philosophy: Spirited Away - Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi

You've got to wonder why people continue to write reviews of Miyazaki movies, since they almost all end up sounding the same in the end. "Wow," "magical," "he's done it again" "sure to be the biggest movie of the summer," on and on it goes, and then after recycling the same words of praise and amazement in a slightly new order for a few paragraphs you come the inevitable five-star rating. So why am I adding to the pile? In the words of Raphael See in his Laputa review, "Because that way, I get to watch the best animated stories in the world..."
The story begins with our main character, the young and scrawny Chihiro, becoming trapped on one side of a river after walking through a dark tunnel. She finds herself in a town normally invisible to humans, one in which various gods, from local deities to goblins and monsters, are quite visible. After she is trapped in this town with her parents, who are turned into pigs for eating the food of the gods without permission, Chihiro begins to disappear. She survives by getting a job from the witch Yu-baaba at a public bath for gods, which is the main attraction of this strange town. In order to receive her job, however, she is forced to give Yu-baaba her name, who then replaces "Chihiro" with the moniker "Sen."
Thus the first theme of Spirited Away is revealed: that of the importance of words. Some ancient cultures believed that all things and people have "real" names, and when you know that real name, you have power over that thing. Words were used carefully. Miyazaki has stated that he believes that words have great import and meaning, and is distressed at the lack of thought that goes into them in our modern times. He believes that there is still great gravity of purpose carried in words even today, though plethora and overuse of meaningless words nowadays often makes that hard to believe. That theme is revived in Spirited Away as Chihiro must remember her name in order to return to her world. She becomes increasingly distressed during the movie as she begins to have trouble remembering her true name.
Another major theme is that of the existence of good and evil in the world. In Spirited Away we are taken into another world, one that comes beautifully to life in the hands of Ghibli's animators. It is distinctly Japanese, and flows from that rich and unique folklore history. At its core, however, it is also a reflection of our world, and brings this movie into the realm of allegory. Chihiro's adventures in the public bathhouse is characterised by meetings with many types of gods, both good and evil. Through her wit and with the help of her friends, she survives. In the end, when the lights go on and the credits roll across the screen, the story is done not because evil was vanquished or the other world disappeared, but simply because Chihiro found the will to survive. This is a recurring theme in many of Miyazaki's works, most notably in his manga "Nausicaä," as is his belief that to destroy evil completely would be to destroy the world. He believes that evil is part of this world, and integral to its existence; to deny evil is absurdity, to vanquish it, impossibility.
So what of the character development, the computer animation, the basic plot and suspense? All excellent, of course. The character development is charming and moving, and the computer effects are even more effectively integrated than in Mononoke Hime. The surface plot and suspense situations are also well done in the classic Ghibli style. But it is the underlying themes discussed above that, in my mind, elevate this movie above a Disney fable or children's cartoon. While not as deep or epic as Nausicaä, nor as action-packed as Laputa, this movie is nonetheless firmly entrenched in my mind as one of Ghibli's best. Miyazaki has done it again, folks. Is anyone surprised?

Hayao Miyazaki own view (from interview ~ )

This film is an adventure story, although the characters neither swing weapons around, nor use supernatural powers in battle. It is an adventure story, but its theme is not a confrontation between good and evil. It will be a story of a girl who was thrown into a world where both good and evil exist. She gets trained, learns about friendship and devotion, and survives by using her wisdom. She finds her way out, dodges, and comes back to her old daily life for the time being. However, it is not because evil was destroyed -- just as the world does not disappear, (evil does not disappear). It is because she gained the power to live. Today, the world has become ambigous; but even though it is ambiguous, the world is encroaching and trying to consume (everything). It is the main theme of this film to describe such a world clearly in the form of a fantasy.Being enclosed, protected, and kept away (from dangers), children cannot help but enlarge their fragile egos in their daily lives where they feel their lives as something dim. Chihiro's skinny limbs and sullen face, which indicate she would not be amused so easily, are a symbol of that. Still, when reality becomes clear and she finds herself in a crisis, her adaptability and endurance will well up within her. She would find an existence in which she can bravely decide and act within herself.Certainly, many people might simply panic and sink down to the ground. But such people would vanish or quickly be eaten in the situation Chihiro faced. Chihiro is a heroine, because of her power not to let herself be eaten up. She is a heroine, (but) not because she is beautiful or because she has a matchless heart. This is the merit of this film, and this is why it is a film for 10 year old girls.A word has power. In the world into which Chihiro has wandered, to say a word out of one's mouth has a grave importance. At Yuya, which is ruled by Yu-baaba, if Chihiro says one word like "No" or "I wanna go home," the witch would quickly throw Chihiro out. She would have no choice but to keep aimlessly wandering until she vanishes, or is changed into a chicken to keep laying eggs until she is eaten. In turn, if Chihiro says "I will work here," even the witch cannot ignore her. Today, words are considered very lightly, as something like bubbles. It is just a reflection of reality being empty. It is still true that a word has power. It's just that the world is filled with empty and powerless words.The act of depriving (a person) of one's name is not just changing how one (person) calls the other. It is a way to rule the other (person) completely. Sen becomes horrified when she realizes that she is losing the memory of her name, Chihiro. And every time she visits her parents at the pigsty, she becomes (more) accustomed to her parents as pigs. In the world of Yu-baaba, you should always live in the danger of being eaten up.In this difficult world, Chihiro becomes lively. The sullen, listless character would have a surprisingly attractive expression in the end of the film. The essence of the world has not changed a bit. This film will persuade one of the fact that a word is one's will, oneself, and one's power.It is also the reason why we make a fantasy that takes place in Japan. Even though it is a fairytale, I do not want make it a Western one in which we can find many ways out. This film will probably be looked at as one of those run-of-the-mill other-world stories. But I'd like you to consider is as a direct descendant of "Suzume no Oyado (Sparrows' House)" and "Nezumi no Goten (The Palace of Mice)" in the Japanese folktales. Although they did not use such a phrase as "parallel world," our ancestors have blundered at Sparrows' House or enjoyed a party at The Palace of Mice.The reason why I made the world of Yu-baaba pseudo-Western is because it is a world filled with Japanese traditional designs, as well as to make it ambiguous whether it is a dream or reality. We just don't know how rich and unique our folk world - from stories, folklore, events, designs, gods to magic - is. Certainly, Kachikachi Yama and Momotaro have lost their power of persuasion. But it is poor imagination to put all the traditional things into a snug folk-like world. Children are losing their roots, being surrounded by high technology and cheap industrial goods. We have to tell them how rich a tradition we have.By combining traditional designs with a modern story, and putting them in as pieces of colorful mosaic, (I think) the world in the film will have a fresh persuasion. At the same time, (we must) recognize again that we are inhabitants of this island country. In an era of no borders, people who do not have a place to stand will be treated unseriously. A place is the past and history. A person with no history, a people who have forgotten their past, will vanish like snow, or be turned into chickens to keep laying eggs until they are eaten.I would like to make it a film in which 10 year old girls can find their true wishes. Hayao Miyazaki