belated June 2024 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Conversation on The Boy and the Heron & Godzilla Minus One w/ Max Clark + TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance

Two Japanese World War II-era fantasy films from 2023 involving dangerous creatures crown my $5/month tier rewards for June - and they're covered in an unusual way. At this point I'm leaving podcasts for patron's picks every other month and Twin Peaks topics more sporadically than that, so I when I spoke about Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron and Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One with my friend and previous guest Max Clark (who got me to see both of these films), I decided to edit and present our extensive, two-hour-plus discussion in text form. In addition to exploring how The Boy and the Heron both emerges and differs from previous Miyazaki films (in the past I've covered Spirited Away in prose and podcast), we learn how Studio Ghibli Park in Japan crystallizes the auteur's vision, tease out the film's most-likely-accidental but still intriguing reflections on AI, investigate how the fanciful story reflects the behind-the-scenes Ghibli personalities, and reflect on why the friendship between the characters Mahito and Himi is so affecting. For Godzilla Minus One, which I saw initially in its brief black-and-white cinematic presentation, we dig into the intricacies of the fluid creature design and compare this latest entry - and its monster - to Hideaki Anno's Shin Godzilla (which I've discussed alongside the original and Americanized fifties Gojira/Godzilla in capsule form before; elsewhere I recorded capsules on the 2014 Godzilla and the original King Kong vs. Godzilla). And we get into many other subjects in relation to both films, including Japan's experience in the war and postwar periods. For even more from Max and I, you can check out our podcast episode on Blade Runner 2049 several years ago.

And open to all patrons is an advance entry on another beloved Twin Peaks character, alongside a few quick updates on what else I have been or will be working on this summer...

What are the June rewards?

TWIN PEAKS CONVERSATIONS #17 w/ Twin Peaks: Evangelion hosts Craig & Vinny (YouTube & extended PATREON) premieres on Wednesday

The idea of a Twin Peaks fan watching Neon Genesis Evangelion for the first time while an Evangelion fan watches Peaks for the first time is already intriguing enough - but Craig and Vinny of the Twin Peaks: Evangelion podcast have taken the concept much further. Craig, an anime skeptic, begins his journey not with the original Evangelion series but with the Rebuild films, while Vinny, a David Lynch novice, jumps right into The Return without ever having viewed seasons one and two of Peaks. Their takeaways are absolutely fascinating, including perspectives on characters they meet long after most viewers were introduced, speculation about parts of the show they missed, and - when they eventually get back to the earlier material - surprised reactions to what built the material before they came in. Both hosts are joining me on my own podcast this month, now that their own project is concluded (along with viewings of some additional anime/Lynch pairings and other fun exercises like casting Twin Peaks characters/actors in Evangelion). We discuss how they initially approached each series, how their expectations were met or defied, and whether or not this has reshaped their perception of broader genres or mediums. We avoid Evangelion spoilers for much of the first half, until I give fair warning. (UPDATE: This cross-post was intended for 8am Sunday morning but went up at 4pm due to a publication mishap; apologies for the confusion.)

You can bookmark and refresh this page within the next few days (or keep an eye on my YouTube channel) for the upcoming premiere...

PART 1 on YouTube

(premieres at 8 pm Wednesday, December 21)

For my $5/month patron tier, we dig deeper into connections between the two shows, discuss why the hosts placed the respective feature films in different parts of their parallel watch-throughs, and explore the impact of the show's finales (meaning both the last parts they watched as newies, and the more conventional endpoints they reached as veterans with recently released material).

Listen to...

PART 2 on Patreon

(also premieres at 8 pm Wednesday, December 21)

Listen to Twin Peaks: Evangelion

(& follow them on Twitter: @TPEvangelion & Instagram: @tpcolonepodcast)

My video essay Neon Genesis Evangelion & Twin Peaks (Side by Side)

All of my own work on Neon Genesis Evangelion & Twin Peaks

including a brand new review of Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 as of Wednesday, December 21

Belladonna of Sadness as TWIN PEAKS CINEMA #12 (podcast)

An appropriate tie-in to my recent listener feedback episode of the Patreon podcast, which included a passage on the dark fairy tales themes coursing through Twin Peaks (specifically emphasizing Sleeping Beauty and the work of Anne Sexton), the Japanese proto-anime Belladonna of Sadness also kicks off the new three-month season of Twin Peaks Cinema. I'm calling this season's theme "Traumatic Transformations". These films all begin with characters haunted by trauma: loss of loved ones, abuse by powerful men, sometimes both. These traumas become wrapped up in fantasies of various kinds, some casually poetic (a fairy tale read to children when babysitting), some obsessively escapist (a UFO special sparking both avoidance of and a search for the more disturbing truth), and some literally manifesting in supernatural powers (an impoverished peasant evolving into a hypnotic witch whose magic threatens the very lord who raped her). Even the more realistic films suggest, in an offhand way much like Twin Peaks, that the tragedies unfolding across their communities may be connected on some deep, fundamental level with an individual's private crisis. This is certainly true of Belladonna of Sadness, a fascinating project mixing fable with social history, psychology with pornography, and static illustration with pulsating psychedelic montage. Connections to Peaks abound, perhaps most directly to The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer as our heroine Jeanne struggles with a BOB-like demon who is both a manifestation of her own personal defiance and a product of the assault which has become intertwined with her own identity.

Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts

You can also listen on Pinecast and Spotify

(and most places podcasts are found)

Spirited Away (LOST IN THE MOVIES podcast #13)

The whimsical, sometimes unnerving but still soothing mood of Spirited Away feels like a good way to kick off 2021 as my podcast returns from its holiday break...plus it was Hayao Miyazaki's eightieth birthday last week. With the Ethan Hawke series over, I will now be discussing random films every couple weeks, with Lost in the Movies continuing to be interspersed with Twin Peaks Cinema and Left of the Movies entries every three months; the details are discussed on this episode. In the fall I will take a new approach, beginning to open up Lost in Twin Peaks on a daily/weekly basis (the long patron episodes will be divided up into more bite-size segments) and spinning Twin Peaks Cinema and Left of the Movies into their own monthly feeds. I also hope to start covering a new release every month, and I already have a theme in mind for the non-new release Lost in the Movies episodes throughout 2022 (think of which film celebrates its forty-fifth anniversary that year for a clue - no, not Eraserhead, although I do plan to release an episode on that '77 classic this year). As for Miyazaki's masterpiece, this is a shorter review than usual - a light meditation on the themes and atmosphere of the movie (another review, based on my first-time viewing, is linked below). I hope this encourages you to send in your own thoughts on Spirited Away, so that I can share them in future episodes.

Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts

You can also listen on Pinecast and Spotify

LINKS FOR EPISODE 12

Spirited Away (2008 essay), by Joel Bocko (Lost in the Movies)

MY RECENT WORK

New on the site

A Tale of Two Expectations: visual tribute to Great Expectations & images from a return to Twin Peaks (1 of 2): The In-Between Years and a Detour into Lynchland

New on Patreon

(for $1/month)

Episode 74: Twin Peaks cinema - Rashomon (+ Twin Peaks Reflections: Leland, Albert, Donna, Twin Peaks and Deer Meadow sheriff's stations, The One-Armed Man/Season 3 Part 17 & more)

(for $5/month)

Lost in Twin Peaks #23: S2E15 (Slaves and Masters/"Episode 22") & Lost in Twin Peaks #24: S2E16 (The Condemned Woman/"Episode 23"), Part 1 & Part 2

November 2020 Patreon podcasts: LOST IN TWIN PEAKS #22 - Season 2 Episode 14 and LOST IN THE MOVIES #73 - Twin Peaks Cinema: Belladonna of Sadness (+ Twin Peaks Reflections: Norma, Vivian, Ernie, Red Diamond City Motel, Golf course, MT Wentz/The Final Dossier, The Devil's Bride & more)

In a radical departure from the cheeky, if at times apocalyptic, fun of Back to the Future Part II last month, November's "Twin Peaks Cinema" hones in on the dark psychological and avant-garde experimental aspects of Twin Peaks. When I selected it based purely on the Turner Classic Movies description, I was completely unfamiliar with Belladonna of Sadness, an explicit Japanenese mytho-psychodrama anime from the early seventies. The film tells the tragic story of a young peasant woman in France who survives a traumatic gang rape at the lord's castle, and the subsequent demonic visitations of a phallic creature who may be her own Id or Satan himself, in order to become a witch with healing powers. Full of psychedelic imagery and music evoking both earlier and later productions like Faust, Yellow Submarine, End of Evangelion, and The Witch, the film's biggest tie-in to Twin Peaks turned out to be literary, evoking Laura's struggles with BOB on the pages of Jennifer Lynch's Secret Diary.

Although I use the witch theme to connect to the archive reading of my Devil's Bride review, elsewhere the podcast tackles some relatively lighter fare - Norma Jennings' fraught relationship with her stepfather and (step?)mother, as well as how Mark Frost's later books further complicate this dynamic. In the Twin Peaks Reflections location studies, Twin Peaks' golf course and the Red Diamond City Motel (although I forgot to include that enticing "city" in the recording!) provide dual lens through which to view Leland's troubled consciousness, a theme I explore more deeply in another of this month's podcasts - my episode 15 coverage for Lost in Twin Peaks, opened to all patrons on the thirtieth anniversary of its airing. Meanwhile, the spear's tip of that rewatch (for $5/month patrons) advances to episode 21, which includes reflections not just on the troubled midseason material but also random tangents such as the American public's reaction to the ongoing Gulf War, a German left-wing terrorist group's idiomatic influence, and an abandoned cop show starring Rowdy Roddy Piper and Jesse Ventura. It's always fun to see where a particular episode leads us...

Lost in the Movies patron edition #73: Twin Peaks Cinema - Belladonna of Sadness (+ Twin Peaks Reflections: Norma, Vivian, Ernie, Red Diamond City Motel, Golf course, MT Wentz/The Final Dossier, The Devil's Bride & more)

NOW AVAILABLE: Lost in Twin Peaks #16 - S2E8 (Drive With a Dead Girl/"Episode 15")

Lost in Twin Peaks #22: S2E14 (Double Play/"Episode 21")

Podcast Line-Ups for...

Patreon update #40 (The End of Evangelion, Carrie Page as the dreamer, American Made, The Children Act, Wire's 154 & more) and preview of Zama review

What would you be interested in hearing from "Twin Peaks Reflections" in the future? With the Return rewatch over, I consider some different options and also ask for your input. Additionally, I survey all of the Twin Peaks subjects I've covered so far. Elsewhere on the podcast, I finish reading my 2015 End of Evangelion review, read some follow-up feedback from the listener who discussed Cooper as the dreamer (now she's focusing on Carrie Page as Laura's dream), and run down the films, books, and music I've experienced in the past several months. For the biweekly preview, I share a full review for the first time, of the Argentine film Zama.

Zama, 2016, dir. Lucrecia Martel (October "See the Future" Preview #1 - 2nd tier reward)

Episode 39 (The End of Evangelion, Carrie Page as Laura's dream, American Made, The Children Act, Wire's 154 & more)

Line-up for Episode 39

INTRO

WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: updated Twin Peaks directory, from now on focusing on my backlog

WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: 2nd tier biweekly preview - Zama, discussing biweekly preview backlog

WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: Ethan Hawke films for Patreon, The Unseen: La La Land, Devil's Bride review, Fire Walk With Me early draft, read Lindsay Hallam's Fire Walk With Me book, Mad Men season 2 premiere viewing diary

TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Where should I go with this section?

LISTENER FEEDBACK: Twin Peaks/Neon Genesis Evangelion, Double R counter patrons - is that shift/cut a continuity error & does it matter, Carrie Page as Laura's dreamer, remembering what Ethan Hawke was in

OTHER TOPICS: American Made, The Children Act, other films I've watched for online work, Dead Poets Society special features, still playing DVDs & CDs, Alan Splet, Roku menu, Spielberg bio, Lynch's Room to Dream bio, Blue Rose Magazine including Women of Lynch episode, Fire Walk With Me book, Classics Illustrated (90s editions), Time Machine books, Common Ground photo book, 154 (Wire album), Live at the Witch Trials (The Fall album), Sister Ray

OPENING THE ARCHIVE: The End of Evangelion (2 of 2)

OUTRO

BECOME A PATRON

Patreon update #13: Spirited Away (+ announcing The Return rewatch series, two perspectives on Twin Peaks' meaning & more)

Nearly a decade since I first (and last) saw and reviewed Spirited Away, I was able to revisit Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece - or one of them anyway - thanks to a patron's suggestion. The blu-ray was crisp and gorgeous, and I enjoyed digging into some background to the film on the special features as well. This is my Film in Focus this week, but the other big subjects are gathered in the "Twin Peaks Reflections" series where I announce that I'll be revisiting the third season week-to-week on the first anniversary of each episode. I also dive into two different perspectives on The Return, one presented through a Reddit thread reflecting on an LSD-tinged rewatch, the other a popular theory presenting Laura is "bait" to blow up Judy inside a "cage" universe. You can find out which one I really dug and which one I had major objections to.

I also re-visit my video clips series from 2011 (highlighting a "60 Years of Cinema in 40 Seconds" montage I made at the time) and continue to discuss some tweets and threads from earlier in the winter, including film critic Matt Zoller Seitz's "death of cinema" reflections and the decade-recap aesthetics of a car commercial. Plus find out which Twin Peaks veterans made People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" list over the past twenty-eight years! Only the most important topics are covered on this podcast...

Episode 13: Spirited Away (+ announcing The Return rewatch, two perspectives on Twin Peaks' meaning & more)

Line-up for Episode 13

INTRO

WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: Mad Men viewing diary

WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: changing "Film in Focus" reward

WEEKLY UPDATE/works in progress: Clone Wars & Star Trek viewing diaries, character series - which Twin Peaks veterans were on the "50 Most Beautiful People" list?, Matthew Arnold, history of Fire Walk With Me (screenplay w/ Laura & Cooper hooking up), 4 Ways of Watching of Fire Walk With Me

FILM IN FOCUS: Spirited Away

TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Announcement - upcoming rewatch segment, two perspectives: Rewatch-on-acid Reddit thread & "Judy cage bomb" theory

OTHER TOPICS: decade aesthetics - what does the 00s look like?, Matt Zoller Seitz on death of cinema, "lost generation" of filmmakers, Rashomon & Anatomy of a Murder - treatment of rape, Ben Dixon on Bernie Sanders in 2020, Scott Ryan & Twin Peaks Unwrapped on "keep the mystery alive", Mark Frost's "accidental" mistakes in the books & Twin Peaks music (teaser for my Reflections next week)

LISTENER FEEDBACK: Inland Empire

OPENING THE ARCHIVE: "Video Dreams" (September - November 2011), this week's highlight (32 Days of Movies Day 19 - "To Become Immortal, and Then, to Die.")

BECOME A PATRON

Sci Fi Countdown - The End of Evangelion (CinemaVille discussion w/ Bob Clark for Wonders in the Dark)

This morning, I posted my only official entry in the Wonders in the Dark Sci-Fi countdown: an audio discussion with Bob Clark on the film The End of Evangelion, which ranked near the very top of my own ballot.

“The End of Evangelion” is an unusual spin-off of a TV series (only “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” might be more unusual). It both concludes and subverts the series, veering way into experimental territory while still wrapping up the narrative which the show “Neon Genesis Evangelion” began. I’ve covered the film in almost every form imaginable – reviews, written conversations, visual tributes, and video essays – so I decided to take a new appraoch this time. With Bob Clark’s permission, I stepped in as a guest host on the CinemaVille podcast and together we analyze the film, exploring its connections not just to the series but to the Czech play R.U.R., and Dante’s Divine Comedy. There’s a lot to dig into here, some grab some popcorn and get ready to start tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down…

Visit my entry for The End of Evangelion on Wonders in the Dark

Last week, I appeared on Bob's podcast Cinemaville to discuss the series Neon Genesis Evangelion (from which the film is spun off); this time, I took over as guest host to introduce, conduct, and edit the conversation myself. Thanks to Bob for allowing me to step into his shoes for an episode, and I hope listeners enjoy the experience.

Here is the podcast itself:



I've also participated in many other Wonders in the Dark genre countdowns over the years. Here are the previous films I've covered: Marty (both versions) and a video essay on Lady and the Tramp for the Romance Countdown; Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid for the Western Countdown (make sure to check out the comments, where the scholar who edited the 2005 version responded to my review and the controversy surrounding his cut); a video essay on Modern Times for the Comedy Countdown; An American in Paris, 42nd Street (including a video essay), and a visual tribute (using Arlene Croce's prose) to The Gay Divorcee for the Musical Countdown.

Obviously, this is not my first rodeo with The End of Evangelion (nor is it Wonders in the Dark's - Allan Fish wrote about it back in 2011). I've created a "3 1/2 Minute Review" video essay; a video essay comparison of Twin Peaks and Neon Genesis Evangelion (including the film); a lengthy prose essay; a two-part printed conversation with Bob Clark about the film's story and style and its characters; an entry in my Favorites capsule series; and screen-cap visual tributes to a battle sequence and the climactic apocalypse. I even devoted an entire week of blog posts to the subject last year.

Sci Fi Countdown - discussing Neon Genesis Evangelion on Bob Clark's new podcast, "CinemaVille"

This is officially Bob Clark's entry in the Sci-Fi Countdown, going on right now on Wonders in the Dark. But since we'd discussed this series Neon Genesis Evangelion so often in the past, he invited me as his guest his brand new podcast "CinemaVille". Both endeavors are worth checking out beyond just this entry, and you can read more about Evangelion over on Wonders:

The Sci Fi Countdown: Neon Genesis Evangelion at #72

Here is the podcast itself:

And that's not it for my involvement with the countdown, the podcast, or Evangelion. On Tuesday, I will be contributing my own entry to the show, taking over Bob's show for an episode as a guest host (with me questioning him this time) to discuss...well, we'll leave that as surprise! See you then.

Meanwhile, make sure to check out Bob Clark's impressive essays on the first six episodes of the series, the film Evangelion 2.0, and the proper way to screen Evangelion films, as well as Wonders guru Allan Fish's own take on the series and film The End of Evangelion, and of course my own episode guide, accompanied by extended chats with Bob for each episode.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: the complete episode guide

A complete guide to every episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the follow-up film The End of Evangelion, and the three Rebuild films

My second viewing diary featured the second-most-covered series on my site (after the episode entries, I've linked up other pieces featuring Evangelion as well). Each episode review is followed by a conversation with critic and anime enthusiast Bob Clark; eventually we were joined for many entries by the Japanese film and cultural commentator Murderous Ink.

Absolute Terror: images from the battle in The End of Evangelion

A visual tribute to Asuka's fight with the Mass Produced Evas in The End of Evangelion

This entry concludes The End of Evangelion Week on Lost in the Movies

The Favorites - The End of Evangelion (#82)

The Favorites is a series briefly exploring films I love, to find out what makes them - and me - tick. The End of Evangelion (1997/Japan/dir. Hideaki Anno & Kazuya Tsurumaki) appeared at #82 on my original list.

What it is • Welcome to the end of the world. This animated masterpiece begins in a flooded wasteland, introducing us to an array of characters who are completely isolated from one another, buried in their own grief, guilt, depression, and loneliness. We are fifteen years after a cataclysmic event that wiped out most of the earth's population, and mere days after the last of many battles with monstrous creatures (called Angels, ironically) who laid waste to this particular city and destroyed the psyches of the teenage warriors forced to fight them. (The battles with the Angels are depicted in the television show Neon Genesis Evangelion, to which this film is a follow-up.) So the scenario is already post-apocalyptic...but we ain't seen nothing yet. At least half the film is consumed by "The Human Instrumentality Project," in which the physical bodies of humanity are dissolved and their souls are fused together in a vast sea of consciousness, dissolving pain and suffering alongside individuality and agency. Shinji, the 14-year-old mecha pilot who is placed at the center of Instrumentality, must decide if he wants relief from his loneliness by dissolving his identity, or if he should seek love and acceptance the hard way, as a separate but active person. The film depicts this process through a gorgeous swirl of rich animation (mixing sci-fi action, spiritual symbolism, and psychological allegory), live-action footage, children's drawings, and other raw material.

Why I like it •

The 3 1/2 Minute Review: The End of Evangelion (video)

This video is an entry in End of Evangelion Week on this blog: every day a new post on the film will go up.

Here is my follow up to the last "3 1/2 Minute Review" video, which covered the TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion - a brief essay devoted to the remarkable follow-up feature film, The End of Evangelion. The first half of the video is spoiler-free; halfway through there is a prominent spoiler warning so that those who haven't seen the film yet can tune out.

Apologies for the poor audio quality of the narration, due to technical difficulties on my end. (update 11/18: I was able to fix the audio on the Vimeo version but not the YouTube)

Side by Side - Neon Genesis Evangelion & Twin Peaks (premiering later today)

Every month, I will be offering at least one post on Twin Peaks...up until Showtime re-airs the original series. Then I will post extensive coverage of each episode (mixing new reactions with my many older pieces) immediately after they air. Stay tuned.

Thursday update: Here it is, finally! Vimeo embed and Monday's message are after the jump, and I may also eventually be publishing a longer, separate blog post with images from the video, further thoughts, and relevant links.

The 3 1/2 Minute Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion (video)

My regular YouTube series begins with the first entry in The 3 1/2 Minute Review. Appropriately enough, it covers Neon Genesis Evangelion, the anime TV show I've been writing about every Wednesday on this site (and will continue to discuss for several months). Not an anime fan? Great! You're actually the person this video is intended for, although of course I hope those who already admire Evangelion will enjoy it too. In less than four minutes, I recap my initial experience watching the show, from initial doubts, to growing interest, and finally captivation as the second half of the series hit its stride. There are no plot spoilers, though I do include images from late in the show. At the end of the video, there's a brief preview for my next video (the first entry in my Side by Side series). Although yesterday I missed the mark by a few minutes, from now on every new YouTube video will go up every other Sunday. As for the next 3 1/2 Minute Review, you can expect it on November 1 (which happens to be my birthday). If you are wondering about its subject, at the risk of giving too much away I'll say that if you think something is missing from the following video it isn't missing - it simply deserves its own independent 3 1/2 minutes of glory.

What Does She See? (Asuka and her Angel)

A shot-by-shot breakdown of Asuka's meltdown in Neon Genesis Evangelion episode 22: "Don't Be." (Director's Cut)

The Darkness of Future Past: visual tribute to an episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Last week I posted an autobiographical film I made ten years ago, and next week I'll be covering both Boyhood and The Giver, each a coming-of-age film with a twist. In keeping with the theme, this week's visual tribute offers another walk down memory lane - for the characters of Neon Genesis Evangelion (a series I began covering a couple years ago, and plan to resume next year). Once again there are several layers to the long strange trip: Episode 21 features numerous flashbacks but when the show originally aired in 1996, these memories actually belonged to the future (the show's "present" takes place in a post-apocalyptic 2015, and the flashbacks begin in 1999). For me the timeline is even more interesting: had I watched the show when it aired, I would have been roughly the same age as the youngest characters but in terms of actual chronology I am the same age as the slightly older generation (who are around thirty in the 2015 scenes and went to college in the mid-00s). As is often the case, the sci-fi elements of the show provide an intense, amplified backdrop for the drama but the humiliations, heartbreaks, and losses are all too human. The trip down memory lane is not always a pleasant one. This is one of my favorite episodes and I hope you enjoy the striking pictures with or without context. Happy Labor Day...

Beatific Apocalypse

A visual tribute to the Human Instrumentality Project in End of Evangelion

Spirited Away

A little girl lies in the backseat of the family car, fidgety and irritable. It's moving day and she doesn't want a new home, or a new school. When her parents stop to explore an odd tunnel in the neighborhood she frightens easily and asks them to turn around. She is no precocious adventurer, and this is not director Hiyao Miyazaki's earlier animated opus My Neighbor Totoro in which imaginative youngsters bring magic and excitement to everyday life. No, this film is Spirited Away and Miyazaki has something more intense and even more fantastical than Totoro in mind. And to make it work, he introduces Chihiro, his 10-year-old heroine as a somewhat irritable brat, whose own father calls her a "scaredy-cat." Suspicions that the oncoming fantasy of Spirited Away will be a mere dream of Chihiro's are quickly dashed, and we get something grander instead, a world much larger and more frightening than Chihiro can handle at first, but one which she will adapt to and eventually flourish in.

If the film sounds preachy or its coming-of-age arc conventional, don't worry. Chihiro's growth is achieved subtly without overt message-mongering, but even if it wasn't, the film is so full to the brim of whimsical, magical invention that it would hardly matter. The world of the film is a huge sauna devoted to the rejuvenation of spirits, real, personified - if that's the right word - spirits that is. They include leaping, chirping big yellow birds, greedy little frogs that get zapped and frozen in the air when someone needs to make an escape, and a shy-seeming black cipher with a mask who turns into a devouring demon. Staffing the sauna are a variety of lumpen forest critters, a foreman with eight arms (whose employees are enchanted, and surprisingly lovable, dust bunnies), and a woman with a head two or three times the size of the rest of the body (she looks like a Pez dispenser pounded flat). Words fail but the images speak for themselves -- see the movie and be awed. And I didn't even mention the "Radish Monster" who doesn't look like a radish but seems to weigh about seventy tons. His huge girth and hapless expression (unblinking eyes and ever-gaping maw) make the scene in which he pins Chihiro in an elevator hilariously uncomfortable.