A masterpiece known as Spirited Away...
(Miyazaki & Wise, 2001)
Many people may just call this another animated movie, but the depth of what this film portrays is beyond simple comprehension. Some would argue that this movie is one of the best in its genre. Spirited Away(“Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” ) tackles far harsher topics than a lot of modern-day live-action films. Arguably, I would say this movie connects with every single user; across generations and genders. Personally, this movie is a masterpiece and a giant milestone in the film industry." Magical is a word used casually about films like this, films about fantasy and childhood." Said by Peter Bradshaw (2003) from 'The Guardian'. This one sentence perfectly encapsulates the SPIRIT of the movie(Pun intended). Fantasy, adventure, challenges, and courage come to mind when I watched this film, and I've watched it a LOT of times. The biggest award this movie has earned, rightfully, is an 'Oscar for Best Animated Movie' in 2003, beating Ice Age, Treasure Planet, and Lilo and Stitch according to Kyodo(2003) of the JapanTimes.
This award was introduced by Steve Martin and accepted by Cameron Diaz at the Oscars (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxU6xN8o9r8). This recognition paved the way for Japanese animations to infiltrate Hollywood!
The main plot of the movie revolves around a Japanese girl named Chihiro. She and her parents are in the process of moving to a brand new town in Japan. Moving to a new location can be quite difficult for a young girl, and Chihiro, rightfully so, is resentful towards the move, as she will be leaving behind all she holds dear; her school, friends, etc. On the way to their new home, they come across a fork in the road where her dad takes a wrong turn, leading them to a red archway. This turn ends up being the most important part of the plot as it takes them to a village that is home to many spirits that came to relax, eat and enjoy the local bathhouse. Her parents, being hungry from the long trip, see the food at the restaurants.
Not knowing there was a consequence for eating the spirits food they proceed to consume it. This turns them into pigs as punishment for eating the spirits food. It's Chihiros job to save her parents and escape the village!
("Spirited Away GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY", 2018)
She embarks on her journey meeting up witches, dragons, and spirits. Her character defines what it is to be brave, adventurous and hopeful. The way she interacts with every single character in the film is absolutely brilliant. Some of my favourite interactions are between the main witch who owns the bathhouse(Yubaaba) and the protagonist. Despite being so scared of this new unforgiving world that she was pushed into she manages to tackle all the obstacles she comes across. Utter brilliance! If I tell you more it's basically spoiling the story.
(Dunn, 2018)
Spirited away was Japans HIGHEST grossing anime film worldwide, only recently has it been surpassed by Kimi no na wa("Your Name") according to an article published by Rafael Antonio Pineday of Anime News Network(2017). Due to this massive success, the movie was able to pave the way for more anime type films to burst into mainstream media. Anime has now become a large part of what people watch on a daily basis. On a personal note, Spirited away affected how I think on a day to day basis. It brought to light that every action you do matters. It taught me that courage has different ways of expression. At the end of the day, everything has a way of working out, you just have to fight through it. From a film aspect, Spirited Away taught me that in my future filmmaking projects I’m able to have a complex story whilst also having a young protagonist lead the way. It also brought into perspective how character development is expressed from a tragedy.
(Miyazaki & Wise, 2001)
References:
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Bradshaw, P. (2003, September 12). Spirited Away [Review of spirited away Https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/sep/12/spirited-away-review]. The Guardian, 1-1. Retrieved June 28, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/sep/12/spirited-away-review.
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Dunn, F. (2018). let yourself be spirited away by miyazaki this season. Retrieved from https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/vbevbx/let-yourself-be-spirited-away-by-miyazaki-this-season
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Japan Times, K. (2003, March 25). 'Spirited Away' bags Academy Award. Retrieved July 2, 2018, from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2003/03/25/national/spirited-away-bags-academy-award/#.WzoI6dIzZPY
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Miyazaki, H., Suzuki, T., & Madman Entertainment (Firm) (Directors). (2001). Spirited away [Motion picture on DVD]. Madman Entertainment.
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Pineda, R. A. (2017, January 17). Shinkai's 'your name.' Tops Spirited Away as Highest Grossing Anime Film Worldwide. Retrieved June 28, 2018, from https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-01-17/shinkai-your-name-tops-spirited-away-as-highest-grossing-anime-film-worldwide/.111141
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Spirited Away GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY. (2018). Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/spirited-away-gH9mxSocjS2oE