Review of Spirited Away (2001) by Andrewburge — 10 Jun 2018

This is my third attempt at starting to write this review. Simply because I feel like nothing I could write would manage to encapsulate the transcendent beauty of this picture. Staring at a blank page, though, I felt this is what Hayao Miyazaki must have encountered during his work. Yet, unlike me, for him that did not feel as a burden, but rather an opportunity.

Pictures speak louder than words in 'Spirited Away', a landmark for animation; a piece of art so ravishingly beautiful that even the juggernauts from Disney or Pixar should bask in its glory. The story revolves around Chihiro, a 10 year-old innocent girl lost into a magic world ruled by gods, spirits and witches. But she does not enter there though some fancy flashy portal. It is clear that Miyazaki completely masters the power of animation and of story-telling. The way in which this surreal world is designed is by being constructed by elements from reality. There are buildings, resorts, oceans, villages, trains and train stations. Yet through masterful concepts, it feels surreal not because of how it looks, but rather because of the beings encompassing it and its unusual rules. It is a landmark way of portraying fantastic elements almost like a parallel realm of existence suspended over reality.

Indeed, Chihiro often finds herself gazing towards the sunset and far-away villages from her prison-like resort where she is obliged to work as a staff member for tired spirits. And while these creatures are of great and terrible variety, as incredible as they are, I often found myself staring at the set decoration behind them which is painted with such awe, love and dedication that it often feels as if Miyazaki loses himself in this surreal world by crafting amazing artful and detailed backgrounds, inviting you to wonder and ask yourself what other secrets it holds.

But, with 'Spirited Away', beauty is not only skin-deep. Every single inhabitant of this world is carefully designed to represent his/her personality, the resort in itself being a metaphorical cleansing of one's soul. But in this magical world, Miyazaki weaves animation like no one else does. Emotions like greed, hatred, love, happiness and sadness materialize into weird but beyond-perfectly crafted drawings with bold black lines and color. You can see one's greed literally consuming people when a so-called No Face spirit shows up and begins devouring everything in its sight, even the staff! Also, Chihiro's parents being transformed by their gluttony into pigs... literally! Yet, Chihiro, through her childish innocence remains pure, and is her purity which guide her through this insane realm by befriending every single inhabitant of it.

I could go on forever, but I know my limits in writing. If I was as good at expressing myself as Hayao Miyazaki is at animation, this review would have been able to comprehend this film's greatness. But I am not, and so I will stop and encourage you to experience it for yourself.