Many critics regard Spirited Away (2001) as Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, and it’s not difficult to see why. This stunningly crafted work, co-financed by Studio Ghibli and Disney, became the highest grossing film of all time in Japan, topping even James Cameron’s Titanic (1997). The film also received a remarkable number of awards worldwide--as many as 30 by one fan website’s count--among them Best Film at the Japanese Academy Awards, a Golden Bear for Best Picture at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival (a first for an animated feature) and an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, to say nothing of its appearance on many American critics’ ten best lists.
One noteworthy aspect of the film is its seamless integration of computer animation with drawings by hand. Studio Ghibli is renowned for its meticulous craftsmanship, and for a long time Miyazaki remained skeptical of the artistic value of computer animation. However, beginning with Princess Mononoke (1997), Miyazaki began using computer animation on a limited basis, including digitally inking and painting cels as a labor and time-saving method. Spirited Away uses computer animation more extensively--not only to conserve labor, but also to produce complex three-dimensional effects that would be extremely difficult to render by hand, such as the rapid movement of the car past a statue in the woods.
As scholar Susan J. Napier has pointed out, even at its most “modern” and technologically oriented, anime often draws on traditional Japanese culture. In the case of Spirited Away, the influences are most obvious in Miyazaki’s rendering of the spirit world creatures. They range from river gods, a dragon, an amusingly obese daikon (radish) spirit, to the Noh Theater mask that No-Face wears. The film’s basic narrative structure also draws heavily upon fairy tale motifs; for example, when Chihiro helps out a river god, in return it gives her an object that later proves to be of use during her own journey.
At the same time, Miyazaki’s film is based on the careful observation of real-life details to lend a sense of authenticity and plausibility to the fictional world. For example, the character of Chihiro was closely modeled after an actual girl that Miyazaki knew. The animators developed the scene depicting Chihiro putting a ball of dirt in the dragon’s mouth by analyzing videotapes of a dog at a veterinarian’s office. Even the setting of the supernatural amusement park was inspired by an actual tourist site located near Studio Ghibli.
In some respects Spirited Away can be considered an example of shojo (young girl) anime--in Japan, both manga (comic books) and anime are often targeted at highly specific audiences. This is most clearly seen in Miyazaki’s choice of a young girl protagonist. The film's allusions to The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland seem only fitting--for Spirited Away, with its imaginatively rendered world, rich characters and subtly conveyed moral lessons, embodies all that is best in children’s literature and films.
SPIRITED AWAY (JAPANESE VERSION)
Producer: Toshio Suzuki, Yasuyoshi Tokuma
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki
Cinematography: Atsushi Okui
Film Editing: Takeshi Seyama
Art Direction: Yoji Takeshige
Music: Joe Hisaishi, Youmi Kimura
Cast: Rumi Hiragi (Chihiro), Miyu Irino (Haku), Mari Natsuki (Yubaba), Takashi Naito (Chihiro's Father), Yasuko Sawaguchi (Chihiro's Mother), Tatsuya Gashuin (Aogaeru).
C-125m. Letterboxed.
SPIRITED AWAY (ENGLISH VERSION)
Producer: Donald W. Ernst, Lori Korngiebel, John Lasseter
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis Hewitt, Donald H. Hewitt, Linda Hoaglund, Jim Hubbert
Cinematography: Atsushi Okui
Film Editing: Takeshi Seyama
Art Direction: Yoji Takeshige
Music: Joe Hisaishi, Youmi Kimura
Cast: Daveigh Chase (Chihiro), Michael Chiklis (Chihiro's Father), Jason Marsden (Haku), Suzanne Pleshette (Yubaba), Lauren Holly (Chihiro's Mother), John Ratzenberger (Aogaeru).
C-125m. Letterboxed.
by James Steffen
