Spirited Away — Hayao Miyazaki
A combination of inventiveness, poetry, danger, and fulfillment
Quick Summary
10-year-old Chihiro and her parents are riding along during a family outing through the countryside when they stumble across an amusement park that has seemingly been abandoned for years. Despite Chihiro’s premonitions about the creepy setting, her parents explore the area and eventually discover and indulge in an empty eatery filled with fresh food. As a result of their unfaithfulness, they are magically turned into pigs, which in turn scares away Chihiro.
She meets the enigmatic Haku, who explains to her that this land is actually a magical bath house, a kind of holiday resort, where supernatural beings seek comfort away from the earthly realm and she must work here, as laziness is not permitted, to free both herself and her parents from the mystical land.
My Thoughts
Spirited Away is a Japanese animated film considered to be Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece.
It’s easy to see why. But how can we talk about it without spoiling this magnificent film?
Miyazaki has succeeded in taking us on a thrilling and utterly breathtaking journey, combining inventiveness, poetry, danger and fulfillment.
The animation is very well done, the drawings very beautiful and the scenery breathtaking. In fact, the drawing style is quite distinctive, a blend of 2D and 3D that renders quite well. The music is perfect and lulls us throughout the film. The characters are endearing, especially Haku, a very intriguing character, and of course Chihiro, the 10-year-old girl of unbridled purity and innocence.
As well as offering an original and interesting story, this film is a critique of society. Without going into detail, several sins are exposed, and our consumer lifestyle and capitalism are denounced.
In short, this is a complete film that will transport you to another world for 2 hours and 05 minutes. I saw it when I was younger and didn’t necessarily appreciate it, because it can seem very strange when you’re young, but when you see it again later you realize what a masterpiece it is!
To Watch or Not to Watch?
As you can see, I loved this film. And I think you will too, so this is a film to see again and again!
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