Brehm Center

            When I (Cathy) was eight years old I stumbled onto, through television, the story of Alice in Wonderland—a pretty but whiney little girl accidentally embarks on a sometimes-frightening journey through a fantastical world.  This chance encounter was only the first of many imaginative journeys I have taken to other worlds throughout my life—The Arabian Nights, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The Iliad, The Hobbit, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia, and even some of the “Harry Potter” tales, to name a few.  Late in 2002 I again stumbled into another world. Curious about Japanese animation (“anime”), Rob and I went to see Spirited Away—the story of a pretty but whiney little girl who accidentally embarks on a sometimes-frightening journey through a fantastical world.  This was an East meets West experience—Studio Ghibli meets Disney/Pixar.  But it was so much more, that we want to commend this movie for your viewing.

            However, writing about a film like Spirited Away is tricky.  Describing plot line, characters, specific scenes and adventures can only go so far for those who haven’t experienced a Hayao Miyazaki (one of Japan’s, and arguably the world’s, foremost animators) film.  So indulge us if this review feels more like our reminiscence of being swept away by the sheer beauty of a vibrant, colorful world.

            The “Alice” of our tale is a ten-year-old girl named Chihiro.  She is moving from the city to the suburbs with her family, and she is not at all happy about the disruption to her life.  She complains, sulks, and literally drags her feet when her parents stumble upon an abandoned theme park and decide to explore. While there, she is separated from her parents, who are soon turned into pigs after eating food left for others.  But for whom, she wonders.  As night falls she begins to see the answer to her question, as the theme park becomes a bathhouse—a resort of sorts for spirits to rest and rejuvenate.  Like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, Chihiro finds herself in a strange world with its own rules.  It too is ruled by a cranky queen, Yubaba.  Chihiro must not only summon the courage to fend for herself in this place, but also figure out a way to save her parents and return to the human world before she loses her sense of identity. 

            Basically this story, like the others titled above, is a “hero myth.”  Our heroine is thrown into adventure, overcomes obstacles with the aid of “friends,” and ends up returning “home” as a changed person.  Important universal lessons of love, courage, kindness, forgiveness,  and sacrifice are learned along the way. In fact all of the central characters have both a light and dark side, so that we see their journeys also. And likewise, the viewer is invited to personally consider some of the issues facing the characters: duty, fear, entitlement, selfishness, gluttony, greed, and even treatment of the environment.  Animated spirits give “shape” to these issues in new ways.

This film is the work of human imagination, just like the stories of Homer.  In both these works there are elements of a larger world-view that Christians might take exception to, but also much to marvel at as creatures of a creative God.  Any Christian reader capable of enjoying The Iliad the way it was intended to be enjoyed, as a story, can also enjoy, or better, sit in wonder at, the imaginative force of the story and the pictures Miyazaki creates for the screen. Some of our favorites are: prickly but lovable six-armed Kamaji looking like a hip revolutionary commanding scurrying little balls of enchanted soot that take on a life of their own; spirits of all shapes, colors and sizes—our favorite was the Stink spirit; a glittering, ribbon-like dragon floating across the sky; a lamppost that hops along on a gloved hand; and the incredible beauty and color of every background flower, tree, mountain or sky.

As with any film, not all critics and viewers were as moved by this film as we were.  Some Christian reviewers were put off by the pseudo-animistic—seeing gods and spirits in all things—leanings (but others, while noting this caution, could still praise the beauty of the film).  Other viewers had trouble with the film because it is so different from our western animation, especially “a la” Disney. The style is more painterly and invites the viewer to enter into a fine art canvas.  Though extremely funny at points due to the quirkiness of the characters, the film is never jokey or cartoonish. And while our heroine is on an adventure, action does not drive the film to frenzy.  In fact, Miyazaki allows the film to have silences and reflection, which provide rest notes between more exuberant action or even sometimes-grotesque characters.

            While the story may be about a ten-year-old girl, it resonates with viewers of all ages (though it probably is too much for very young children). Roger Ebert called this movie “one of the best films” of 2002.  That was certainly the feeling at the Berlin Film Festival, where Spirited Away became the first animated film in the event’s 50-year history to win the top prize, the Golden Bear. It also won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. But regardless of the awards, we feel that Miyazaki stands firmly in that wondrous tradition of gifted creators.  And perhaps in seeing and experiencing the best of human creativity and imagination, we see and experience glimmers of the divine “Animator.”

Catherine M. Barsotti

Robert K. Johnston

July 31, 2003