Ashley Shaw

Super disappointed. SPOILERS I am a huge Studio Ghibli fan and a massive lover of Spirited Away and I was expecting similar things from this film. I was so excited as it’s the first Ghibli film I’ve seen at the cinema but I left feeling quite sad and deflated (not in a good way). The artwork, voice acting and soundtrack were beautiful as always but the storyline was all over the place. The whole film felt like a trailer with two many questions left unanswered. It’s like it had a main plot that got abandoned half way through and 5 other plots were coming in and out at the same time. I couldn’t process what was happening. It felt rushed in the dream/ in between land but then was too slow paced in the beginning. I was disappointed with the heron character. Why couldn’t he have stayed a whimsical creature? What was the purpose of the old women? Did his Mum still die in the end? So what was the point? Why did his step Mum go in there? Why was there no consequence at the end when he rejected the offer to take control? The main character wasn’t likeable either. I just found the whole thing exhausting to watch and it’s such a shame. If you love Studio Ghibli definitely give it a watch but if you’re expecting something similar to his earlier stuff… think again.