The story begins with a family moving to a new place. The main character, Chihiro, is afraid of the change. They stumble upon an abandoned amusement park and find some food. The parents, tempted by the delicious-looking food, start eating. As night falls, spirits fill the space, and the parents turn into pigs. Lost and confused, Chihiro tries to leave but finds herself stuck in the spirit world.
On a random weekend, I was, as usual, looking through a list of hundreds of children’s movies saved on a hard disk, trying to find something I hadn’t seen in a while. Then I found a file I hadn’t noticed before, labeled Spirited Away. Maybe that’s why this movie was so memorable to me—it saved me from drowning in boredom. I watched it for the first time, and by the end, I had no idea what I had just experienced. The movie was long and eventful, yet slow and not intense. It didn’t build up suspense but instead pulled you into the story.
Perhaps it was how different it was from what I usually watched, movies with a clear structure, a villain, a goal, a hero. The first time I watched it, I couldn’t tell you what the movie was about, maybe because I was nine and didn’t understand it. It left me pleasantly confused, and every time I watched it, it felt like a different movie. I processed more of it each time, making it a film you watch repeatedly and always find interesting.
I wouldn’t say it was something I loved immediately, but I’ve found that things that take time to grow on you also take longer to become things you used to like. This happens often with the music I listen to; sometimes I find songs on my playlist that I wasn’t very into at the time but started liking slowly. Those songs stuck with me longer. I think taking your time liking something gives you space to discover new aspects you enjoy, so you like it more every time. Otis Sandsjö said something similar about sometimes listening to his old music and finding that he enjoys it more now than he did back then, which I found very relatable. I think I’ve seen the movie enough times by now, but it brings a sense of comfort and nostalgia whenever I play it.
So why is the movie great? It did win several awards, after all. The characters, I think, make it so interesting. No one is really good or bad; they are just people/spirits that, like in the real world, can present negative traits like greed and spite and also positive ones like generosity and growth. In the 2 hours and 5 minutes, all the characters seemed to develop subtly. Subtlety is an important component of Ghibli movies (the animation studio). They add so much in a small space, representing changes that happens over a long period time in a short amount of time. The changes and messages aren’t in your face, making it more meaningful every time you watch.
I would describe Spirited Away (and all Ghibli movies) as art. Even if you don’t find the story captivating or have seen it so many times it’s gotten boring, the character designs, the setting, and the art style are like looking at a series of portraits.
A poster I found on Pinterest that I think is a good represenation