Hayao Mizaki is the Japanese director who created Spirited away. The anime tells the story of Chihiro, a 10-year old girl who finds herself in an abandoned amusement park. She also discovers that there is a spirit realm where Japanese spirits live. Chihiro and her parents are made into giant pigs by Haku. She then makes connections with Haku and learns that the park is a resort to supernatural beings. Spirited away incorporates both art and classical cinema techniques. The film uses psychologically complex characters, narrative methods, and the principle realism to create this hybrid.
Classical cinema, which is famous for its rigid and strict rules that limit the creation of films, has been a part of Hollywood filmmaking since the 1920s. The classic Hollywood cinema style and mode of production to 1960 is described by Bordwell, Thompson, Staiger in their book The Classical Hollywood Cinema. Classical cinema movies are well-known for preserving the traditions of classical artwork by following harmony, proportion, as well as respecting tradition. Characters can also be motivated by their own psychological motivations (Bordwell and Staiger, 4). Art cinema, however, is a different method of making films. This was popularized most after World War II (Bordwell, 744). Each director is unique and creates a more open-ended, original narrative. Art cinema features complex characters with many layers. Characters in art cinema have different goals and desires than those of classical cinema. Bordwell, 776. Characters can act inconsistently or may question their goals. The director can show the audience aspects of what they want to create rather than what they have to create. This is a rare feature in classical cinema. Spirited Away makes use of both art cinema and traditional cinema to tell its story. Through the entire film, we witness the complexity of Chihiro’s character. At first, she was anxious and apprehensive as a young girl. However, she grows up to be confident and self assured. Chihiro managed to acquire these new characteristics due to her ability to retain her identity despite being manipulated by Yu-Baaba (the “name-stealer”) Yu-Baaba. She was also able, despite the significant change that she experienced in the movie, to increase her own strength, courage and independence, and to be more accepting of the circumstances. Chihiro, as a temple-like structure at her entrance, is the first time the audience sees her personality. It is also the best moment to discover who Chihiro pre-transformation was. She is shown to be extremely anxious, immature and dependent on her parents. She complains about her father’s decision to go off-road into the forest, and she is reluctant to enter the temple-like structure that her parents want to explore. She stands firm, but her parents appear to be enslaved by the darkness. Chihiro chases after her parents and cries, “Mother!” Father! Wait for my father!” Chihiro is forced to let go of her parents’ control when she learns that they have been transformed into pigs. Although they still wear their normal clothes, Chihiro’s pig-parents behave differently to her. Instead of being human-like pigs, they have a constant hunger for food. Chihiro is at her most unbelieving moment. At first she doesn’t believe her parents were pigs. She runs into the darkness and shouts “Mother!” Chihiro also attempts to convince herself the worst nightmare was a dream.
When she wakes up, she realizes that her dream is being destroyed. As the surreal riverboat begins unloading invisible figures, it confirms her doubt. They stop at the shore and become tangible. Chihiro finds support in Haku and is able to understand the events around her. Chihiro must trust Haku since he offers her help in understanding what is happening around her. From this point, Chihiro is now called Sen. To save her parents and herself, she must find a job in spirit world. We see Chihiro becoming Sen after Haku takes Sen to visit her parents. It’s me! It’s Sen!” Haku says, as a character that had lost his identity, that Sen must not lose who she truly is. Sen then brings up the note left in her wallet by her friends. Sen discovers in her shorts the card of her old friends. This reminds her that she’s not what she has been made to believe. She was able to recall her past and the purpose of being in spirit world by remembering her self. Sen is also drawn to Haku’s dilemma of not being able to remember his name, and so remains under Yu-Baaba’s control. Sen’s ability to learn about Chihiro is restored and she becomes a stronger person. Sen’s greatest moment of growth and change comes when she gives up her safety to save Haku. This is because he has a curse that makes him a dragon. She knows that Haku must be saved and she opens her mouth to feed him a bitter dumpling. Despite previous threats from the dragon, Sen decided to save Haku’s life and put her fears aside by forcing her arm into those jaws. It was a brave act of courage that Sen did to save Haku, even though she had been threatened with death. Sen has become a stronger character since this moment. It was a remarkable transformation. Sen was the only one to see such positive and dynamic changes. Chihiro experienced a psychological victory that was far greater than any of the characters. She also saw great improvement in herself.
Music, camera angles and film structure play an important role in evoking emotions in the audience. They also place a high value on the characters’ experiences. Bordwell states that classical cinema has the following characteristics: “Narrative space and time are designed to show the cause-effect cycle.” “Narrative time and space are used to represent the cause-effect chain. The music plays faster in intense scenes and is louder and more dramatic in the latter. Chihiro is shown having a flashback, which leads to Haku remembering his real name. It becomes an intense scene that eventually turns the film’s tide. The music at this point is triumphant, and the audience can all share in Chihiro’s joy in discovering the missing link in Haku’s lives. Another alternative is that, as Chihiro tells Haku all about himself, the music slows down and highlights an important moment in Haku’s story. There are also many shots and camera angles that can be used to enhance scenes. High angles can be used, for example, to show people or things as less important and/or less important. This is evident in the film’s opening scene. When Chihiro and her families arrive at the amusement park entrance, there is an elevated shot showing the car’s inferiority. To show superiority or intimidation, low angles can be used.
Chihiro begins to fear Yu-Baaba as she attempts to get Chihiro a job at Yu-Baaba. Yu-Baaba’s low angle shot shows Chihiro’s dominance. The audience is given a wide view of large landscapes by using sweeping angle shots. This can be seen in Chihiro’s first entry to the amusement park. There is a wide angle shot showing the grassy hills and wind blowing over them. It gives an audience a glimpse of the landscape and also creates a feeling of mystery. Tracking shots, which are usually used in chase situations, allow one or more people to be followed around. Chihiro ran across the streets in search of her parents her first time alone in the spiritworld. This is a distant tracking shot, which evokes feelings of isolation and fear. Spirited away also uses a traditional narrative structure that was influenced by classic cinema. The basic structure of classical cinema is: “First, the cause; secondly, development; threerd, crisis; fourthly, climax; effect; fifthly denouement….” This ideal required a coherent chain of causes, effects and complications, with complex circumstances (the developing), ending with a definite action that ends the chain (the conclusion) and establishes a new status. Chihiro finds out that her parents are pigs. The cause is what causes the complicated situations Chihiro has to overcome. The film’s conclusion and climax flow into one another seamlessly, providing a satisfying and positive ending for all the characters. Chihiro gives No Face his remaining medicine, and No Face is forced to vomit. Chihiro takes No Face along to Zeniba’s twin sister Yu-Baaba. After meeting Zeniba, she realizes she is different from Yu-Baaba. She is actually a kind and elderly woman. Haku visits Chihiro to retrieve him and she recalls his name. Yu-Baaba let them be their own river spirits and they were freed from Yu’Baaba’s grip. Yubaba wagers that Chihiro won’t recognize her parents as being pigs, and everyone wins. Chihiro is reunited with her parents who are not aware of her situation. However, she has experienced a complete transformation and no longer fears the simple act of moving away from home.
Spirited Away uses realism to bring audiences closer to real-world issues. This includes the power of our identities and the blurred lines between good and bad. The Art Cinema is a Mode for Film Practice says that art cinema uses its principles of authorial expressionivity and realist realism to motivate its stories. It will reveal real places and real difficulties” (Bordwell at 776). Spirited Away’s rules of the film help you understand how important it is to be your own identity. Although it may appear that the rules seem far-fetched, or are merely for the sake of making this movie appear “otherworldly,” deeper analysis reveals that they are philosophical representations and not our own. Chihiro’s first journey into the spirit-world causes her to become translucent, and she disappears from this world. Chihiro soon realizes she doesn’t belong here, that she has no ties to it, and that her identity and purpose are lost. Haku is the one who saves her. Chihiro, who is now tangible, says “Don’t worry. Even though this is a small moment, it is one that is most memorable. Chihiro is given an identity through this society because of her alliance with Haku. She is allowed in by someone from the spirit realm. Food is often seen as a symbol of peace and offering food. However, this sequence creates a bond that prevents Chihiro from floating away. She can now stay in spirit world thanks to her ties with Haku. Spirited away also shows each character as a mix of good and evil traits. Haku, No-Face and other characters that appear good initially, like Haku, have their share evil qualities. They are secretive, mysterious, and can even eat other characters.
However, even though they seem evil at the beginning, people like Lin, Kamaji, Zeniba and Kamaji become crucial in Chihiro’s escape back to the human world. Spirited Away has a way of blurring the line between evil and good that is much more accurate to our world. Evil is not eradicated, but instead pushed aside by characters who make better choices to bring out the good in others. These choices have ripple effects. Sen’s kindnesses bring out the best in others, as Sen has shown. Yu-Baaba seems to be the only character to not change by Sen’s examples, but even Yubaba is full of qualities like her love for Boh as well as the praise and affection that she gives Chihiro following the cleansing. These acts of kindness, even though they may only be in Yu-Baaba’s self-interest, are defining moments where good and bad fly.
Spirited Away combines both art and classical cinema elements. Although Chihiro’s journey home to her family is the main theme of the film, there are also moments of commonality in the movie with viewers. These include the development of Chihiro, technicalities of the narrative, and parallelism to real life. This hybrid allows viewers to experience both the film and the real world in a seamless way.
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