Analysis of a Scene from Spirited Away

Hayao Miyazaki’s celebrated Japanese animated film Spirited Away contains diverse themes and symbolism and revolves around the adventures of a ten-year-old girl named Chihiro. One of the most potent and memorable themes in the film is the contrast between traditional or mythical Japanese culture, and the encroachment of western ideals and modern consumer culture. Miyazaki presents and elaborates this and other themes in an important scene towards the middle of the film. This essay first discusses an overarching theme in the film, and then connects this theme with a particular scene. The cinematic and artistic devices at work in this scene will be examined in detail.

A powerful and recurring theme in Miyazaki’s film is the contrast between traditional Japanese culture (fantastically reimagined), and the adoption of a western lifestyle. The film opens with Chihiro and her parents driving their German car toward their new home. As they become lost, Chihiro asks about a pile of stones on the side of the road. Her mother explains that they are shrines, or the homes of spirits in traditional Japanese culture. The carelessly discarded shrines show the modern disregard for traditional beliefs and illustrates how “Spirited Away is less an upbeat fantasy than a complex exploration of Japan that is searching for…cultural recovery…in a corrupt postindustrial society” (Napier 288-289). In the scene we will examine, this theme is further expressed in in Chihiro’s challenge not to forget who she is.

The theme of contrast and connection between the new and the old is played out in Chihiro herself, whose adventure mainly takes place in the bathhouse across the bridge, inhabited by all kinds of beings with a distaste for humans. There, she loses her name and faces a series of troubles that eventually renew and transform her from a whiny girl to a strong and affectionate young lady. One particular scene cements the importance of that theme: when Chihiro and her helper, Haku, travel back across the bridge to see the parents-turned-pigs. Travelling across the bridge twice in this scene, we are reminded of the film’s main theme of transformation, change, and remembering.

As Chihiro reluctantly passes a ghost and crosses the bridge, she looks back to see the ghost has vanished. This image of the empty bridge slowly recedes, moving away from the viewer, giving it a suspenseful and mysterious quality, as well as a sense of motion where in fact nothing is animated. Here Miyazaki simulates a camera lens slowly zooming out. As soon as Haku shows up to lead and help Chihiro, the suspenseful music stops, and a gorgeous background of flowers is revealed. This communicates Haku’s friendly and helpful nature to the viewer. The very next frame brilliantly uses another cinematic technique, as the ‘camera’ appears to be partially blocked by some flowers. That the flowers are ‘out of focus’ enhances the illusion and gives depth to the scene “…as a consequence of the emphasis on static images, camera effects became more pronounced -panning across images, following objects, tracking up or back, framing in or out…” (Lamarre 336). The only sounds are the crunching of leaves and earth beneath the feet of Chihiro and Haku. Even though Haku warns of danger, the elaborate flowers and lack of music help the viewer feel that Chihiro is safe with him.

The next scene is perhaps the most visually impressive of the film. Haku leads Chihiro down a narrow path with walls of flowers on either side. At first we see Haku’s back, from Chihiro’s perspective, as he walks ahead. The flower walls burst toward the viewer, demonstrating the quick movement of the two friends. Then we see Chihiro from the front, as if the ‘cameraman’ were walking backwards to get the shot. This time the flowers fly away from the viewer, even receding in a curve to show that Chihiro and Haku are rounding a corner. Chihiro walks almost sideways, arms raised, on the narrow path, to show the cramped and secretive space.

Having emerged from the flowers, Chihiro sees her parents in the pig-pen, and becomes upset. Here her face takes up most of the screen to show her emotion. The pigs themselves appear ‘too big’ for the screen, showing their size and cramped quarters. Here, Haku emphasizes that Chihiro is responsible for remembering which pigs are her parents. The danger of forgetting is enhanced by the fact that Chihiro has just referred to herself as Sen.

Outside the pig-pen, Haku’s nurturing nature is again demonstrated by the friendly backdrop of flowers and butterflies. As he hands her the card with her name on it, the crucial idea of remembering is supported by soft and comforting music. In this way the viewer is shown the central importance of this theme, and the connection between the two worlds in the film. In the garden, and comforted by Haku, Chihiro is able to eat, regain her strength, and reinforce her identity. Revitalized, she runs back across the bridge, which is quickly shown from below to give a further sense of depth to the scene. As Haku turns into a dragon and flies off, the viewer is confident in Chihiro’s strength, and knows that her transformation has begun.

The themes of connection and contrast between the old and the new in Spirited Away are focused on Chihiro’s travels between the two worlds shown in the film. Creative use of cinematic techniques, music, sound, and visual symbolism both heighten the aesthetic quality of the animated feature and serve to emphasize its themes.

Works Cited

Lamarre, Thomas. “From Animation to Anime: Drawing Movements and Moving Drawings.” Japan Forum vol. 14 no. 2 (2002): 329-367.

Napier, Susan Jolliffe. “Matter Out of Place: Carnival, Containment, and Cultural Recovery in Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.” The Journal of Japanese Studies vol. 32 no. 2 (2006): 287-310.