Last week I watched and reviewed Princess Mononoke, one of Hayao Miyazaki’s well-known masterpieces and said that I would tackle Spirited Away the following week, since it was the first screenplay he wrote after Princess Mononoke.  Well, that week is here and I must say, I throughly enjoyed this film.  Miyazaki sure has one wild imagination because his films are strange in their own way.

Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi
5 Stars

Last week I watched and reviewed [Princess Mononoke], one of Hayao Miyazaki’s well-known masterpieces and said that I would tackle Spirited Away the following week, since it was the first screenplay he wrote after Princess Mononoke.  Well, that week is here and I must say, I throughly enjoyed this film.  Miyazaki sure has one wild imagination because his films are strange in their own way.

 

Our heroine Chihiro is in the midst of a big move to the suburbs with her family when they take a wrong turn at a dirt road near some spirit shrines and end up at the opening of a large building.  Her adventurous middle class parents decide to get out of the car and investigate.  Chihiro refuses to go, begs them to come back, but finally gives in and grabs hold of her mom as they walk down the long dark tunnel.  On the other side of the tunnel there was another opening across a room that lead to a bright and sunny field of grass with a path leading to what seemed like a run down amusement park.  With every step they took the abandoned park seemed to draw them in.  Once they crossed the river and walked up the steps they smelled the delicious aroma of a banquet waiting for them.

Upon finding the feast, Chihiro’s parents sat down and began gorging on the food in front of them.  Chihiro, still nervous about the consequences of being discovered, stood outside the barrier that held her parents.  Chihiro wandered off to explore, while her parents pigged out on food, and ran into a boy named Haku.  Haku was frightened that she was there and told her she needed to leave before the sun went down.  With only seconds before the sun went down Chihiro ran off in the direction of her parents.  When she arrived at their side she discovered two large pigs dressed in their clothes.

Frightened and feeling abandoned, Chihiro ran off in the direction of the car, only to discover that the grassy field was now a river with a ferry drawing nearer.  Day had become night and she was becoming see-through.  When the ferry reached the bank where Chihiro stood, it began unloading its passengers.  The passengers all began walking towards the bath house at the end of the village in a parade of colors.

Chihiro had ran off and hid in nearby bushes where Haku finds her moments later.  He tells her to eat a berry or she would disappear.  If a human does not eat food from their world they will disappear, if they eat the wrong food, like her parents, then they will turn into pigs.  Haru secretly leads her into the bath house, where everyone is freaking out because there is a human in their world, and tells her how to save her parents.  Chihiro must get to the boiler room and beg for a job from the spider-armed Kamajii, the keeper of the boiler room.  This is when Chihiro meets Lin, one of the women who take care of the baths.  Lin leads Chihiro to the office of Yubaba, the witch that runs the bath house, and determines the fate of the people in the world.  After nearly being spotted a couple of times she finally makes it to see Yubaba.  Chihiro needs a job in the bath house or Yubaba will change her into an animal, so she begs Yubaba and gets turned away multiple times.  Finally Yubaba gives in and Chihiro signs a contract giving away her name, from that point on she becomes Sen and that is where her real adventure begins, but you’ll have to watch to see the rest of that.

Hayao Miyazaki’s films are fun to watch and enjoyable all the way till the end.  The story in this is fun to follow along with, and easy on the brain.  This one is very predictable, but that does not detract from the story.  Comparing this to Princess Mononoke, I would have to say that I enjoyed Spirited Away much more.  Yeah, the story in Princess Mononoke was fun, and full of battle, but the struggles of a sheepish girl in a new world was way more fun to see how she accomplished everything.  A must see for those who enjoy the other Miyazaki films.