Studio Ghibli Retrospective: SPIRITED AWAY

“Spirited Away” is a trip, in the literal, metaphorical and indeed lysergic senses of that word. Ostensibly, it’s the story of a girl’s voyage into the spirit world to rescue her parents, who, in typical idiotic adult fashion, drive on a road where they shouldn’t drive, eat food they shouldn’t eat and end up getting turned into pigs. But this premise is, as usual, mainly an excuse for Miyazaki’s imagination and id to free-associate, channeling and repurposing elements of Eastern and Western mythology, Lewis Carroll’s Alice, E. Nesbit, “Where the Wild Things Are,” George Herriman’s “Krazy Kat” comic strip, Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast trilogy and God only knows what else.

This movie is so druglike that you’ll probably start suspecting at some point that you’re actually asleep, since what’s unfurling on-screen is more like the arbitrary symbolic language of dream than what usually happens on film. (Andrew O'Hehir, Salon)

The Alamo Drafthouse is proud to present a retrospective series of select Studio Ghibli titles starting this February. See newly struck 35mm subtitled prints of such classics as PRINCESS MONONOKE, SPIRITED AWAY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and more. This series has taken audiences by storm in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Toronto and now we’re bringing it to you.

SPIRITED AWAY: 2/10-2/16
CASTLE IN THE SKY: 2/17-2/23
MY NEGHBOR TOTORO: 2/24-3/1
NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND: 3/2-3/8