Spirited Away has been one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies of all time. And watching it as an adult now has got me thinking of what kind of message Miyazaki (director, writer and producer of Spirited Away) has illustrated in Spirited Away. I personally believe that he has embedded many symbols in this movie in order for his audience to understand our society’s relationship with the environment. One example is included in the Stinky Spirit scene. In this scene, Miyazaki portrays the relationship between humans and nature: the bicycle representing pollution caused by humans, and the spirit’s odor as green-house gas emissions. The once cleaned river god was covered in mud and trash that has been built up over time. I believe that having all the bathworkers and Chihiro come together to clean up the stinky spirit relates back to Japan’s early movement (1960s-1970s) to clean the environment.
I hope to watch more Studio Ghibli movies to understand what Miyazaki is trying to convey in his animations.
I loved this movie as a child too. I didn’t recognize the underlying themes as a kid, but I agree that Miyazaki is definitely sharing important messages with his audience. The scene really does comment on people’s polluting habits and the need for reform.
I had seen Spirited Away several times as a kid, but I never thought about the connection between the river god, pollution, and discussion about the interactions between society and the environment. Your post reminded me of another Studio Ghibli movie, Princess Mononoke, where one of the central themes was the environment and how society was over-exploiting natural resources. I believe that the conflict between progress and preservation of the environment and natural resources explored in the movie is really thought provoking.