Be 'Spirited Away' With Studio Ghibli

Miyazaki's Animated Masterpiece Takes Audiences To Another World

Jul 29, 2008

With heavenly animation, an imaginative cast, a beautiful score, and an inspirational story of friendship, determination, and love, 'Spirited Away' is a must for all.

Forced to move home and school when her father gets a new job, ten-year-old Chihiro is obstinately determined to resist the changes she faces. However, after a wrong turn takes the young girl and her family to a seemingly abandoned theme park, Chihiro's perceptions change forever when a spell transforms her parents into pigs and traps her in the spirit world.

In order to break the spell, free her parents and return to the real world, Chihiro must work in a bath house for gods and demons whilst figuring out how to win over the sorceress Yubaba, with the help of a mysterious spirit named Haku.

Every last scene in Spirited Away is loving drawn to absolute perfection, with no details spared; in the spirit world, light and shadow is painstakingly animated to add to the richness of the splendid locations, and bold, vibrant colours add to the majesty of the magical landscapes.

The sheer joy, drama, and desperation of the story are incredibly brought to life with a range of fantastical characters, from talking frogs and soot gremlins, to radish spirits and river gods; each one has been carefully created to move, act and express themselves in a way which brings unusual concept into an odd sense of realism.

With her natural kindness and selflessness, Chihiro makes a number of friends during the course of the film, like the grandfatherly boiler man and even a spirit-eating monster. And though it might seem trite, when watching you cannot help but be caught up in the story and sympathise with the girl's struggle and feel her silent need for friendship.

This is partly due to the talents of the voice actors (among which is the distinctive voice of Susan Egan, Disney's Hercules' Meg) bringing expression and feeling to the characters, but also down to the outstanding musical score; the tempo of the music rises and falls with simplicity and ease, perfectly matching the mood of the scenes and giving Miyazaki's Spirited Away an engaging depth.

Favourite Themes

The themes of the film are those to which any audience can relate, making Chihiro's adventures even more accessible; encompassed in the main theme of a journey through maturity are almost favourite fairytale-like ideas of compassion overcoming material greed, love conquerin obstacles and friendship bringing out the best in people. With such familiar themes governing the plot, audiences are bound to feel an affinity with the movie.

So for those looking a new, extremely unusual take on classic ideas, accompanied with stunning visual effects and a memorable soundtrack, Spirited Away is a sure winner with anyone.

The copyright of the article Be 'Spirited Away' With Studio Ghibli in Anime is owned by Richard Jan Vale. Permission to republish Be 'Spirited Away' With Studio Ghibli in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.