Spirited Away

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

2001

*****

2001's Spirited Away was Studio Ghibli's big one. They had a huge following already but Hayao Miyazaki's fifth feature animation with the studio was the one that made them a household name and the film went on to win countless awards, including the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and an Oscar for best animated film at the 75th Academy Awards. By this point Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli were in high demand, Disney paid for 10% of the production cost just to secure first refusal for the international distribution rights. It is certainly one of their greatest films, although it covers similar themes to some of the studio's older films. There are elements of Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and Pinocchio (with an Orwellian 1984 twist) but the story really is 100% from the mind of Miyazaki. Inspired by holidays spent with friends who had teenage daughters, Miyazaki would spend time with the girls and realized they had no good role models. He would read the teen magazines that they would leave behind in their guest house and become frustrated that the girl's lives were essentially dictated to them, unlike boys who were encouraged to explore and push themselves. Miyazaki had made films for children before but not specifically for 10-14 year old girls and he decided he wanted to make a positive film just for them. Each character in the film can said to resemble a different aspect of society and something one encounters in youth. Chihiro, a young 10 year old girl and the film's main character, is on a journey of self-discovery. It is a fantasy adventure on the outside but this is really about the rights of passage and coming of age of young girls. Miyazaki is reaching out to these girls and giving them an alternative viewpoint in life. This has had a huge impact, with Japanese girls now adopting a range of various popular alternatives, I can't help but think Miyazaki is partly responsible for them now being a hugely creative global force. This has been hijacked somewhat but suffice to say, Spirited Away's magic has been hugely influential. The appeal isn't just met by teenage girls, the underlying message that you alone can make things happen - go out a do whatever it is you need to do, has been picked up by kids and adults around the world. I personally love the metaphor used in regards to Chihiro's parents. After they are trapped in a spirit world, her parents turn into pigs after scoffing loads of food - acting like pigs. Chihiro then tries to find a way to get her parents changed back into humans, at least, that what it looks like on the face of it. The reality is that the film encourages the youth to not turn into their parents, to find their own paths. Again, the Studio/Miyazaki manage to project these messages, through loud and colourful fantasy, with the greatest of subtlety. Sublime animation, rightly regarded as one of the best ever made.