A Spirited Away Movie Review
Madeline Cramer

Introduction

I chose to revise and rewrite my Rhetorical Analysis essay into a movie review type blog. I wanted to be able to share my opinions to others who are on the fence about trying out a new genre of animation and storytelling. Japanese animation has been apart of my life since I was young and has helped me through a lot of tough times. This movie in particular is one of the best of the best when it comes to this type of animation and has held the position of being the #1 sold movie in Japan for years.

Plot

Becoming an adult is scary. It’s a messy journey filled with mistakes, regrets, confusion, loss, and sadness but it also comes with adventures, new experiences, love and understanding. Going through hardships is what helps us grow as people. In my opinion, no film expresses this message as well as Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away does. Hayao Miyazaki presents the story of a young girl named Chihiro who moves to a new town with her parents and eventually gets lost within a spirit infested world. In this world, Chihiro is forced to work in a world she has yet to understand, but with the help of newly found friends, she is able to adjust to the customs and face her fears

Message

Whenever I watch Spirited Away, I am reminded of the time of my life where I felt as though I had no future. I felt that life was too hard and I would experience a lot of anxiety. But this movie reminds me that no matter how hard things get, as a kid or an adult, as a student or a worker, if I work hard enough i'll find a way. This topic is something that I felt like I needed to see play out in front of me and that's one of the reasons why I feel that this movie is so amazing. It tackles a hard subject and allows people of all ages to enjoy and understand.

The Use Of

• Talent
• Experience
• Animation
• Sound

Talent

Studio Ghibli is an animation company that was founded in 1985 by Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma but Hayao Miyazaki is the most well known out of the four. Hayao Miyazaki has worked on a ton of astounding movies, such as Howl’s Moving Castle and Totoro and has directed half of the movies that the company has released (The Films of Studio Ghibli). He has a lot of experience under his belt and is extremely meticulous when it comes to his ideas and how they play out.

Experience

Hayao Miyazaki mentions that in a lot of the movie Spirited Away, he uses his past experiences throughout the movie. Hayao Miyazaki animates with the intention of being realistic but in an imaginary way (Nast, 7). Some examples of this real life experience thats brought over to the movie would be the River Spirit. He himself had to pull out a bike and a bunch of other trash from a pile of pollution and water. The way Miyazaki animates and draws the movie by using these experiences helps the movie and character feel more grounded and realistic, which in turn, helps the audience relate to the characters and the message being portrayed.

Animation

Spirited Away’s animation is phenomenal for being a movie that came out in 2001. It’s animation is very realistic and stays true to physics but breaks them when needed. Chihiro is masterfully animated with realism and preciseness but the spirits that loom around her are fluid and move in ways that feel inhuman to look at. This was brought to life bykey animator Makiko Futaki, a man who has worked on many best selling Ghibli films.

Sound

The sound design in Spirited Away is honestly astounding. It has a ton of songs that stick with people and are nostalgic for a lot who grew up with the movie. The main man who worked alongside Hayao Miyazaki for this project would be Joe Hisaishi, who has won Best Composer Asian Film Award in 2018 (Joe Hisaishi, 5). This man has done a ton of terrific work and his sound allows for immersion and emotion.

Final Thoughts and Ratings

I would have to give this movie 8/10. Overall, the movie is amazing at getting its message across and does an outstanding job at mimicking realism in its sound design and animation style, back with an amazing soundtrack. The only downside I’d say the movie has would be the writing. It can feel quite a bit cringy at times and as though its meant for only children.

Citations

( Made with Carrd )