Since the beginning of Western animation, few people have considered it more than "children's material", and thus paid little attention to the powerful messages entailed in such works. When Japanese animation, the so-called anime, came to the West, the same way of thinking was applied to them, something that often had disastrous consequences, with anime deemed too violent for children - which, they were, but not all animation is destined for the young ones - being censored, France especially having a history of edited Japanese animation programmes during the 80's. What "Spirited away" succeeded in doing was change the mindest of thousands regarding anime. That it won the Oscar of Best Animated Feature shows it all. Where does its charm lie? Why did it win such a prestigious award, coming from a country of which the animation tradition wasn't deemed but for children at the time? The answer is hidden in its special character, that makes it simply unforgettable.
Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl, spoiled and sullen from head to toe, moves with her parents from their old city to a new one. Knowing that she has left her friends and happy past forever, she can't bear the thought of moving. When the family stops travelling to rest, they discover what seems like an abandoned amusement park, and, strangely, find food inside. The parents, hungry from their long journey, start devouring it, and Chihiro, frightened, sees them turn into pigs. Now, she has no choice but to help them become humans again. As if by luck, a young boy, Haku, is willing to assist her, and tells her to go find Kanji, a spider-like creature searching for workers. So starts Chihiro's journey in the land of spirits, in which everything one knows about life is turned upside down, and where only obedience saves humans from turning into beasts.
When she first discovers this land, Chihiro sees that she has no substance, like a ghost. Only through Haku's help does she keep her real look. He is like a friend to her. Until they reach a business resembling a spa, in which the citizens of this strange world work, with an old, terrifying creature named Yubaba as their boss. It turns out that Haku is her apprentice, and he can't be friends with a worker like Chihiro. This is the first shock that the little girl receives. The environment of the business is completely hostile to her, and, there, she has no special identity. She is just one of the many creatures working there. Only the fact of her being a human differentiates her from the others. Her name is changed, so that her old memories will go away. The name, the fundamental characteristic of personal identity, is taken away from a person having no other way to remember her now-lost previous life. This is another shock, actually preceding the first one, although they could be interpreted as one. Her friend is no longer one such, and Chihiro herself, now called Sen, ia no longer herself. What she knew about human relationships is lost, since the others address her with a name that doesn't mean anything to her, and the person knowing who she was now is her superior.
Like a modern Alice in Wonderland, Chihiro is now trapped in a world where every sense of logic is lost, where spirits dominante humans, where animals rule their former oppressors. Spirits, once worshipped as deities, now are the real bosses of humans, determining their fate, if they will survive in this irrational universe. It is this reverted situation that makes the film interesting. What if animals dominated humans, is only one of the questions the film asks.
The most important one is a question concerning love. Can love survive in such a world, where everyone thinks for themselves, wanting to win the appreciation of Yubaba? Can Haku transform into his older self through Chihiro's care? Miyazaki masterfully showed that through the two characters' relationship, which culminates in a dreamy climax, making even the most unconvinced of viewers shed a little tear.
Money rules the spirit world. It being a business, the citizens only care about rich customers, who seem to search for affection rather than services. One of them No Face, a huge black ghost, demonstrates this attitude by stating to eat his caretakers. Chihiro, with her pure love for others, regardless of their wealth, will be the only one who can cure the violent tendencies of his. Knowing that her parents were turned into pigs due to their greed, she does everything she can in order to show Yubaba that she doesn't only have money and relaxation in mind. She is human, both in her body and in her heart. This is a message all the more traditional.
The animation of "Spirited away" is also traditional in character. Hand-drawn by Miyazaki himself, it feels more resonant than the computer animation used by American studios. It transports one to more innocent times, feeling child-like in its colorful, innocent, computer-less nature. It was the way a child would look at the world, amazed by everything they catch a glimpse of. The already impressive spirit world becomes something unimaginable through the animation.
With "Spirited away", we all become like Chihiros: impressionable, youthful, careless, fascinated by things the grown-up mind finds banal, like talking animals and bright colours. We try helping Chihiro find her parents and home, while thinking about our own. We see her love, wishing that we were at her place. We shed tears for her dear ones' death, even if we haven't experienced such a thing ourselves. This is what a good film does. I think now you understand that animation is not only for children. It is sometimes more adult than adults themselves.
Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl, spoiled and sullen from head to toe, moves with her parents from their old city to a new one. Knowing that she has left her friends and happy past forever, she can't bear the thought of moving. When the family stops travelling to rest, they discover what seems like an abandoned amusement park, and, strangely, find food inside. The parents, hungry from their long journey, start devouring it, and Chihiro, frightened, sees them turn into pigs. Now, she has no choice but to help them become humans again. As if by luck, a young boy, Haku, is willing to assist her, and tells her to go find Kanji, a spider-like creature searching for workers. So starts Chihiro's journey in the land of spirits, in which everything one knows about life is turned upside down, and where only obedience saves humans from turning into beasts.
When she first discovers this land, Chihiro sees that she has no substance, like a ghost. Only through Haku's help does she keep her real look. He is like a friend to her. Until they reach a business resembling a spa, in which the citizens of this strange world work, with an old, terrifying creature named Yubaba as their boss. It turns out that Haku is her apprentice, and he can't be friends with a worker like Chihiro. This is the first shock that the little girl receives. The environment of the business is completely hostile to her, and, there, she has no special identity. She is just one of the many creatures working there. Only the fact of her being a human differentiates her from the others. Her name is changed, so that her old memories will go away. The name, the fundamental characteristic of personal identity, is taken away from a person having no other way to remember her now-lost previous life. This is another shock, actually preceding the first one, although they could be interpreted as one. Her friend is no longer one such, and Chihiro herself, now called Sen, ia no longer herself. What she knew about human relationships is lost, since the others address her with a name that doesn't mean anything to her, and the person knowing who she was now is her superior.
Like a modern Alice in Wonderland, Chihiro is now trapped in a world where every sense of logic is lost, where spirits dominante humans, where animals rule their former oppressors. Spirits, once worshipped as deities, now are the real bosses of humans, determining their fate, if they will survive in this irrational universe. It is this reverted situation that makes the film interesting. What if animals dominated humans, is only one of the questions the film asks.
The most important one is a question concerning love. Can love survive in such a world, where everyone thinks for themselves, wanting to win the appreciation of Yubaba? Can Haku transform into his older self through Chihiro's care? Miyazaki masterfully showed that through the two characters' relationship, which culminates in a dreamy climax, making even the most unconvinced of viewers shed a little tear.
Money rules the spirit world. It being a business, the citizens only care about rich customers, who seem to search for affection rather than services. One of them No Face, a huge black ghost, demonstrates this attitude by stating to eat his caretakers. Chihiro, with her pure love for others, regardless of their wealth, will be the only one who can cure the violent tendencies of his. Knowing that her parents were turned into pigs due to their greed, she does everything she can in order to show Yubaba that she doesn't only have money and relaxation in mind. She is human, both in her body and in her heart. This is a message all the more traditional.
The animation of "Spirited away" is also traditional in character. Hand-drawn by Miyazaki himself, it feels more resonant than the computer animation used by American studios. It transports one to more innocent times, feeling child-like in its colorful, innocent, computer-less nature. It was the way a child would look at the world, amazed by everything they catch a glimpse of. The already impressive spirit world becomes something unimaginable through the animation.
With "Spirited away", we all become like Chihiros: impressionable, youthful, careless, fascinated by things the grown-up mind finds banal, like talking animals and bright colours. We try helping Chihiro find her parents and home, while thinking about our own. We see her love, wishing that we were at her place. We shed tears for her dear ones' death, even if we haven't experienced such a thing ourselves. This is what a good film does. I think now you understand that animation is not only for children. It is sometimes more adult than adults themselves.