Spirited Away, twenty-five years later
I had not seen it in a cinema since I was a child. What struck me this time is how much of the film is about work: cleaning, carrying, earning a place, keeping a promise. The fantasy is lavish, but the heart of it is a kid learning to be useful and brave.
The bathhouse is still one of the great fantasy settings in any medium. Every floor feels lived in, every background character seems to have a life of their own.
Also, the train scene. Nothing happens, and it is the most memorable sequence in the film.
Verdict: Still magic. Still slightly unsettling.