StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Analyzing the Film Spirited Away - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The primary focus of this paper is analyzing the film Spirited Away. This is a 2001 film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, with the main actor a young girl called Chihiro. Her parents get lost on the way and end up in a mysterious tunnel, which they do not recognize as an entrance to the spirit world…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER99% of users find it useful
Analyzing the Film Spirited Away
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Analyzing the Film Spirited Away"

Film Analysis: Spirited Away The primary focus in this paper is analyzing the film called Spirited Away. This is a 2001 film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, with main actor a young girl called Chihiro. This little girl moves to the country with her parents, but the parents get lost on the way, and end up in a mysterious tunnel, which they do not recognize as an entrance to the spirit world. In this place, there is a bathhouse, a place where all the spirit gods come to rest and relax. It is on this place that Chihiro’s parents end up, and unfortunately, they turn into pigs. She must find a way of rescuing her parents lest they also turn into spirits. As she wanders along, she meets another boy, Haku, who claims to have known her since she was little. This is where the real adventure begins as she plots a way to enter the bathhouse and get some job to do. Haku organizes the entire plan, and in the end, Chihiro gets a job in the bathhouse. There are rules to follow in the spirit world, and Yubaba is the witch who oversees all activities in the bathhouse. The unfolding nature of the above events to the point where Chihiro rescues her parents is in a direct relation to the ideas expressed in the short story, “The Ways We Lie.” This paper analyzes three main elements in the story, and they include; characters, motifs and themes, and the setting in relation to ideas in “The Ways We Lie.” The Film’s Setting The producers behind Spirited Away paid more attention to the consistency in the film’s setting. Generally, this film has a social setting, even though there are also elements of geographical settings, as well. The social setting, in this case, focuses on how producers present the characters, and the consistency with which they do this work. For instance, there is a clear depiction of class difference in the spirit world. As evident, Yubaba has an unending aura of richness around her even when she is just sitting on the bathtub. She adores classy and trendy dressing, which other people in the spirit world do not have. This comes from the fact that she is the overall leaders of all activities in the bathhouse. Chihiro, on the other hand, maintains her aura of being plain and straightforward. Even when Yubaba changes her name to Sen, she does not assume the characters they expect of her in the bathhouse. However, she understands the rules in maintaining her job at the bathhouse. In this regard, the ideas expressed in “The Ways We Lie” do not apply to her case. She does not see the sense in assuming a character she is not for the sake of her good. The environment in which she works is also simpler than the entire bathhouse. Despite the lushness of the bathhouse, she has the mandate to clean the big tub lying alone in an empty room. In this room, she transforms an ungainly, huge, polluted spirit into the idea of simplicity. Furthermore, even all her meals are shear expression of simplicity in her character. For these reasons, the entire setting of this film focuses on social aspects of the plot and characters therein. Themes and Motifs This film depicts blurred distinction between good and evil as its primary theme.In this film, almost all characters are a mix of both evil and good deeds. Even the admirable characters, such as No-Face and Haku, have some amount of evil qualities. Similarly, some characters who seem bad and undesirable at the beginning of the film such as Kamaji, Zeniba and Lin, all becomes somehow useful in Chihiro’s escape.This is a clear indication of the fact that people have to possess different characteristics depending on the situation. The above idea is completely in line with the claims in the story, “The Ways We Lie.” In this story, Ericsson states that the truth would sometimes cause more damage than a simple harmless untruth (Ericsson 1). This is what he calls the white lie, and it is necessary for survival in the society. The above form of deceit comes with no regrets, and the individual does so due to circumstances. Blurred line between evil and good is a much more smart reflection of the events in the real world outside this film. This follows the fact that people make lies because they are pushed and further because they have to deal with certain unfortunate situations. Sen utilizes her act of goodness, and this achieves latent good in everyone with whom she interacts. The only character she fails to change with her character is Yubaba who is very adamant and adores the rules in spirit world. Moreover, the film Spirited Away shows greed and rules as the most outstanding motifs. With greed, it is evident that both spirits and humans are greedy, and this leads to their destruction. Chihiro is initially greedy for her parents’ attention, being the spoilt girl. Worse still the greed in her parents lead them to eat unwanted food, which turns them into pigs. In this way, the element of greed successfully explains the ordeals that characters face in the film. Furthermore, the workers in the bathhouse are too greedy to realize the good things in their midst, as presented by Chihiro. Greed goes hand in hand with lies, and this is in line with expressions by Ericsson in the story, “The Ways We Lie.” In addition, the idea of rules also exists in the spirit world. Initially, Haku guides Sen into the bathhouse and warns her not to breath or else Yubaba detects her presence. Even the most prolific leaders such as Yubaba adhere to some rules. Characters Chihiro, Yubaba, and Haku are the main characters in the film and contribute significantly to plot development. Chihiro is a little girl overprotected and spoilt by her parents. Initially, she opposes her parent’s decision to move to a new town. However, beneath her stubbornness, there is a wealth of wisdom, which comes out later in the film. For instance, she refuses to eat the food in the abandoned park, which unfortunately turns her parents into pigs. The characters of Chihiro do not change, and she remains the simple obedient little girl throughout the film. Haku, on the other hand, appears older than Sen. He has mixed reactions regarding the life in bathhouse, and feels he has a home outside the bathhouse, as well. He is kind towards Sen and successfully organizes for her escape. The characters of Haku changes as the story progresses, and he acts in line with Ericsson’s idea that some lies are necessary for survival. The saddest thing is that he cannot remember his name, which means he is eternally under Yubaba’s control. Conclusion Indeed, the above analysis is a correct depiction of the events in the film, Spirited Away. The way events unfold points to the fact that producers of this film had much effort in achieving consistency in all aspects. This analysis focuses on three main elements in the film, and they include; characters, themes and motifs, and the film setting.The characters are primary tools used to develop the entire plot, and three main characters in the film are Chihiro, Yubaba, and Haku. Chihiro appears to be the hero and gainer of all events as everything revolves around her. The film has a social setting with clear distinction between Yubaba’s class and other people in the bathhouse, including Chihiro. However, this does not change Chihiro’s character one bit. The above analysis also compares events with the claims in Ericsson’s story, “Ways We Lie.” Some characters, such as Haku and Zeniba have to tell les to survive and help other people while Chihiro sticks to her personality. Works Cited Ericsson, Stephanie. The Ways We Lie: 50 Essays. New York: Bedford Books, 2013. Miyazaki, Hayo. Sen and Chihiro’s Spiriting Away, 2001. Web 09, December 2013 Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Analyzing the Film Spirited Away Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words, n.d.)
Analyzing the Film Spirited Away Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1497571-film-analysis-spirited-away-essay
(Analyzing the Film Spirited Away Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
Analyzing the Film Spirited Away Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1497571-film-analysis-spirited-away-essay.
“Analyzing the Film Spirited Away Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1497571-film-analysis-spirited-away-essay.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Analyzing the Film Spirited Away

Maori Identity Expression and Development in Once Were Warriors

I am then interpreting the film, not only from the views and concepts of the aforementioned theorists, but also from my own family and social values and experiences, because I am someone who deeply respects and values collectivistic societies, of which I am also a proud part of.... For this essay, I explore how the film reflects indigenous expression and decolonisation themes.... Reflexive Introduction I chose this film because it represents the breakdown of the indigenous social fabric, after colonisation has eroded the cultural fabric of the colonised....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The Iconography, Conventions and Audience Expectations

A genre based approach is thus helpful to the targeted audience due to the fact that it gives them an overview of what to expect giving them the certainty that they will enjoy the film.... With regards to the generic conventions they mainly offer the director of the film a framework to work on.... The use of the musical/Dance genre is unique in the film industry.... People spent a lot of money days after days and later on it resulted into the creation of the film industry (Schatz, 1981, p....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Free to explore topics and thesis of your choice, but paper has to have very strong thesis

It was not released during the summer vacation as per the norms of teen movies, the reaction then had something to do with the context of the film.... Notable though is the film's lack of extreme emphasis on horror itself much as it is presented as a horror movie.... The fact that it depicted the educational system in negative light made the film be subjected to rigorous censorship.... This success came after the producer, OH Ki-Min, had been turned down by over en production companies who did not see the place of horror in the Korean film industry....
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Paper

Science fiction and film

This sets the film in a class of its own, as the most excellent science fiction probes the spirit of life using differences out of the bounds of our contemporary world as a fuel to sustain the story (Blade Runner 2000).... Discuss. Science Fiction Films are… They are often visualized through whimsical inventive settings, professional film production designs, advanced skilled gadgets, scientific advances or by fantastic special effects- mostly a Sci-fi films are absolute with heroes, far-flung planets, impracticable quests, dubious settings, incredible places, enormous dark and shadowy villains, revolutionary technology and gizmos and mysterious and bizarre forces....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

A Symbolic Way of Showing the Effectiveness of the Cultural Revolution

Accordingly, the focus of the essay will be concentric on the film itself; using the three distinct segments of the film to highlight the underlying sense of an end of an era that is represented within the life experience of the main character; Puyi.... Likewise, it is the hope of this student that the following discussion will not only be beneficial towards assisting the reader in understanding the film to a better and more complete degree, it is the further hope of this student that the forthcoming analysis will help to reveal core trends and key understandings concerning the interpretation of modern Chinese/Asian history within the era in question....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Harry Potter File and Music

analyzing the film it is possible to say that Doyle's sense of magic and humor along with solid experience helped him to create a perfect score for The Goblet of Fire.... The topic of teenage sexuality appears in the… Nevertheless, the conflict between good and evil remains the leading motive of the Harry Potter's saga, and intense and powerful depiction is the primary task of the film crew.... Michael Newman who directed the film in 2005 found classical-inclined Patrick Doyle whom he knew from previous common works....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Representation of British Identity in the Films of Post World War II

An understanding of the core values of British identity is essential in understanding and analyzing the films of post-World War films.... This paper "Representation of British Identity in the Films of Post World War II" discusses questions of identity, whether personal, regional, or national, that have always been an area of interest for film directors across the globe.... hellip; The Second World War was clearly a defining moment in British history, but it was also of immense importance to the British film industry....
10 Pages (2500 words) Case Study

Religion and Film

This paper ''Religion and film'' tells that by their very nature, films have the ability to engage people in something of a singular or uniform approach to a particular idea, philosophy, or understanding of an issue.... hellip; As a function of analysing this particular form of social cohesion and the manner through which it impacts upon society, and all expressions of belief/religion, the following analysis will engage the reader with an interpretation of the mechanisms through which film is able to psychologically impact upon the viewer....
8 Pages (2000 words) Movie Review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us