A look at ‘Spirited Away’

I recently had the chance to watch the Japanese anime movie- “Spirited Away”. It wasn't a planned watch but more of an at-the-moment decision when I stumbled across its wonderful soundtrack on YouTube. If the soundtrack is so touching, you do feel like checking out the movie, don’t you?

Critics and experts have long been praising this piece of art (the movie was released in 2001) and I won’t disagree with them one bit. Though not a fan of fantasy movies, I don't remember any movie which drew me into the fantasy world as convincingly as Spirited Away did.

The movie

The depth and breadth of characters in the movie is extraordinary and I felt slowly getting lost in this endlessly imaginative world. And more so, it felt peaceful. To feel free to imagine things as the movie unfolds. Unconstrained by the laws of science which govern our real life. While watching the movie, I was so swept up by this world that Miyazaki had created that I believed anything could happen. Imagine a hopping lantern greeting you at a train station. And when it’s done, it goes back to its rightful place atop a pole. This and many other things are possible in Miyazaki’s world. Such beautiful work makes you appreciate art all the more.

The voice acting is flawless in the original version and the portrayal of Chihiro from a ‘sullen’ girl to a strong, independent woman beautifully unfolds. Nothing is sudden. Every situation organically moves onto the other. Perhaps this is because of Miyazaki’s way of working without a script. It feels like reality unreeling itself on the screen. Chihiro befriends many people within the bathhouse due to her selfless nature. She gives away her reward from River Spirit to save others, despite knowing that she was to use it for her parents. From her tentative first steps climbing down to meet Kamaji to determinedly traveling to meet Zeniba depicts her transformation and the strength of love she has for Haku.

We see from the movie, that the tough circumstances brought the best out of Chihiro. It was a heartfelt scene when the entire bathhouse was seen cheering when Chihiro rightly pointed out that none of the pigs were her parents. Her simplicity and kindness had won the hearts of the workers at the bathhouse. That is how one would expect a 10-year-old child to be. Unaware of greed, deceit, or selfishness.

The movie is a must-watch transporting you to a world unfettered by the rules of the world we live in. Now onto learning the theme song on my keyboard!