Spirited Away's story in and of itself is rather simplistic. That is because the movie chooses to communicate with the audience through imagery. The reason many people consider Spirited Away to be one of the greatest animated films ever made is because it takes advantage of animation to the fullest extent possible. This is one of those movies that simply wouldn't work as anything else. Every single frame is lovingly crafted with gorgeous scenery and character designs more imaginative than their personalities. Wait... that's a good thing, right?
Spirited Away preaches of reconstruction and growing up throughout its various sequences. In one scene, the bathhouse is visited by a "stink spirit" that ruins everything in its path. The bathhouse workers try to turn it away, but to no avail, so it's up to Chihiro to serve it. In the process of giving it a bath, Chihiro finds something sticking out the side of it and becomes determined to pull it out. Ultimately, everyone in the bathhouse ends up pulling what turns out to be a giant heap of trash out of the spirit. It is scenes like this that prove just how powerful animation is. Chihiro comes out of her various trials as a better person; someone who acknowledges she must work to achieve her goals rather than rely on others for everything.
The movie plays out in sequences, each showcasing a different trial for Chihiro. While they move along the plot well enough, they don't build up toward an ending. When it does end, the conclusion feels disappointing and underwhelming because the movie didn't know how to put all the characters that it had established to good use. For example, look at No-Face. His obsession with pleasing Chihiro turns him into a monster. While he's supposedly "fixed" in the end, his actions throughout the film only lead to a shallow conclusion that doesn't really solve anything. Nothing works in the ending's favor. Not even the plot. In a scene near the credits, Chihiro solves an important puzzle without anything supporting her answer. It is never explained how she knew the answer. The film needed to take the time to build up to scenes like this.
Spirited Away is a beautiful film about moving forward that thrives on the power of filmmaking. However, its story falls flat, as Miyazaki obviously wasn't anticipating an ending.
A truly beautiful film with a bland ending.
Spirited Away's story in and of itself is rather simplistic. That is because the movie chooses to communicate with the audience through imagery. The reason many people consider Spirited Away to be one of the greatest animated films ever made is because it takes advantage of animation to the fullest extent possible. This is one of those movies that simply wouldn't work as anything else. Every single frame is lovingly crafted with gorgeous scenery and character designs more imaginative than their personalities. Wait... that's a good thing, right?
Spirited Away preaches of reconstruction and growing up throughout its various sequences. In one scene, the bathhouse is visited by a "stink spirit" that ruins everything in its path. The bathhouse workers try to turn it away, but to no avail, so it's up to Chihiro to serve it. In the process of giving it a bath, Chihiro finds something sticking out the side of it and becomes determined to pull it out. Ultimately, everyone in the bathhouse ends up pulling what turns out to be a giant heap of trash out of the spirit. It is scenes like this that prove just how powerful animation is. Chihiro comes out of her various trials as a better person; someone who acknowledges she must work to achieve her goals rather than rely on others for everything.
The movie plays out in sequences, each showcasing a different trial for Chihiro. While they move along the plot well enough, they don't build up toward an ending. When it does end, the conclusion feels disappointing and underwhelming because the movie didn't know how to put all the characters that it had established to good use. For example, look at No-Face. His obsession with pleasing Chihiro turns him into a monster. While he's supposedly "fixed" in the end, his actions throughout the film only lead to a shallow conclusion that doesn't really solve anything. Nothing works in the ending's favor. Not even the plot. In a scene near the credits, Chihiro solves an important puzzle without anything supporting her answer. It is never explained how she knew the answer. The film needed to take the time to build up to scenes like this.
Spirited Away is a beautiful film about moving forward that thrives on the power of filmmaking. However, its story falls flat, as Miyazaki obviously wasn't anticipating an ending.