Spirited Away (2001)

Hayao Miyazaki is a name I have heard mentioned constantly when it comes to great animation, as well as Studio Ghibli.  His movies are praised for their artwork as well as their unique stories.  I figured I was missing out on something special by not having seen any of his films, which is about as good an excuse as any about why I would settle back to watch a story about a pre-teen girl who slips into another world and ends up working in a palliative bath house that caters to spirits.   

It's a strange way of describing what the movie is about, but it is a strange film.  It was made for girls around the age of 10, but it really does not feel like that, even if Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi), the protagonist, is.  From what I understand is Miyazaki didn't really want to create a simple film with simple answers - he wanted to present a movie that spoke to children and was honest with them about the world, and so just by chance it transcends its intended audience.  I didn't once feel like I was watching a children's cartoon, but rather that I was watching a fantasy adventure that had children in it.

Chihiro and her parents (Takashi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi) are moving to a new town.  They are approaching their home when her father takes an unused dirt road, thinking it may get them up to their house, but instead it ends at a tunnel guarded by a strange statue.  Although Chihiro doesn't want to go, her parents are intent on exploring.  On the other side they find what they think is an abandoned amusement park.  Her parents, famished from the drive, find food at a stand and begin consuming all of it.

As it begins to get dark Chihiro meets a boy named Haku (Miyu Irino) who tells her to quickly leave, but it is too late - as the lights go down, the spirits come out, and Chihiro finds that her parents have been turned into pigs.  It turns out that the park is really a bath house for all sorts of spirits and demons, run by a witch named Yubaba (Mari Natsuki) who demands everyone work.  Chihiro becomes one of her workers, and is helped by Haku to remember her real name so that she may someday leave.  With his aid and that of other kind spirits she endeavors to survive in this strange world and someday make it back to the world of the living. 

Despite what a number of people want to believe, the bath house is not a brothel.  Bath houses in Asian and European culture, at least of the type presented in Spirited Away, were sought for relaxation and healing.  Often centered around hot springs, the minerals in the water, augmented by certain herbs, were thought to cure a number of ailments.  As humans have such places it is also assumed that the spirits do as well, and Yubaba's main concern seems to be in the acquiring of wealth from those who come to relax.

It must be said that Miyazaki's story techniques are unique, as he storyboards and lets the tale go where it will.  That creates a bit of a strange flow to this film, as there are times where it has an episodic feel - dealing with the stink spirit, for instance, or bringing Kaonashi (the no-face spirit) back down to size, for instance - and it seems that some of the other subplots are slight.  Where one would expect a strict hero's journey for Chihiro, Spirited Away takes a lot of interesting twists and turns.  I am more than happy to say that Miyazaki, in all ways, meets the high expectations of his reputation. 

Since this was made for a younger audience it is important not to expect this to become as violent as some other animated Japanese films.  It is not needed, as there is plenty here to enjoy, both in the story and the rich world in which it takes place.  

Spirited Away (2001)

Time: 125 minutes

Starring: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Bunta Sugawara, Yumi Tamai

Director: Hayao Miyazaki