Spirited Away is a movie by Hayao Miyazaki. This animation film is based on a manga of the same name. It has been released in 2002 and gained international success, earning numerous awards and nominations, including an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The plot revolves around a 10-year-old girl named Chihiro who moves to a new town with her parents.
The movie won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film is set in a world where humans are spirits and must protect themselves from shape-shifting demons called Yōkai.
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Spirited Away Explanations
Chihiro is a kind and polite girl, who has bright blue eyes. She happens to be taken away from her normal life into another world as she meets with spirits or “Yōkai”. The plot begins when Chihiro’s family finds themselves unable to pay their rent in the new town that they moved in because of money being tight. While searching for jobs, Chihiro’s father discovers he was hired at Kamaji ‘s Convenience Store by Oun.
He is a kind old man with an array of ties, which he passes around to people (such as money or bandages). Suddenly Chihiro’s father gets attacked by Nago the Gatekeeper, and her mother runs after them because she had been looking for them all along. In their quest for revenge to strike at Kamaji and find out who dared ruin his business so badly in retaliation for him giving Chihiro’s father some of his ties, they are stuck into a mysterious realm.
The reason why this place exists is because Mud Faced Man (Giraffe) has come close to living forever and he needed more bodies in order for that; when it came to the kids of Kamaji Convenience Store – people who were full with lies and trickery along with malice – they fitted so well.
The Twist
They visited their home but almost didn’t make it out alive. Chihiro’s parents are able to make it through with her help, as well as some other people who were living in Kamaji’s home (such as the mother of Trunk Woman, who is also Nago).
After being trapped inside this world for a good amount of time has passed by now due to no one ever going into the Other World on purpose – until they get lost and endup in their home town. Now with the world up to something bad, and people looking for answers, it’s up to Chihiro’s parents’ relief as well as Oun himself who is trying to find his link – or connection (as he says) being a human and Yōkai because of so many humans disappearing from Kamaji’s store during Sukiyaki dinner on Saturdays. Through things that you will see within thismovie (such as a dead dad running around with Nago the Gatekeeper) Chihiro’s parents end up finding out who is after their family, which is based upon Oun.
After catching him flagging down cars on purpose and knocking people while they are sleeping – something that totally blindsided them because of how this movie starts until it only shows what happened to so many other “fortunate” humans in Kamaji’s store .
After Chihiro’s parents leave to try and save the people at Yōkai Mountain, they will forever find out that their family life is currently being watched over with cameras as well such as a car bumper cam (where you see how Oun would flag down others’ cars beforehand) along with on-board camera recordings. They now know why if someone were to be stuck in the Other World then no humans could enter without them.
Spirited Away Ending
Spirited Away’s ending is a unique case in anime because it does not follow the traditional rules of an ending. The film opens with Chihiro waking up from her nightmare and finding herself still in the bathhouse. However, she quickly as she is never addressed by name. She exits the bathhouse as Oun’s voice can be heard again but only for three seconds when he says: “I have to go.”
Then a storm clouds over, it rains hard and mist rises from the ground surrounding her like smoke in a traditional ghost story ending. Then we get back to Mitsuku and Gengu who are about to eat lunch together without Chihiro eating with them at all. When done correctly, a film like Spirited Away should have left the viewers feeling not just entertained but also deeply moved. That said the reason why some consider it one of Daisuke Nishio’s greatest works is that he does leave us with much to be grateful for whilst at the same time addressing our darker sides and needless suffering or poverty from being born into such harsh conditions.
Another way I would rate this work as personally held close to my heart is because of its superb soundtrack. I shall talk a little more about this in the sound section but if you are working on watching or have already seen Spirited Away, then please take your time and listen to all 32 tracks.
Why You Should Watch Spirited Away
I would argue that anyone who has seen Spirited Away should definitely rewatch the film. This is in part due to the storyline but also because we all have those special memories of being taken by a beloved one or even mundane things like our first love, better known as your childhood sweetheart wherever you are from (on this issue I refer to my previous article by TheWriter90 on why teenagers still fall in and out of love).
- This ending is one that actually pulls our heart strings and while initially it left many fans disappointed they now appreciate what he tried to achieve here, which was bring home a film with few words (only three in total) on such an emotionally charged subject matter after leaving us feeling completely pleased by its conclusion.
- There are many other reasons why I believe Spirited Away should be watched again but here is the first one: Spirited Away is a film that is highly recommended to be watched more than once. There’s much in the movie which leaves you wanting more and just after discovering something new again, another detail speaks to a different part of why this work should be seen beyond its main plot: animation (differently from other works). Animated films are becoming unique because people like Spirited Away are making them appealing with their special effects but they can do so by creating comedy too , not just action.
- It is a work that tells us about the unique connection we share with animals, it’s hard for me to imagine Yubaba in an awkward position ever since she looks so comfortable having her arms wrapped around Chihiro or Sen stooping down and offering dinner to him when he is standing on his tippy toes trying not to be noticed by anybody .
- I think the reason why I’m so entertained by Yubaba is because she looks like nobody else but myself, or am I being strange here? But then it struck me: what if instead of animals we could talk to humans with only their voice and without having to resort on any other method? We would have them sitting down next to us instantly. Imagine that – a world full of people solely speaking words allowing those two points.
Final Thought
After all that being said, let’s return to the first main reason I recommended Spirited Away , what this film specializes in from the beginning. It makes use of a sophisticated style with never-ending changes in visual perspective top create an atmosphere where you get lost into Mochizuki‘s world and its emotions .
In my opinion no movie has created such a chaotic source for me until now but does it really compare to the work of Studio Ghibli ? Well, maybe in the animation field (mind you it made sense because Who Framed Roger Rabbit was released so much earlier), but in my opinion this film is no where near as imaginative artistry.
FAQ
What Does The Ending Of Spirited Away Mean?
You are the person directing a film, who gets to decide on what meaning you want it to have? The first answer is obvious but I can see so many people asking this question because of such an amazing ending. Personally for me being able thus far I’m not completely sure if Yobaba‘s last message was her passing down her wish as told in that story towards all those children from whom she stole them or does it.
What Is The Hidden Message Of Spirited Away?
How the attitudes of the characters and how they relate to one another affects their overall outlook on life. In a way it reflects that each person’s behavior is not based truly on an individual but instead, we just accentuate certain traits as who we want our self portrayed in a broader perspective. A good example is Yubaba which was originally kind towards children for reasons most people know about being selfish but through her summoning power she had so much.
What Is The Whole Point Of Spirited Away?
In a way it can be interpreted as the children of being held captive by Yubaba without releasing them. However this idea is not entirely correct because after they broke free, she still kept all their memories (most importantly Chihiro).
How Do You Feel About The Meaning Of Spirited Away?
I feel that the meaning of this film comes in lines with the themes. I believe each man and woman has different ideas on what they can do with their lives despite being trapped inside a place without even knowing it was there.
Do You Agree With Hayao Miyazaki’s Choice Of Ending For Spirited Away?
As much as I enjoy the pacing and timing of this film, I believe there were plenty of ways a happy ending could have been delivered. The meaning behind Yubaba’s speech is not at all what most people think it to be however her leaving Chihiro with those tears in her eyes would seem more like a reasonable explanation than something someone has resorted too who values acquisitiveness or wealth over everything else except for themselves.
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