One of the year’s most anticipated animated features hits U.S. theaters today in limited release. Disney’s English-dubbed release of Ghibli Studios’ and Writer/Director Hayao Miyazaki’s award-winning fantasy/adventure Spirited Away opens in New York and Los Angeles. Other cities will follow at later dates.
The film, which set box-office records in Japan, is receiving rave reviews from U.S critics and fans lucky enough to have caught advanced screenings. This word-of-mouth may prove to be vital to the film’s U.S. success if Disney gives it the lackluster marketing push it gave Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
For more information on Spirited Away, see the four-page cover story by noted animation critic and historian Charles Solomon in the Sept. issue of Animation Magazine and visit Disney’s official website at http://bventertainment.go.com/movies/spiritedaway/index.html.
