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Spirited Away - Anime Review

October 1st 2006 04:08
Spirited Away - Anime Review











Information:






Title: Spirited Away
Category: Movie
Total Episodes: 1
Genres: Family, Fantasy
Year Published: 2001
Studio: Studio Ghibli
US Distribution: Disney


Synopsis:



Spirited Away is a fantasy adventure with a ten year-old girl, which starts in everyday Japan but goes somewhere very different. For young Chihiro and her family, a mysterious tunnel and haunted town lead to the Land of Spirits, inhabited by gods and monsters and ruled by the greedy witch Yu-baba. Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs; to rescue them, she must surrender her name and serve in this world. Luckily she finds friends and allies, including the handsome but mysterious boy Haku. Initially sulky and listless, Chihiro (or Sen, as she's now called) finds inner strengths and establishes an identity in this strange world. But can she win back her name and return home?



Anime Review

Spirited Away is film by the Walt Disney of Japan Hayao Miyazaki, and it is the biggest selling movie in Japanese history, and could also be the movie to make Western audiences sit up and take notice of Japanese animation. With the film winning best animated feature at the 2003 Oscars, and Miyazaki's back catalogue gradually getting released in the year 2004 we could be in store for anime being just as acceptable as the slew of 3D western animated features that are supposedly killing the traditional hand drawn efforts.

Spirited Away centres on our protagonist Chihiro, a young girl that gets trapped in an abandoned theme park that is populated by all kinds of spirits. In this strange and often confusing world she must find the courage to fit in whilst also finding her parents and a way out of the amusement park. Along her journey she is aided by a myriad of different characters, but most noticeably she is helped by a boy by the name of Haku who she falls in love with.

Like many of Miyazaki's movies the themes that he is trying to tackle are not always as clear cut as other directors and he rarely imparts a strong moral message upon the audience. However there are themes to be found in Spirited Away such as the obvious (love) but also the ability for a person to strive in utter adversity and to become accepted in a world that is completely foreign to their own. Whilst these themes appear cheap and corny on paper, Miyazaki's delicate direction never makes the film feel exploitative or obvious.

One reason for the film not appearing obvious is the fact that Chihiro's world is populated with some of the oddest characters you are likely to see. As the world is full of spirits Miyazaki has let his imagination run wild, filling the screen with spirits off all different shapes and sizes. Some spirits may only be a rolling green head, whilst others are large monsters constructed of dirt. I first viewed this film with someone that was not accustomed to Miyazaki's unique vision and they did struggle to get over the different types of spirits that bombarded the screen, however she soon became use to the characters and their apparent bizarreness soon dissipates as you begin to immerse yourself in their kaleidoscopic world.

Spirited Away features a few spirits from earlier Miyazaki films, such as the dust bunnies that were first brought to life in My Neighbor Totoro. This is a nice touch and a welcome treat for fans of his earlier work. There appears to be a far darker edge to the spirits in this film compared to his other movies. Especially at the beginning the spirits are treated with fear and uncertainty, this is in stark contrast to most of his other films where spirits are respected. This darker tone however is perfect in encapsulating the uncertainty that Chihiro feels early on in the movie.

Many comparisons have been made to Alice in Wonderland and with good reason. The introduction of a young girl trapped in a strange world populated by alien creatures is exactly the same as Alice in Wonderland, however there is a Japanese twist to Spirited Away which means the oddness and great characterisation is increased tenfold.

As stated earlier, Chihiro's character develops from a meek and uncertain child into a strong willed and accepted girl. Some comparisons could be made to the changing behaviours that occur through adolescence but perhaps I am reading too much into the subtext. The way in which the narrative deals with Chihiro's growth is by her character completing tasks in the spirit bath house where she works. These tasks challenge her to confront fears and to quite literally do the crap jobs other workers will not. It is a nice way for her character to develop and again it is a subtle way for Miyazaki to convey the message that hard work has its rewards.

Without giving too much away, the ending of Spirited Away shares many similarities with Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke and is another example of how he has shunned the typical, sugar coated endings that seem to populate most family animated movies. Some people may not be wholly satisfied with the ending, but I found it refreshing and much more realistic (well as realistic as a world full of spirits could be).

You come to expect fantastic visuals from Studio Ghibli and Spirited Away does not disappoint. The unique and vibrant spirits fill the screen with colour and the bath house is rich in texture and detail that on a purely aesthetic level is a marvel. Studio Ghibli are beginning to use computers more and more in their animations and there are a number of key sequences in Spirited Away that are greatly enhanced by the flexibility that a computer can bring.


The music is composed by the regular Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi (he has worked on nearly all Miyazaki's major films). The score is typical Studio Ghibli with an eclectic mix of styles that are the perfect companion to the onscreen images.


The most important thing to say is that it is good, very good. I cannot imagine why anyone would not want to see this film. As for any Ghibli movie it has a superb sense of story, atmosphere and character. Beautifully conceived, painstakingly designed and superb animation to make it come to life. A good mix of action, character moments and a strong story arc and firm pacing to make it all hang together. Face it, these guys know how to make great films.

It is not Miyazaki's best movie, but it is certainly up there.


Grade: B - Not Studio Ghibli's best work, but it is ten times better then a Studio Pixar film.
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1 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

October 1st 2006 05:23
I could not agree more.
It is a great film with brilliant animations and depth of character.
I love it and my kids love it.

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