Waking Up From a Beautiful Dream

Spirited Away
Hayao Miyazaki
Japan
2001

Everytime I watch animated films my first question would always be—“Why animate this thing?” Many answers may be given: in “Finding Nemo”, it needs to be animated because no production company can ever really shoot a real clownfish doing what Nemo the character is supposed to be doing under any ocean; in “Waltz with Bashir”, the Golden Globe-winning film has to be animated to achieve the high amount of surrealism in its visual interpretation of the Palestine Massacre. This film called “Spirited Away” from the home of the animes and mangas—Japan, requires the medium of animation because of its extremely highfaluting spectacles, from the grandiose castles and to the breathtaking changes in the landscape, to the bizarre creatures legendary, original, and archetypal, and up to the gaga temperament and eventual exhibition of powers by these strange creatures, thus creating the impossible and fantastic more possible and still fantastic. A related issue may arise though—in the advent of staggering technical achievements in film, is animation still acceptable? The early 21^st century marked the awesome and great effects of “The Lord of the Rings” and few more years later the eye-popping and completely unbelievable “Avatar”—an achievement the world has never accomplished yet. However this very attainment creates a little room for animation, at least for adult animation for venturing into the hundred of thousand still drawings and dubbing of human voices can reduce the animation as an excuse to technical limitations instead of artistic intentions. Just imagine watching an animated version of Avatar, isn’t it beyond dismay to resort to drawings instead of the live action people and their real movements?  In this sense only the animations intended for the children will be exempted to this critique. “Spirited Away” is thoroughly entertaining and has an excellent, competitive and edgy production value with respect to its time. Yet, seeing the film in a live action version with all of Japan’s or of the world’s greatest cinematic inventions will nevertheless bring this fantasy/adventure movie into an important Japanese cinema milestone. Filmmakers planning to produce adult animations need to be prudent and should have significant reasons in doing so because we don’t want animation to be a surrogate of cinematic inadequacy or worse, financial restraints.

“Spirited Away” is a highly amusing piece of film and I mean it seriously. It is outrageous and yet it remains adorable, more importantly it is oozing with audacity and charisma and most importantly it is flamboyantly edgy. The trancelike and surreal atmosphere of this other world where Chihiro and her parents are trapped is absolutely beguiling. It has an appeal of something that is present in every child’s most adventurous and wonderful dreams, a dream that even I used to have. The characters are also very interesting—the dragon-transforming green-haired ever-friendly but mysterious Haku , the hawk-like flying Yubaba with humongous head almost occupying half of any room, the ghastly yet friendly patron called “no-face”, the outside-world ignorant giant baby, the bouncing triple-head in Yubaba’s office, and a lot of others allow this adventure to leisurely continue and satisfactorily unfold. I honestly don’t believe that this film has the best storyline among all adventure movies in the world. What makes this film very appealing is the alienation of a supposedly normal girl into a world of strange and grotesque characters in a world decorated with generous resemblance into our own world with an extra fantastic touch. Even the tension created by the film is also amusing; it is not something that will keep you breathless but something that will give a smile on your face. Probably because this is arguably a family movie which is not suppose to generate anxiety and unnecessary trauma to the children that is why the excitement being produced is always cushioned with charm. 

I always divide adventure films into three parts: the background of the adventure, the middle part or the adventure proper, and the backlash from the adventure. The film is very much conventional in terms of the structure and genre which reflects the economic fact that it is nothing much else but a commercial family film though I fancy it as something more than that and this animated Japanese film is the best of its league. The background of the adventure is interesting. Chihiro is not very excited about their new house for one thing is certain—she misses her friends. Reluctant about looking forward for a different chapter in her life, she finds herself in the most bizarre place which will be her home for the next several days or weeks. The adventure proper is all about saving her loved ones—her parents who decadently turn into the fattest pigs I’ve seen after eating the tempting food displayed on the food stalls, and Haku, the mysterious boy who helped her escape their world. This is definitely the most obvious value the film wants to teach its children viewers. To survive and to survive the hope of returning back to her world with her parents she needs to be employed in that weird hotel for the mythic gods and goddesses. Chihiro’s objectives though becomes easier and easier for as time passes we realize that Tycoon is not really that ruthless, evil, and cruel. In some points I think everything seems surmountable because Yubaba reveals her real good-hearted character. But an objective should never be surmountable that is why the conflicts presented in the film are multi-layered because one would not be enough (one can’t be so convoluted and austere for a family movie). There is the introduction of Yubaba’s twin and her infringement with Haku, the devastation of Haku and his anticipated possible death, and the eventual effacement of her memories.  All of these conflicts are needed to consume our protagonists hope and trigger her determination. The backlash from the adventure is actually the part I am most looking forward to because this is the chance where many unexpected emotions may arise. This is also the part where you will feel torn apart—it is either you feel nostalgic about ending and leaving a lovable adventure or you feel hopeful about how your adventure is going to change your future. Backlashes are either tragic or triumphant, anything that has both is great (juts like what Terrence Mallick did in the last part of “The New World”), and anything that is neither is a waste of time. Family/children’s movies are all the time happily ended and I don’t think there any exceptions. “Spirited Away” definitely has a happy ended fate but what adds another pound of edge on this film is its sentimental spirit that is interestingly exclusive only with Chihiro, the breeze, the grass, and the trees, not including her parents. I felt the nostalgia of being forced to leave a world which at the first place you have always wanted to leave but you have eventually and subconsciously fell in love with. 

This adventure film has a beautiful and carefree spirit. It is an adorable, pleasant, and scrumptious animation. Satisfying the inner child among us all, “Spirited Away” is like a collected dream from all the adventures we were all dreaming of when we were young. A dream that will make us feel a hero of our own, something that makes us excited and proud telling it to our friends and playmates, a dream you wish you will dream every bedtime. This movie reminded me so much of the distant picture of my childhood, the lazy afternoon at the yard, the milk before turning off the bedroom light, and the beautiful mornings I have woken up with those overwhelming happiness from adventurous dreams. That is what this film is about—to remind us of the forgotten joy of dreaming like a child.