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Really That Good? - Spirited Away

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The following piece is a critical response to a film and an analysis based on a viewing of something of which I already have familiarity.

The views expressed in this post are solely my own and do not reflect those of any other entity associated with this film.
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Spirited Away is an anime film, produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Japan’s most acclaimed director since Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki. Released in Japan in 2001 and the US in 2002, it launched a strong reputation right away, unlike some films we cover on here, oddly enough.

Simply put, the mountain of praise and the legacy surrounding this film is untouchable! To date, it is the only non-English-language film and the only hand-drawn film to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. It is Japan’s highest-grossing film at the box office. Metacritic has it in their Top 10 movies of all-time, and various publications like Empire and IGN rank it as one of the greatest animated films ever. The BFI said it is a must-see by age 14. So with all this praise, it seems pretty overhyped, right? We’ll get there.

This paragraph is to discuss my personal history with the film, and it is the strangest one I think for any movie on my shortlist. I actually did not grow up with this film, like a few of you might have. I saw it on TV when I was well into high school. I had not quite gotten back into anime yet, but this film and my watching of Evangelion that same year may have gotten the ball rolling. I did like the film originally, but never thought to assess what it truly meant. I picked this film mostly to test myself. I wanted to see if I could appreciate a cold-hard classic I may have overlooked in my time.

Is Spirited Away as emotional and impactful as everyone says? Or has its reputation been tarnished by endless otaku and animation snobs passing it off as the second coming of Disney? Simply put, is Spirited Away Really that Good?

While I do certainly recommend all the films I evaluate here, the final verdict reads how strongly. So even if I don’t think it’s THAT Good, it could still be decent.

Also, I am not really going to address sub vs. dub here. Unlike something like Warriors of the Wind, the initial story and themes did not change too much in translation.

What the Film Does

This is a film that is all about atmosphere. Every emotion and even character moments are conveyed through what is shown, and not what is told. Miyazaki’s signature style is all over this film. Character expressions are strong. The soundtrack fits the mood. And the world is downplayed and reserved to keep the emotions simple. I seem to remember this film having large amounts of spectacle and wowing me with grand exploits. That wasn’t the case at all. There are maybe one or two such moments in the film, but the rest is calm and emotionally reserved. It relies on how the characters feel to exhaust the same emotion from its audience. It succeeds to say the least.

Quick Quiz: What is the first scene you see in your head when you think of this movie? What is Spirited Away’s equivalent of Dorothy in Munchkinland or the introduction of Batman in the Burton movie?

I bet most of you thought the train scene with Chihiro and No-Face. See, that’s what I mean by atmosphere. The most iconic moment in the film is not a grand kiss or epic battle, but a refined, relaxed, casual train ride. With just one frame, one visual in this movie, you get everything you need to know. And that is the mark of great filmmaking.

It can be easy to compare this to Wizard of Oz or Labyrinth from its general premise. While I think it has the “girl in fantasy world” aspect in common, the story told and the messages therein are completely different. At the start of the film, Chihiro is constantly afraid, and super cautious. Through her adventures, she learns to take more risks and live a more active life. The world shapes her, and she shapes a part of it by recovering Haku’s identity. It is a tale of finding oneself in an uncertain, unpredictable world. And the themes here resonate just as strongly to us as with Chihiro.

What really surprised me upon rewatch was how distinctly Japanese this was. The character designs and scenario as well as the world-building are all completely Eastern. Not a single American element is present in the film.

Impact

I’ll delve more into deeper themes in the next category, but this film did leave a major impact.

It is important to note this film is of a dying breed—the hand-drawn animated film. Even as far back as 2002, hand-drawn animation was not selling anymore. Two years after the American release of this film, Disney shut down the 2D department. Spirited Away was in many ways a last hurrah for 2D animated films. To have a film in this medium win the Oscar was an important coup for the animation industry.

This film brings out the best in hand-drawn animation. Every scene was meticulously crafted, and Miyazaki himself was actually down there drawing with the rest of them. Miyazaki wanted this to be his big comeback film after initially retiring during production of Princess Mononoke, and come back he did with a film tackling similar themes in a completely different way.

The dub was in partnership with Disney. It is a decent dub as far as they go. Watch it in the original Japanese if you can. This film also kept the partnership going so we could get more great films dubbed by this partnership for years to come.

Anything Else of Note?

I honestly think this is a film that warrants in-depth, shot-for-shot analysis. There are so many hidden clues and so much story, it is almost impossible to soak it all in.

Many people who analyze this film look at the coming-of-age aspect. While that is a major part of it, I want to address the theme of identity.

To me, this is the take-home point of the film. The main idea is the theme of preserving and finding one’s identity. Chihiro at the start has only her parents guiding her. She is too young to have realized a distinct identity. When they turn into pigs, she starts to vanish, indicating her source of identity is leaving. Eventually, she is forced to sign away her identity to Yubaba, who bestows upon her a different one. Only after working for Yubaba and eventually gaining her trust does she earn her identity and keep it.

Haku keeps Chihiro alive and even protects her original name, but he too struggles with his identity. His river has been filled up and turned into a city district. His dragon form is all but forgotten. He too must slave away and find his own identity in the bathhouse. And it is Chihiro who guides him back to that lost identity just as Haku did to her.

So there you have it. To me, this film is about overcoming an identity crisis and maintaining your own personal identity.

The Japanese title for this film is Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi. Roughly translated, it becomes Sen: or, the Mysterious Disappearance of Chihiro. The themes of identity radiate even stronger in the original. For instance, both names bestowed on our protagonist are present. It also says Chihiro “disappeared”, or sold herself to Yubaba. The whole crux of the film is buying herself back!

There are also ideas of nature and balance of Shinto faith, and like Bambi, allegories of man’s relationship to nature, but other people have gone there before, and I got something a little different from the film.

Why WOULDN’T it be that Good?

Surprisingly, I don’t have much for this segment.

This part of Really that Good? Is supposed to expose flaws in a film’s execution. But I actually couldn’t find that much objectively wrong with this particular film. I don’t feel like nitpicking small details or errors in the dubbing, because to me, those are trivial when considering the overall quality of this film. Confused Matthew talked about how he didn’t buy the “spoiled girl becomes less spoiled” arc due to Chihiro’s portrayal, but he completely missed the point.

I suppose I always had some problem with the ending. It seems Chihiro passes the test too easily. Does this go with Zeniba’s talk of how you never really forget a person? That doesn’t really go with what we saw from the rest of the movie, where Chihiro was struggling to identify the pigs. I can let it slide though, because at least there was a little foreshadowing, if not a whole lot.

The main problem I guess I have is how Haku seems to vanish from the story. I kinda wanted him to be present at the end, so Chihiro didn’t forget her spirit guide completely. And yes—Miyazaki confirmed Chihiro learns from her experience, but mostly forgot the experience itself. But again, this is nitpicking and does not detract from the film at large.

But otherwise, this film delivers on all fronts. The only flaws I can find are minor and overridden by everything right the film does.

Conclusion

It’s great to see how for once, the Oscars DID get it right. Not to say the other winners in the Animated Feature category weren’t worthy, but this film, in what was a very strong year for animation as a whole, was the best choice. And the mere fact the Oscars gave it to a foreign film outside of the Foreign Language category—something they still have yet to do for Best Picture—is a crowning achievement as well.

There’s a little bit of something for everyone in Spirited Away. There is action, horror, philosophy, and great artwork to tie it all together. Its story is easy to follow despite all the heavy themes. For that guy you know who thinks anime is too convoluted and exaggerated, maybe this film will convince him otherwise.

Spirited Away is THE modern fairy tale. It is a tale to be cherished for generations of animation fans. It breaks cultural and age boundaries and can be appreciated on multiple levels of storytelling. It deftly defies convention and makes for a timeless classic. Even as an Ugly American, I can say…Spirited Away is Really that Good!
I was struggling to find a film to do this month. There will be others coming, but I really wanted to talk about this film for awhile.


Not ALL the films I cover here will be animated. There just happened to be a few on my shortlist.
© 2016 - 2024 The-Doctor-W
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jpbelow's avatar
Excellently written!

Here are three additional pieces of trivia for you about this movie:
-Chihiro is played by the same actress who plays Lilo in "Lilo and Stitch"
-Haku and Ubaba are played by the same actor/actress for Kovu and Zira in "The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride".
-Miyazaki said that this was also a commentary on prostitution issues going on in Japan at the time.

Something else that I see in the film is the commentary regarding NoFace. Miyazaki said the character was a self portrayal about his own insecurities and uncertainties in the world. All the people in the bathhouse regard him as a monster, but are greedily willing to indulge him to the point of him getting hideously fat, in exchange for his gold. Plus, in spit of the fact that they are all resentful towards Chihiro and treating her like a pest to their business, it turns out her childhood purity is the only thing that speaks through his worsening state and makes him better.

This may be Miyazaki's finest work, and I can see why it is regarded as such. But my personal favorites are "Castle in the Sky" and "Naussica".

BTW, if you want to see hand-drawn feature animation make a full come back in the states, go and support the people who are making "Hullabaloo"-it's supposed to start as an online series and gradually get popular enough for a movie.