About SPIRITED AWAY

written for Asian Cinema


I was first introduced to Hayao Miyazaki when I was 16 when Princess Mononoke was released in theaters here in America. My friend and I went to the small “indie” theater in Winston Salem, North Point 5, and were both enchanted by Miyazaki’s brilliant story telling, character development, and of course the wonderful animation. Princess Mononoke is still one of my favorite movies, over ten years later.

In 2002, when Spirited Away came out, thanks to John Lasseter’s influence on Disney obtaining the American release rights, I was very excited, and thankful for Lasseter. I wasn’t so sure how I felt about Disney’s involvement, though. I was worried about how the film might be cut for time, or if the dubbing would be terrible. Thankfully, Disney not only left the film intact, nor do a bad job of casting the English dub, but they also released a limited run of the movie with its original Japanese soundtrack. I was lucky enough to be in a town that screened that version.

Along with Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away is one of those movies I can watch once a year or so and still get something out of it; whether the themes still resonate, the animation still impresses, or the emotions affect me similarly or differently, the film has remained fresh, I’ve never gotten tired of it.

Spirited Away is a children’s fairy tale in the vain of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, but make no mistake, the film is very Japanese. However culturally specific the film is, though, the themes and the messages, are universal: obtaining maturity, yet retaining one’s identity (Chihiro’s struggle to remember her real name); honoring one’s parents, even while becoming an adult as well (Chihiro’s fight to get her parents back); the importance of honoring and respecting traditions and methods (Chihiro must go through the proper channels and steps in order to obtain a job in the bath house, and then excels at said job); the precarious balance between nature and modern civilization (the stink-god who turns out to be a polluted river-god is Miyazaki’s typical pollution message); the dangers of greed and gluttony (Chihiro’s parents literally become imprisoned in their gluttony); and of course, love – friendly, familial, and romantic – and how we should all treat each other with love.

The message of retaining your identity as you grow older, holding on to who you are as an individual, is particularly interesting and rather surprising coming from a Japanese story. In a culture that for centuries impressed the idea of falling in line with one’s leader, accepting what’s been dealt, or simply being one among the many, the idea of individualism is clearly a very Western influence. However, Spirited Away never tells the audience that the individual is best, or that children should rebel against parental authority; rather, the message is that even when honoring your parents, or obeying authority, you should never forget that you are a person with a soul (a spirit?), not a number, or a tool, or a device, or an insect. Furthermore, if the authority places you and/or your loved ones in danger, the authority should be questioned and challenged, with respect and love, rather than with animosity.

It’s a big deal when Chihiro challenges Yubaba by leaving to visit Zeniba, then returning to face her. Such a challenge and disrespect to one’s superior could have resulted in death in the old days; yet, Chihiro faces Yubaba as an adult with confidence and respect, and Yubaba has no choice but to honor her own rules. And by doing this, Chihiro establishes her maturity, preserves her relationship with her parents and retains her identity.

I could definitely go further about this specific message, and indeed the other themes I listed early on, but I’ll leave that for a later exercise. Regardless, Spirited Away lends itself to such discussion thanks to Hayao Miyazaki’s profound script, full of rich and enchanting characters, exciting situations, and universally significant themes and messages.