Creating A Timeless Masterpiece

Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
Produced By Studio Ghibli

I heard of Studio Ghibli last year when I stumbled on a video essay describing how the soundtrack in all their movies sounds so nostalgic, bringing you into a world that you are certain you belong in. Looking back now, I will say that I didn't understand what this person was referring to until I saw Spirited Away.

I was feeling unwell last Wednesday and I had to stay home. In an attempt to kill time and keep me distracted, I turned to YouTube and saw another video essay by SageRain. He was discussing one of the motifs from Spirited Away and I was drawn to the movie. The way the animation looks so well done that I couldn't believe that this movie was released in 2001. When I found out it was a studio Ghibli movie, I realized I had found the perfect thing to do with my time. So I went online to look for Spirited Away, directed by a genius, Hayao Miyazaki.

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio that creates hand-drawn animation. Spirited Away is an amine styled film, that is centred on Chihiro and her journey in the spirit world as she tries to survive and rescue her parents that were turned into pigs by the witch, Yubaba. In the course of her journey, we meet Haku(Kohaku) a water dragon who helped her survive in the spirit world, Kamaji, the humanoid spider that works in the boiler room, Lin, who became Chihiro's caretaker, Zeniba, Yubaba’s twin, No face and a lot more characters.  I am not going to give spoilers so be sure to watch the film yourself, but I am going to talk about why I think this film is a masterpiece.

The bathhouse

The World:
Miyazaki’s Spirited Away creates a very immersive world where you can escape to. The drawings and attention to detail in each scene is just amazing. I mean the film itself has this, I don’t belong to any time feel to it. It doesn’t in any way make me think this is an old film. The drawing and the places, right from the entrance into the spirit world, to the bathhouse to even the inhabitant of this world. The grass is green, the sky is blue and the water is just so well done. As Chihiro runs down the street after Haku told her to leave before the sun comes down, her running through the street gives you enough time to notice the details in the street, the road, the spirits coming to life as the lights come on. It was well done. One of the beautiful moments of calm in the film is the train scene. When Chihiro alongside No Face, Boh as a mouse and the little bird (Yubaba’s bird) went to return the golden seal Haku stole to Zeniba, I loved the tranquillity that came with the journey. In fact, the anticipation for the train scene was built up from the moment Chihiro entered the spirit world, even when she was talking to Lin after the day’s work. So when she finally got the chance to go on the train, it was everything I didn’t know I expected. The silence from the spirit on the train, the scenes we see as the train moves along and the soundtrack, was everything I needed to fall in love with the world. 

Background from the train scene

The Characters:
The main character in spirited away is Chihiro. A clumsy, ordinary 10 years old that was a bit whiny in the first part of the film. She was moving to a new place and was so uninterested in that journey. She seemed fed up, to be honest. So when her parents (who I dislike so much throughout the film) made a wrong turn and decided to explore this supposed amusement park, you could feel her resistance to that idea. I started rooting for her, though, from the moment she refused to eat the food that was set out. And every challenge she faced, she handled it with a lot of courage and bravery. But she was scared, and you know she was scared, she had nightmares, she forgot her name, she had to deal with a stink monster, she believed Haku was different from who Lin told her he was, and she was determined to rescue her parents. I loved how she was allowed to be ordinary and human, I loved how she was allowed to cry when she realized she forgot her name and was hungry, I loved how she was persistent when she asked Yubaba for a job but above all, I loved how fierce she was when it comes to helping people and being a good friend. She was scared at the start of the film but along the way she becomes brave, running across a pipe so that she can help Haku, she was kind when she protected Boh and the tiny bird, she was selfless when she gave what the green ball that could have saved her parent to Haku and No face, she was persistent when she demanded to work from Kamaji and Yubaba and finally she showed that she would do anything to save those she loved and that love helped her break Haku’s curse.  

The Garden Scene(Chihiro and Haku)

Then there is Haku(Kohaku), the pretty boy/water dragon that was drawn to this young girl and decided to help her. He tried his best and told her what to do, but also allowed her to work things out. He helped find her parents and later demanded that Yubaba let her and her parents go. He explained the rules to her right from the onset. There were moments of vulnerability with Haku, like when he told her he can’t remember his name, and she should never forget hers when he was patient with her explaining that she would disappear from the spirit world if she didn’t eat something from that world. Yeah, Haku might not be that much of a good person, we find out he does bad things because Yubaba made him, but he still found a way to keep a part of himself. In the end, we learn that he saved Chihiro once, and he was able to do it again, even if this time, she saved him also. 

The minor and supporting characters in this film were fleshed out, from Kamaji to Lin to No face to even the frogs that work in the bathhouse. I loved the fact that the minor characters were not just fillers but people with motive, be it greed or the desire to one day get out of the bathhouse. And to the other things that were in the frame, you can feel their significance, they were not just bobs of colour but something you know that the creator of this story was intentional about. 

Meeting Haku for the first time

The Soundtrack And Pacing: 
I believe I am going to end with this, it is true what I heard in the first video essay about Studio Ghibli, the soundtrack kept hitting a note of nostalgia with me. The music was lovely, I am left wondering where I have heard that before and how perfect the sound was. I love how the sound sort of ground you into the world you are now entering, and I love how no moment was either overlooked or the sound was overpowering. It just fits right. Absolutely right. The pacing of this film is awesome. Spirited away is a two hour and some minutes film, and it was worth it. The story doesn’t feel too fast or too slow. There is nothing like this scene is a filler. Every part of the film is important in the story Miyazaki is telling, and I love how there are moments for you to just breathe. Again I love the train scene and how it signifies Chihiro’s growth and maturity.  

And for the ending, I did shed a tear when Haku told her not to look back and how she forgot about the spirit world, once she left.  It is the subtle things, really.  A line from the closing song, “Always with me” is translated like this;

 May I always be dreaming the dream that moves my heart.

I have nothing to add to this, just that I wish that. 

Go watch the film, I am sure you would enjoy it. It is a great escape and leaves you with a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings. I am so going to watch it again, and I am looking forward to seeing another Studio Ghibli’s film called Howl's Moving Castle. Maybe you should add it to your must-see list too.  

Have a beautiful and blessed week.
With Love,
The Estherian.