Spirited Away Film Review EssayHayao Miyazaki is widely regarded as one of Japan's greatest animation directors, earning him the nickname from “Japanese Walt Disney”. His films are known for their entertaining plots, captivating characters, and "breathtaking" animation. Hayao Miyazaki has several characteristics that are present in almost all of his films, including having a young protagonist or children play an important role in the plot, references to environmentalism and pollution created by humans, including including flying in action sequences, and having the human protagonists be human protagonists. enter an unusual territory, inaccessible or forbidden to the outside world. Additionally, there are often two main characters, male and female, one of whom has an unusual past or magical power, they are often set in European cities with added Japanese influence, and there are also scenes of work or recognition towards the working class. people with women and children offering to help. Therefore, Spirited Away can be classified as a typical Hayao Miyazaki film, as it includes each of those trademarks that are constant in his work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayOne of the very important themes that was a major plot point of this film was the importance of the name. Yubaba removing Chihiro's name signified her initial enslavement to the bathhouse, as a means of stripping her of her identity. However, remembering her name was the key to Chihiro's escape, and Haku tells her that if she doesn't do this, she will be trapped in the spirit world forever. The power of a name is that it is the one word that defines a person, and although Chihiro lost it when she became Sen, she had to hold on to it in order to remember the qualities that make her her what she really is. Haku is used as an example of the danger of forgetting one's identity, and it is only through Chihiro that he can regain his identity and become free. Names are a fundamental factor in the power struggle in the spirit world, as those with the most power maintain control by stealing and changing the names of others, and only those with the inner strength maintain their own identity will be able to impose itself. free.The power of words also plays a big role for the characters in this film. When Chihiro first discovers the spirit word, Haku repeatedly warns her to use her words to find a job and not get distracted. Chihiro insists on getting a job by not listening to how many times she's been turned down, and she learns to use her words carefully in order to get what she wants from Yubaba, and essentially saves herself in the process. Additionally, by only saying the right things, she managed to save the others by not revealing the help Haku, Lin, and Kamaji gave her. This emphasis on words shows how powerful they can be and how careful one must be when choosing them. Another important thematic aspect of Spirited Away is the way the film blurs the line between good and evil. At the beginning of the film, the characters seem very clearly defined as good and bad. However, as the film's plot develops, we begin to see the other sides of these characters in how they influence Chihiro's quest to escape. Characters like Haku and No-Face seem good when we first meet them, butend up revealing their bad qualities later. Meanwhile, characters such as Zeniba, Kamaji, and Lin seem unpleasant at first, but ultimately play an important role in helping Chihiro escape. The character who undergoes the most changes in this movie is No-Face, as he goes from innocent at first to evil after eating people, then becomes good again when Chihiro takes him to Zeniba to live with her. Even the lighter characters seem to show different sides of themselves, when the main antagonist Yubaba shows a lighter side to her as she cares for Boh, her baby. This thematic decision is not usually used in the animated film genre, as these films usually show a clear division between good and evil. Being able to blur these lines between good and evil and challenge the first impressions we make of these characters provides a great example of these traits in the real world, which is extremely important for the young person to understand target audience. Spirited Away also subtly explores the shock that accompanies the transition from childhood to adulthood. Chihiro's experience in the bathhouse represented her immediate transition to adult life by throwing her into the world of work. Being inactive and idle is a luxury that comes with childhood, and Chihiro and Boh demonstrate these traits before experiencing a major event. For Chihiro, it's her lying in the backseat of her car while her parents drive her, and for Boh, it's always lying in her pile of pillows while her mother goes out to do her work. These characters both seem incapable of doing things independently and both tend to complain or whine. When Chihiro becomes Sen and must begin her job, she proves to be slower and less efficient than the other workers. Lin confirms this behavior by saying that Sen never had to work a day in his life. But just as people adapt to working life and improve their skills, Sen is able to slowly work her way up to becoming an industrious worker, as she is able to take on difficult tasks such as washing the stinking spirit. This is another theme that isn't typically heavily addressed in films of this age range, making it a unique aspect of Spirited Away. An important lesson this film teaches is that everyone makes their own choices that will define who they are. Much of Spirited Away's plot is influenced by the internal decisions Chihiro makes to help others, which were her own personal choices that created additional challenges for her to face. At the beginning of the film, Chihiro is motivated entirely by fear of the unfamiliar and difficult environment into which she finds herself. As the plot progresses and other motivations like love and compassion for others come into play, she begins to face additional problems. She begins to face resentment from others due to her desire not to follow the invariable way of life in the bathhouse, which comes from her deep love for Haku. She chooses to face the dangerous obstacles she faces with compassion, which is an entirely internal decision, despite the danger she puts herself in. The most important thing about these actions of Chihiro's is the fact that she doesn't fully remember these decisions and the danger she put herself in these situations. This symbolizes to the audience that everyone has the power within themselves to show that same kind of compassion and love in their lives, and even if no one remembers you or your actions, it still matters. One ofThe most intriguing characters in this film was No Face, the spirit that Chihiro allowed into the bathhouse. No Face undergoes the biggest transformation of any character throughout the film, starting out as seemingly innocent and friendly, transforming into a monster who eats people, then becoming innocent and friendly again when Chihiro saves him. No Face's defining traits are that it reacts to emotions and gains physical and personality traits from those it ingests. Hayao Miyazaki explains that this character is a metaphor, essentially a libido that everyone secretly possesses, because all the actions we do are influenced by what is around us. One interpretation of the meaning of No Face is that it represents a child, having childlike qualities. The main evidence for this is that No Face essentially reflects the actions and personalities of everyone around him. No Face begins by simply following Chihiro, seeking her approval by offering her numerous bath tokens for her task, while she repeatedly refuses him. However, as No Face begins to interact with the other bathhouse workers, he begins to experience their greedy nature firsthand, as they all quickly jump at the chance to collect the gold that No Face leaves behind. on the floor. The more he interacts with these greedy individuals, the more their nature begins to wear on him, as he inherits their selfishness. This escalates to the point where he evolves into a monster, consuming everything and everyone in his own way. Later, however, No Face manages to become more like his initial nature, thanks to his time spent with Chihiro and Zeniba, characters who embody selflessness and kindness. These qualities are very similar to those of a child, as No Face essentially reflects and imitates the nature of the people around him. As shown by the bathhouse workers and their effects in No Face, the role of greed is important in Spirited Away. Greed is also represented in Chihiro through her parents and the transformation they undergo by turning into pigs. These examples fit into the larger theme of temptation, which is depicted through the bathhouse to represent its prevalence in the adult world. Early in the film, before Chihiro discovers the bathhouse, her first shocking revelation is that her parents were turned into pigs when they decided to eat the food they found. By giving in to the temptation of the food they found, Chihiro's parents gave in to greed instead of thinking altruistically like Chihiro, who claimed the food was not meant for them. In the film, this transformation into a pig was initially irreversible to Chihiro's parents, reflecting the nature of greed in the real world, as that kind of lifestyle can consume you. Additionally, Chihiro was able to determine during her challenge that none of the pigs in the pen were her parents, as her mindset had changed due to everything she experienced at the bathhouse. Greed was also a very obvious factor when it came to Yubaba, who always wore extravagant clothes to show off her power over everyone. Through this powerful theme, Hayao Miyazaki was trying to show that anyone can be consumed by greed, as long as they are attracted to the right thing. Another theme presented in Spirited Away and common to all of Hayao Miyazaki's work is environmentalism. Throughout the film, the consequences of harmful actions on the environment and the damage they cause to people and society are frequently discussed. Two characters in particular, the Stinky Spirit and Haku, served as direct examples of environmental concerns, 36(3), 261-267.