its subtle, never obviously stated themes, which can roughly be summed up as: the ones you think are villains dont always turn out to be villains; they can sometimes end up as your helpers/allies; and even if they dont, theyre not necessarily all bad  they can have some honorable qualities, or intentions.

Indeed, the level of forgiveness (though never really stated as such) on display in Spirited Away is quite surprising. Heroine Chihiro, though in many ways a normal little girl  she sulks, she gets scared, she gets homesick  is also, in addition to being quite brave, utterly free of rancor. Shes actually a lot like Dorothy Gale, but shed probably never throw a bucket of water on the witch. (Of course, Chihiros docility and acceptance could also be painted in a more negative or cynical light, as being representative of the requirement of Japanese culture that the young unquestionably obey the old/those not in authority unquestionably obey those in authority, even if they dont like it, and even if they know what theyre being told to do is a bad idea.)

In some ways, Spirited Away tells a very traditional Japanese morality tale  Chihiro starts out the movie as a spoiled complainer, but very quickly shes thrust into a situation where she has to take on a great deal of responsibility, and the complaints cease.

This all sounds heavy, though. One doesnt have to give things like this any thought whatsoever to still get pleasure out of the movie. If nothing else, it has beautiful images and exciting animation to savor. One sequence which combines both of these things is one in which Chihiro runs through a maze of flowers. Its really gorgeous, and the motion feels incredibly real. Theres a similar moment when we, from the viewpoint of the dragon, zoom up at incredible speed towards the eaves of a building.

Still, though, Spirited Away is not going to be my favorite Miyazaki film. Perhaps my biggest problem with it (and its not really a problem, just something which makes me like it a bit less than some of its predecessors) is that, with the action for most of the film confined to the bathhouse (admittedly, its a very big bathhouse) and its environs, the whole things feels a bit claustrophobic. Its not until the climax that we and Chihiro get to explore, via train this time as opposed to Miyazakis usual flying, an example of the beautiful landscapes hes also known for.

(And indeed, this train sequence really does have some gorgeous scenery; a lone tree on a small island at sunset stands out particularly.)

I also have one small question, or call it a slight objection. In the world of spirits to which Chihiro has been taken (you thought I was going to say to which shes been spirited away, didnt you?), the various gods and employees of the bathhouse (almost) all look like exotic monsters or creatures of some sort  even when theyre humanoid, theyre somewhat repulsive. They all object to Chihiro, because shes so obviously a human. Yet shes befriended by one worker, Lin, who, unlike all her other co-workers, looks just like a human. I kept waiting to find out her backstory, expecting we would learn that she too was (once) a human who had been spirited away. But that never happened. It seems like Miyazaki is just cheating here, equating standard looks with goodness. (Its monsterphobia is what it is!)

I also have one BIG objection, though its only to the American version. For the most part, the English voice casting is just fine. Pleshette is good as a witch, Jason Marsden is good as a young hero, Susan Egan (Meg in Hercules) is good as Lin, etc. But Daveigh (Lilo) Chase is at times absolutely insufferable as Chihiro. This is Kirk Wise (director of Beauty & the Beast, among many others)s fault, as he directed the American actors. He has Daveigh shriek at the top of her lungs a lot, and its honestly downright painful. At one point her Chihiro screams so loud half the audience covered their ears. Really. Of course, I dont know if the Japanese actress did the same in the original version, but it doesnt matter. Wise really should have toned the screaming down. Its just unpleasant; its so egregious it takes you out of the movie.

By the way, if you did see Princess Mononoke, you might be wondering  is Spirited Away as dark as that picture was? (If you werent depressed by Princess Mononoke, you missed its point.)

The answer is no, its not (though its true that there is one very disturbing scene/occurrence early on). Nor is it nearly as violent. Theres no real bloodshed (though there is a little blood), and, most definitely unlike Princess Mononoke, everything turns out all right.

So you neednt have any qualms taking the kids, as long as theyre not real young. There is a fair amount of stuff that would be scary to small fry  definite potential nightmare-provoking material  so caution should be exercised. Spirited Away has rightly not been rated G here, but PG.

Grade: A