As a huge Hayao Miyazaki enthusiast growing up, I was more excited for this particular film screening than any other event this semester so far. Before last week, however, it had been many years since I last saw Spirited Away (2001). Now that I am old enough to come into a screening with a mature understanding and more experience, I see Spirited Away in a completely different light. I walk away with a new appreciation for elements in the film I had never noticed before: the brilliant, detailed animation; creative, fantastical storyline; and appropriate, time-relevant underlying message that conveys the importance of generosity, open-mindedness, and kindheartedness. I greatly enjoyed how Miyazaki used the literal transformation of the protagonist’s parents into pigs to illustrate the unattractiveness of greed and how such qualities only serve to reduce people into lowly creatures in the long run. The movie is definitely already chock-full of symbolism, but I can only wonder how much more meaningful and mind-blowing it would be if I knew more about the Japanese religious background that served as inspiration for Miyazaki’s ideas.
Rose Scholars Fall 2019
Endless possibilities
I agree that this film is filled with symbols. Miyazaki did a wonderful job in telling a coming to age story, while also embedding a lot of symbols throughout the movie. In fact, after some research, I found that there are a lot of Japanese Cultural themes in the movie. In a bonus feature, Miyazaki said that newer generations are loosing touch with the Japanese culture/traditions, thus he hopes to expose the, to Japanese folktales and culture through his animations. For example, Yubaba can be compared to Yama-uba, an infamous Japanese mountain witch told in many Japanese folktales. What’s wonderful about his films is that he can easily convey his messages through his animations, but also leave room for his audience to interpret his stories on their own.
I agree with multiple points you made about how Chihiro’s parents turning into pigs represents the consequences for greed and gluttony and how Spirited Away is a great coming of age story. I’ve also been curious about what No-face might represent, and I’ve seen theories that suggest darker themes. I’ve rewatched Spirited Away so many times and as I get older, Chihiro’s character development through the story becomes more apparent to me. She enters the story as a childish girl, very dependent on her parents, but leaves the story as someone with much more confidence to face the world.