The Oscar winning animation
20 years ago, the animated film “Spirited Away” was released to the audience. The film, directed and written by Miyazaki Hayao, was released in theaters in Japan on July 20, 2001 and became the most successful animated film in the history of this country when grossing more than 395, 5 million USD worldwide. The film surpassed Titanic (at that time the highest-grossing film in the world) in the Japanese box office market to take the position of the highest-grossing film in the country’s history with a total of 30, 8 billion yen. Last year, the movie “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” dethroned the Japanese box office crown of “Spirited Away” for 19 years when it grossed more than $500 million.
“Spirited Away” received mostly positive reviews and is often ranked among the greatest animated films ever made. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Annual Awards, making it the first (and only to date) hand-drawn, non-English-language animated feature film. now) won this title.
To this day, “Spirited Away” continues to captivate millions of viewers. In 2020, Netflix won the rights to air a subtitled version in 28 languages, while HBO Max won the rights to air the film in North America. Online shopping Spirited Away Merch at Ghibli Merch Store at >> Spirited Away Merch
Spirited Away” is more than just a movie – it has had a lasting impact on Japanese animation cinema for two decades.
Influenced by Shinto
“Spirited Away” tells the story of Ogino Chihiro (Hiiragi), a ten year old girl who is always bored; While moving to a new home, she gets lost in the spirit world of Japanese Shinto folk beliefs. After her parents are turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro is forced to work at Yubaba’s strange public bath to find a way to free her parents and herself and return to the human world. Chihiro receives the help of Haku, a river god in human form.
“Spirited Away” has mythological and Shinto elements throughout the film.
A distinguishing feature of “Spirited Away” is that it doesn’t hesitate to use Shinto elements freely. The Japanese have a belief that “kami” (or spirits) are everywhere and all around us. The film itself has many references to gods and demons, and the supernatural universe.
Since “Spirited Away”, elements of Japanese mythology continue to appear in modern anime. One of the most notable works on this is “Noragami” (roughly translated as “Wandering God”), a 2014 fantasy anime heavily influenced by the supernatural world.
“Spirited Away” set a precedent for placing heroines at the center of Japanese animated films.
Before “Spirited Away”, many Japanese animated films focused on stories of boys. For example, the popular “Pokémon” series revolves around the adventures of 10-year-old protagonist Ash Ketchum and his “catch them all” journey.
However, since Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away,” it’s become much more common for female protagonists to take center stage.
Notable examples include “Nana”, a 2006 Japanese animated series about the intertwined lives of two young women living in Tokyo; “Violet Evergarden” (2018), a story of war, love and loss; and “Darling in the Franxx” (2018), a sci-fi anime set in a dystopian future.
The dreamlike scenery of “Spirited Away” continues to be found in recent Japanese animated films
Part of the enduring appeal of “Spirited Away” lies in Miyazaki’s willingness to let the film “breathe” and give the landscape a place to “speak” for itself.
One of the most memorable scenes of “Spirited Away” is the “train scene” – where no dialogue or plot development takes place over the course of two minutes.
In a 2002 interview, Miyazaki told American film critic Roger Ebert that this mantra-like quality in his films could be described as “ghost”, a Japanese term meaning ” purposeful emptiness”.
One of the most memorable scenes of “Spirited Away” is the “train scene” – where no dialogue or plot development takes place over the course of two minutes.
“If you have non-stop actions without any breathing space, it’s just busyness,” says Miyazaki. But if you take a moment, the tension in the film can grow into a larger dimension.”
These elements have been found in the works of modern Japanese filmmaker Makoto Shinkai, most famously “5 Centimeters per Second” (2007) and “Your Name” (2016). In more recent films, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on the environment, with long scenes where almost nothing important happens in the plot, giving the viewer time to digest the intricate details. of the movie.
“Spirited Away” delivers a thought-provoking message about the pollution it contains.
Now, modern Japanese animated films also know that they are capable of conveying a deeper message.
In a key scene in “Spirited Away”, protagonist Chihiro helps a river spirit wash away his earthly burdens – a literal river of garbage, consisting of bicycles, fishing lines, and sewage sludge.
Twenty years ago, this would have been considered a bold political statement in a children’s film – but Miyazaki continues to use his work to convey ideas about controversial topics. Miyazaki’s 2004 film, “Howl’s Moving Castle,” also made a bold statement about the tragedy of war.
Similarly, Shinkai’s 2019 release, “Weathering with You,” a film about the environmental disaster that engulfed Tokyo overnight, revolves around climate change.
Meanwhile, “Attack on Titan” (2013) and other animated series also attempt to deal with heavier, tragic themes, dealing with themes of death, war, and mass destruction. .
In addition to the box office achievements, “Spirited Away” also won many awards for itself, including the prestigious Oscar, bringing excellent achievements to the domestic cinema industry as well as evaluating the transformation. for the Japanese animation industry.
At the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival the film won the Golden Bear award and was ranked in the top 10 of British Cinema’s list of films to see at the age of 14. By 2016, the film was selected as the 4th best movie of the 21st century by film critics around the world. At the New York Times magazine also honored this work in 2nd place on the list of the best movies of 2017.
