Spirited Away — guest no.2 movie review
Child labor, murder, and criminal use of magic. Bratty Chihiro greets us from the start of this film in a car ride to her new home. Having been forced to move, she is every bit as upset as you could imagine a little girl could get. But through a navigation error, she and her parents end up at a theme-park styled gateway to a run down town. Her parents explore the surroundings and check out the local market’s selection of food. Chihiro whines about how they’ll get into trouble and doesn’t eat. During a little walk she comes across a bathhouse and sees smoke begin to rise from the boiler.
It is from here on that a boring story about starting over turns completely on its head. From spirits to gods and monsters, this story is full of the kind of things you’d find in a children’s story. Chihiro develops beyond her awkward moments of quiet crying and sudden shouting to taking charge of situations and being level-headed. All of the filler characters and plot elements are added in the right places, and the theme of the bathhouse is used beautifully with artistic scene angles. The music is a world in itself, and adds a depth to the story that couldn’t be duplicated any other way.
What isn’t so children’s story is the plot, as there are elements of child labor, murder, and criminal use of magic. Chihiro is re-named and enslaved with the rest of the workers at the bathhouse, a monster tries to eat his way to happiness, and a dragon gets a curse where he almost dies from internal bleeding. I guess the spirit world doesn’t quite have the same rules, and that is what makes it fun. And who is to say that someone who has eaten too much won’t turn into a pig?
From Komagi the loving grandfather, to No-Face the ever-ready-to-please loveless pessimist, not to mention hard as nails working girl Lin, the undeveloped background characters stick to their roles in a positive way and move the story along nicely. Although as an audience member I would enjoy seeing everyone get somewhere in the story, there is no where to put in all the information when you consider this film.
What takes up all of that room? Scenery. If you’re interested in a fast-paced anime barrage, consider watching Fooly Cooly. Endless hills of grass sway in the breeze and towns sail by from the window of a train, while lighted boats glide across black water in the night. You can’t help but feel relaxed and safe watching this film, as if it were tucking you in before you went to sleep. So if that is what you’re looking for, go no further than the fantastic journey of one little girl in the land of Spirited Away. If not, you’ll just be bored to death.
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