Did a search, but couldn't find a DVD review. Has anyone seen the Spirited Away DVD and can comment on the audio/video and extras?

igndvd.com has a review up, that's the only one I know of.

For those of us with SmartFilter restrictions and can't access that site, could you post the review? Thanks.

Or check out our full-length review of the film and the DVD:

http://filmfreakcentral.net/dvdreviews/spiritedaway.htm

Gorgeous disc. Disney-centric extras for the most part, though.

Bill C
filmfreakcentral.net

Why is it filtered?

Here is for the video
The whole "red tint" issue with the Japanese DVD release of Spirited Away is pretty well documented, but the basic gist of it is that when the Region 2 disc hit Japan people noticed a heavy amount of red tint in the picture. It was so bad, a group of people actually sued Buena Vista Japan to get the problem fixed. With the US release, the red tint issue has been taken care of. The result is a rich and colorful film that matches what I saw on a DLP screen just a few short months ago.
In fact, I'd even say that some of the colors look better on this DVD, such as the flowers in a hedge that Chihiro runs through or the rich reds and golds that can be seen in the bathhouse throughout the film. The warmth of the transfer really shines through about halfway through the movie in the scene where Chihiro helps clean the stink spirit. This is such a lush transfer that it was sad to actually find any fault with it, but it's not completely perfect.
The only real flaw I noticed in this otherwise beautiful 2.0:1 anamorphic transfer is a very tiny amount of compression, such as some minor mosquito noise, that can be seen in some short moments in the film. The one scene that's most noticeable is late in the film where Chihiro is riding on the dragon and we can see a little bit of noise in the close up of her, mostly around her fingers and the beast's flowing hair. It isn't as bad as the compression in Beauty and the Beast, but it's enough to keep the transfer from earning a higher score.
Finally, those of you who are concerned about having the original Japanese version of the movie (complete with the Japanese title text and not the US "Spirited Away") will be happy to know that if you view the film with the original Japanese language track you'll see the Japanese title (of course, without the severe red tint that the R2 DVD suffered from).

For the sound
Included on the DVD are the original Japanese language track in Dolby Digital 5.1, the English dub also in DD 5.1, and a French dub in 2.0. Of course, purists will always flock to the Japanese track, but allow me a second to say that I do enjoy the English dub as an alternative.

The English track features Daveigh Chase as Chihiro. She's the same little girl who brought Lilo to life in Lilo and Stitch, and I think she fits the 10-year-old Chihiro quite well. Also included in the US cast is David Ogden Stiers as the multi-armed boiler man Kamajii, The Shield's Michael Chiklis as Chihiro's father and Lauren Holly as her mother. Unlike Billy Bob Thornton in Mononoke, you never get the sense that any of them were "phoning in" their lines.

Both 5.1 mixes are very good, and Hisaishi's great score benefits the most from it as it's allowed the fill the room and draws you into Chihiro's adventure in the world of Aburaya. There surrounds are active through most of the film with some ambience, and both US and Japanese mixes are equally strong.
Also, there are naturally English captions and subtitles for the Japanese track. Unlike Mononoke, which featured Neil Gaiman's re-translation of the story, Spirited Away features a literal translation of the Japanese script.

looks like Disney did an outstanding job!!

Another review here-

http://wiog.com/84786.html

I think this could use clarification. The only way to get the Japanese screen credits is to start the movie, then go back to the menu, select the Japanese language option, then go back to the movie. If you go through the menu without starting the movie first, you'll get the English text credits regardless of which language option you select.

I think you can switch between the Japanese and English credits with the Angle button regardless of which soundtrack you have selected.

Nope, the Angle button is disabled. Only by going through the method I posted can you get to the Japanese opening credits.

Fortunately, jumping to the menu during the video introduction also counts.

darn....the american version doesn't have the DTS-es. should i get the american version or the hong kong region 3 edition?

HK R3 has the red tint and no English dub, but full storyboard feature (w/o subs though).
US R1 without tint , with English dub, different extras.
Your choice.

I bought the Hong Kong R3 myself last fall and am very happy with it. Here's what The Digital bits had to say about that issue, but I've also given you a link at DVD-Basen, where you can read a dozen different reviews of the R1 disc that give the transfer high marks. See the links below and make up your own mind.

cheers, Tony Block


Form the Digital bits review

"Having enjoyed the official Region 3 DVD release of Spirited Away since last summer, I was looking forward to seeing what Disney would do with the Region 1 release. The R3 edition's video was hampered by an infamous "red tint", that was added by the DP to compensate for perceived deficiencies in LCD televisions. Unfortunately, while the R1 release has been properly color corrected, the anamorphic transfer is still somewhat disappointing. While the transfer on the R3 disc is rock solid and razor sharp, and presumably taken directly from the digital master on Ghibli's computers, the R1 release appears to have been telecined from a film print with minor damage in a few places. Overall, the entire film appears soft and, to someone who has been used to the Asian transfer, this is quite distracting. If I had to guess, I'd say that transferring directly from the original digital master was a much more expensive solution than a straight-up telecine, so Disney took the cheap route with their now Oscar-winning property. It certainly doesn't help that there are some 30 minutes of trailers for other Disney titles on Disc One, which take up valuable disc space that could have been used for higher bitrate video on the feature. Now mind you, this is NOT a bad transfer. The compression is well done, colors are bright and lines are solid. But the film could definitely have looked better.

"The audio for the film is provided in both the original Japanese, as well as dubbed English, both in Dolby Digital 5.1. While the 5.1 Japanese track is crisp and clear, it seems to lack some of the sparkle and ambience, especially when it comes to the sound design and Joe Hisaishi's haunting score. As with Princess Mononoke, the English dub track suffers from inferior mixing and overall just general indifference in the sound design. The original Japanese is definitely the way to experience this film sonically. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about this DVD audio-wise, is the lack of a DTS track, which the original R3 DVD included.

"Sadly, there are other ways the R1 disc fails to equal its R3 counterpart. The Asian release featured gorgeous watercolor menu images, presumably done by Miyazaki himself. For the Region 1 release, not only do we miss out on the charming Studio Ghibli intro animation, we get overcompressed footage from the film itself. The Asian releases were mastered in the U.S., so why the original material wasn't used is a mystery."


http://www.thedigitalbits.com/review...ritedaway.html


There's also a post at http://www.mhvf.net/forum/asian/post...108240173.html

that states that Disney's DVD has info cropped off the sides that aren't cropped off on the Asian R2 & R3 discs.

Anyways, here's the 12 R1 reviews.

http://www.dvd-basen.dk/uk/home.php3...go&idhop=39601

The movie is not all that terribly surround-heavy. The Dolby Digital track on the R1 release is very good, and that disc has no red tint.

Personally, I find the R1 edition satisfying enough, but if you are a fanatic for the movie or a completist collector, by all means pick up the R3 as well.

the R1 looks absolutely gorgeous! It may lack the DTS but is more than excellent in my opinion.

Tony Block has given you all the reasons why one should go with either of these versions...in my opinoin R1 ranks higher than the rest of them. Image is more important to me esp. when the Dolby track is near perfect (on the R1 disc).

I have the R3 version and never thought the "red tint" was a distraction. Admittedly, i never saw the film theatrically so I had nothing to compare it with. Truthfully, I thought the "tint" added to the overall "Alice in Wonderland" feel of the picture. As far as the R1 being better that the R3, I can't speak to that as yet.

For what it's worth, the R3 is incredible in every respect. My only point of contention is that the extras are only subitled in Japanese and Chinese. Given the good notices the R1 has received on this forum and others, I'm considering picking that one up as well. Spirited Away much like Princess Mononoke has become one of my absolute favorite films.

So should you get it?...Absolutely!

i ended up buying the R1 edition. the inclusion of the NHK special was cool but it felt like it could use some more extras. i hear the R3/R2 editions were loaded with that.

I also have the R3 overall it is pretty good dvd. The red tint isn't that bad, it's not good, but not that bad. You can tinker with tv settings and get rid of a lot of it. I kind of agree with that quote.

As for the extras on the r3 you get a story board version of the movie which is worthless IMO. And you get a cool special that takes you through a tour of Studio Ghibli, but it doen't have any english subs. I think that's about it.

I'm still debating on buying the r1, hopefully Columbia House will sell it, then it will be moot.