Spirited Away (2001)
"During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts."
- IMDB
I have mentioned Spirited Away before, but now it's time to deep dive and talk about everything that makes it one of my favorite films of all time.
The Music
The music. Nothing more can be said about the music other than it is perfection. This soundtrack is what made me want to play piano (haven't really gotten too far but it’s still a goal of mine). Nothing is as emotional as the orchestral version of Always With Me. There’s no song more haunting and melancholier as the 6th Stop theme. And there’s nothing that hits me more than One Summer's Day. All masterpieces. This is literally the best soundtrack Ghibli has every released.
Chihiro
I love Chihiro and resonate with her very much. This girl was able to find such bravery and strength within her in such an unfamiliar world and I admire that. We may not always fall down a rabbit hole into a realm of spirits and witches, but we all go through life changes. We all have to face scary situations, even if it’s something as simple as change. We all have moments where we are Chihiro in some way, we gotta do what we gotta do. Her ability to make unusual friends and selflessly help those she loves is also so admirable. She was willing to fall deeper into this scary world and throw herself in harm's way just to help Haku, her parents, and friends.
The Statue
The frog statue that stands by the entrance to the "theme park" is so significant to me. I first saw the film as a kid on Cartoon Network. Many many years would pass before I would see it again, but that frog statue would be a recurring image in my dreams through the rest of my childhood. The film obviously stuck with me as a kid. Then finding the film again as a teenager, I realized just how important the film truly is to me. As I've said, I resonate with Chihiro. Her story and the story of her friends have always been there for me though all the different phases of my life.
The Theme Park
There is so much symbolism throughout this movie. I'm sure more talented writers can describe it better than I can. The restaurant and the pig curse can represent consumerism. People just take and take and take. The bath house is a place of slavery. I've definitely read extensive tumblr posts on this. There's dark Japanese lore relating to bath houses and some people believe it's represented here.
Also, on another note. I've seen vlogs of people visiting these so called theme parks. Abandoned theme parks are literally a thing in Japan and I'd love to visit one some day. Is that even allowed?
The Bridge
Shifting form day to night, the spirits became visible and arrived in the ferry. That scene is always so cool to me. I've always tried the theorize what the bridge truly represented. The passage of time? The true border between our world and the spirit world? There something about this bridge though. Why did holding her breath hide Chihiro from the spirits?
Haku
That boy. He kinda hawt. Just saying, Chihiro has a crush on the right spirit. I totally ship them.
It was definitely fate that lead Haku to find her on the bridge. From that moment that little connection form their past slowly started to develop into love. Haku had this innate protectiveness, which really contradicted Lin's rumors about him being an untrustworthy snake. He was under some sort of slavery spell from Yubaba, which makes his relationship with Chihiro that much more important if helping her was what started his breaking free of the spell.
Haku always seems to be the one helping her, her own guardian angel, whether the past or the present. When Haku was the one in danger, it was her turn to help him. They were the heart of that whole final act of the film. I don’t know what gets me more. Haku saying “and I remember your little pink shoe” or Chihiro saying “I knew you were good" That whole scene tugs at your heart strings. It's perfect.
And his dragon form...... so freaking cool.
The Bath House
Now we're in the Bath House meeting and seeing all these strange creatures. Kumanji. Yubaba. Lin. The Radish Spirit. The little ducklings. The frogs. Every spirit and their design enhances what is already the amazing Japanese aesthetic. I love the design of both the House and the spirits. I feel a bit immersed with the music. And there's just an overall fascination as Chihiro walks around for the first time.
The Dumplings
Chihiro eating dumplings while sobbing. We've all been there..... right? Or just me?
But seriously. While Chihiro is our brave little hero protagonist. She is still vulnerable and shows that even a strong, brave individual like herself needs moments to let out emotion. It's okay to cry. And yes, she's a child, but this applies to all ages. We all have emotion. Don't bottle it up. And maybe be the Haku in someone else's emotional breakdown from time to time. Feed your sad loved ones dumplings and embrace them as they eat their feelings. That's true friendship right there.
The River Spirit
We all know Miyazaki loves to let you know that the moral of the story is "be kind to nature." The Kohaku River was destroyed to make apartments and it's spirit was then forced into slavery. That river spirit came in with all it's waste and litter, and Chihiro had to purify it. Respect nature. If you don't, Ghibili studios will just keep making movies as to why you should.
Greed
Greed seems to be a present theme in the story. It seems represnted when the parents turn into pigs. It's definitely represented when No Face presents gold and the all the workers slave ovver it. Even Lin, who just always felt different from all others in the bathhouse, succumbed to the excitement and prospect of receiving gold from this mysterious spirit.
When Chihiro is offered the same rewards, she turns down No Face's offer. She at that point focused on helping Haku and the gold has no way of helping her. Chihiro once again stands out as the only human in tha bath house. None of the others have anything else, so this gold is all they have. The concept of greed kind of leaks into some sort of philosophy on what it is to be human.
Does any of this make sense or am I just rambling at this point?
No Face
Who is No Face? What is No Face? Why is No Face?
Is he just a lonely spirit or is there a deeper meaning? Why was he not allowed in the bath house until Chihiro left the door open for him? Why and how was he able to swallow someone and steal their voice? And what even is his digestion system?
No Face is an icon character in Spirited Away and is often a huge literal leading face in merch, fan art, and tattoos. But do we even really understand him? Is the fact that we don't understand him the whole point of the character?
The Baby
Who is the baby? What is the baby? Why is the baby?
What does he represent? What does he want? Lol. Honestly prefer him as the mouse. Besides, we ended up getting this hilarious scene:
The Spirit Train
Chihiro’s trip to the 6th stop was so magical but in a haunting way. There aren't a wide variety of spirit types on this train. They’re all shadowy humans. I always ponder on what they are and where they’re going as Chihiro sits quietly through the journey. Do spirits travel regularly or is there a final destination? Why would someone like Kumanji have tickets to hold on to?
The song is so peaceful and melancholy. It makes the whole scene beautiful and memorable. The image of that one shadow girl standing alone on a platform always sits clearly in my mind. The shot of Chihiro sitting next to No Face is iconic. The way the water has flooded the tracks, making the train look like it's floating on water, just adds to the mystique of the scene. I've also wondered if every stop in the real world or are they in their own pocket dimension or something?
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Friendship
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Can we talk about the cute hopping lamp post??? This movie is so magical. Anyways.
Spirited Away has such a strong theme about love, not just through Chihiro and Haku, but the friendships Chihiro makes along her journey - these friendships literally manifested into a magical hair tie. Again, this is what made Chihiro so human. She showed compassion and other spirits admired that about her. As Chihiro faced challenges bravely on her own, she was also driven and helped by the friends she made along the way. This was something I've always resonated with as my friendships are equally important to me.
The Kohaku River
Let's talk about that scene.
There's really no analysis needed. It is just a simply beautiful scene. Haku's curse is broken. He knows his name. He remembers saving Chihiro. "I knew you were good!" How could this not make you emotional. The MUSIC! Everything about this scene! This is the moment you wait for all movie. And I know we all ship it.
The End
Goodbyes are so hard. I've moved a couple times. Went form one phase of life to another. We're all just constantly saying goodbye to people and sometimes it's hard. But Chihiro does not look back. She only moves forward, as we all should. But with that glisten of her magical friendship hair tie, it's a reminder that know matter where we go, the ones we love never are always with us. That gives us strength and I resonate with this concept very much.
One thing I want to point out is One Summer's Day plays at the start and end of the film, and it has a different meaning both times. In the beginning it was the theme of a girl who who was entering a new phase of life in a coming of age sort of way. In the end, it was a nostalgic theme in remembrance to the adventure she had the friendships she made. The credits role and the song, Always With Me, plays and I get emotional every time. A true masterpiece. And I always want to start over.
This is one of my most favorite films of all time. This is Ghibli’s Alice in Wonderland in the best way possible. This movie is magical, just like any classic Ghibli movie. The spirits of course play a part in this as their designs help create this unique fantasy world. The world design is so beautiful. Any screenshot of any location deserves to be painted and framed as fine art. But that can also be said of most Ghibli films too.
If you are having a Ghibli marathon, it’s a crime to not include Spirited Away. I highly recommend everyone to watch it. It’s such a pure experience and a classic work of art.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★