Classic Movie Review: Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away' 20 Years Later

My first exposure to the amazing art form that is Japanese animation came in early 2002 with my personal discovery of Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis; a glorious combination of wildly imaginative visuals and adventurous storytelling. I am certain that Metropolis went to make my Top 10 of the year that year, it absolutely blew my mind. And yet, Metropolis wasn’t even the best Japanese animated film of that year. In Hiyao Miyazaki's moving and evocative masterpiece Spirited Away, I found not just the best animated movie of 2002, but arguably the best work of film art of that long ago year.

The story of Spirited Away begins with a family moving into their brand new home. However, on the way there, a detour takes them in the wrong direction, leading the family to what they believe is an abandoned amusement park. The young daughter, Chihiro, is terribly frightened by the place but, on her parents' urging, she explores the grounds and discovers its strange secrets. Chihiro's explorations lead her to what looks like a normal Japanese bathhouse. There she meets Haku, a young boy who urges her to leave the park before she and her family become trapped forever.

Swept Up in the Imagination of Miyazaki

Chihiro is too late and finds that her parents who, while she was away, found what they thought was a buffet and started gorging themselves. Now, as a result of the park's strange, mystical nature, they have been turned into pigs. Frightened by her parents' seeming disappearance, Chihiro returns to the bathhouse where Haku offers to protect her from the park's evil manager--an odd-looking old woman named Yubaba who enjoys turning humans into animals unless that human can make themselves useful. With the help of Chihiro and a kindly seven legged man named Kamaji, Chihiro becomes employed as a maid in the bathhouse. The mystical powers of the park are never explained, but they don't have to be. Miyazaki creates an entirely new universe that Chihiro and her parents stumble upon accidentally. This allows the story to create its own unique set of rules and unbinds the storytelling and visuals, allowing them to be swept up by the imaginations of the animators and the audience.

Spirited Away is not a film that can be pigeonholed as a children's movie. Is it appropriate for children? Absolutely. It's far better to take children to see this lovely work of art than most of the animated movies released in any year of this short century. Will children understand and appreciate Spirited Away's depth of emotion and intelligence? Maybe not right away, but the story isn't so complicated that they won't have their own understanding of it, and the animation will capture their imagination and spellbind them.

Simply Awe Inspiring

From the moment the film flickers onto the screen, your attention is rapt and your eyes grow wide as the gorgeous visuals pour onto the screen. The combination of traditional animation, computers, and watercolors is truly a work of art. There is a scene set on a train that floats on water and it is a visual I will not soon forget. There are scenes in Spirited Away that are filled with deep focus and amazing color. Many of these scenes are simply awe-inspiring.

Anyone who appreciates art and painting will be enthralled by Spirited Away which is, essentially, a moving painting. Whether Hiyao Miyazaki set out simply to entertain or he meant to create a visual masterpiece, he has created a masterpiece. The story is adventuresome and imaginative and the visuals are stunning and epic. 20 years later the story of Chihiro and the artistry of Hiyao Miyazaki have remained in my imagination. I can cast my mind back to 2002 effortlessly and recall the breathtaking feeling of watching Spirited Away on the big screen. In recent years, when there have been Miyazaki revivals at my local theater, Spirited Away is the one I clear my calendar for. Don't get me wrong, I love most, if not all of Miyazaki's films, but with Spirited Away having been my first exposure to the master's work, it has a special place in my heart and it always will.

Time Travel

If I may be esoteric or just a bit weird for a moment, Spirited Away, for me, is like time travel. Perhaps, all that time travel really is is a vivid memory that you recall perfectly. In my mind and my heart I can see Spirited Away on the big screen all the way back in 2002 and I feel like I am there right now. I can feel my comfortable seat, the slight chill of the theater, the sticky floors and the smell of popcorn. Those are general memories that could be invoked by any theater experience. But, I also remember vividly what I was wearing and the warmth of the day that day. Mostly I can remember the vivid emotions, I can still feel the awe and the points in the movie where my breath caught in my throat and when tears rose to my eyes.

With Spirited Away, 20 years simply melt away and the experience of that movie feels like it is happening all over again just as I sit here writing about it. That's the power of Hiyao Miyazaki for. That's power his work has over my senses, my memories and my emotions. It's a visceral tingling sensation in my mind. It's still exciting 20 years later and I imagine it will be as vivid and exciting in another 20 years.

For the pedantic among my readers, I am speaking of when Spirited Away played at my local Midwest theater in 2002. I am aware that Spirited Away for many arrived in 2001, but for me it was 2002.