<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/spirited_away_ver2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-3114" title="spirited_away_ver2" src="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/spirited_away_ver2-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="348" height="259" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">http://www.impawards.com/2002/posters/spirited_away_ver2.jpg</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Spirited Away</em></p>
<em>Spirited Away</em> is an anime, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The release of this film to America was on July 20, 2001. Miyazaki believes strongly that children are being robbed of their sense of wonder and imagination while their independence and developing maturity are being stifled. Miyazaki has striven to provide thought provoking themes in his films. These include environmentalism, war and peace, families, the interaction and tension between the human world and the natural world and the process of growing up (Gomes). This film should be preserved for future generations because it inspires imagination and sets a future goal of the world being united as one and not hated because of different religions and cultures.<!--more-->

<em>Spirited Away</em> is about a young, shy girl who is unsure of herself and the world. With the events that happen in <em>Spirited Away</em>, she develops courage and comes out with a better understanding of the world around her. Chihiro and her parents are moving to a new home, along the way, they get lost and end up getting out of the car to walk down a long dirt path. They come to a restaurant filled with no one else around.  The mother and father are famished and begin “pigging out” and try to pressure Chihiro into doing the same. Feeling unease and sensing danger, Chihiro refuses and decides to go explore. As day turns into night, the feelings begin to deepen in Chihiro’s soul and when she returns to her parents to get them to leave, she sees that a curse was put upon them and they turned into pigs.

While Chihiro was out exploring, she came across a boy named Haku who warned her of danger. When Chihiro sees him again, he tells her she must eat the other world food so she will not fade away and the only way she can save herself and her parents is to get a job at the bathhouse for the gods and spirits run by the sorceress Yubaba. After not being scared away by Yubaba, Chihiro is given a job and has to sign a contract saying that she will forget her former life and be given a new identity. Renamed Sen, she undertakes the difficult task of remembering who she is, saving her parents, and finding a way out of the world. In her adventures, she meets many strange and memorable characters, learns lessons about life, and unravels the mystery of the boy Haku, whom she falls in love with (Gomes).

Anime is a popular form of animation in Japan. The major difference between anime and cartoons is that anime is directed towards teens and adults as well as children. In order to understand the invasion of anime into the United States, a look into the historical past would be appropriate. The best place to start is around World War II, when the anime industry evolved significantly (Zagzoug). During World War II, the Japanese nation was mobilized. People were forced to conform to the government’s demands or pay the ultimate price (Zagzoug). Those who did not obey, were punished by “preventive detention, bans on writing, and social ostracism. Those who recanted were rewarded with rehabilitation programs and support for the community. In 1940, organizations for artists and cartoonists were formed. During this time, the government used them to influence the people by creating artwork or cartoon strips filled with propaganda to use against the nations enemies.

After the disasters of the war, Japan rebuilt is infrastructure and economy with the help of the United States. Japan developed a reputation as being cutting edge in the industry and technology areas which resulted in a rapid economic growth from the 1960s to the 1980s (Gomes). The history of Japan is reflected in all aspects of <em>Spirited Away</em>, from the traditional design of the bathhouse to spirituality. The main source behind the spirits in <em>Spirited Away</em> comes from the native Shinto tradition of Japan. The Shinto tradition is based on the reverence for the natural and that all things have spirits (Gomes). In Miyazaki’s own words states that In his own words he states: “In my grandparent’s time, it was believed that gods and spirits existed everywhere – in trees, rivers, insects, wells, anything. My generation does not believe in this, but I like the idea that we should treasure everything because… there is a kind of life to everything.”

Miyazaki’s <em>Spirited Away </em>is innovative and unusual for his time because in it, he addresses three interrelated topics of concern in this movie. Miyazaki intends to instill deep meaning in this movie, he takes great care to insert things that are more easily noticed and seen by children and young adults than adults.  The first theme is the environment. Miyazaki attempts to remind us that the human world and the natural world are linked, via the intermediary of anthropomorphized spirits (Gomes). With the appearances of spirits, Miyazaki tries to make us see that we must revere nature in our own way and with respect the second topic is social values. This is depicted by the tengu which is a spirit that addresses what should be valued. The tengu is not fond of people who have negative traits such as greed and disrespect. The final trait Miyazaki wished to address is of personal growth and values. Chihiro starts off as a spoiled, self-centered little girl. Throughout her adventure, she learns the traditional values of respect for elders, following the rules, personal sacrifice, and perseverance. Miyazaki believes that as society get more modern; it is leading to the destruction of such positive traits within our children.

When <em>Spirited Away</em> came out into theaters the reviews were outstanding. There are many positive reviews on IMDb.com.  Jamie Russell states that “In two hours Miyazaki offers more magic and innovation than most animators could manage in over two decades.” Peter Bradshaw says “A beautifully drawn and wonderfully composed work of art- really, no other descriptions will do- which takes us on a rocket-fuelled flight of fancy.” There are so many positive things said about this movie. “A movie where many childhood dreams are reborn”, “A film Disney should learn lessons from,” and “A hauntingly beautiful tale.” These positive reviews go on and on. The thoughts of <em>Spirited Away</em> are the same today. I account for the reception back then and today by realizing what a well thought out and moving movie <em>Spirited Away</em> is. My thoughts on the movie are the same as the majority. There really is nothing else to be said that hasn’t already been said about this amazing movie.

Movies typically targeting younger audiences are usually overlooked for their content, impact, and the messages being conveyed. However, <em>Spirited Away</em> and <em>Alice in Wonderland</em> have world acclaim which puts them on the same level in many aspects and at the same time makes their differences more emphasized. Both movies are based solely on fantasy (Patel). Both protagonists in the movies are girls who are not deemed mature. Chihiro in <em>Spirited Away</em> is a spoiled brat who progresses throughout the movie and Alice in <em>Alice in Wonderland</em> is unconfident and shy. She undergoes a similar transformation. The journeys help both children transition into adulthood. Culture and scenery are two other things that are strictly emphasized in both films. Alice takes on English ideals and culture.  The castles and structures are from British history. This film also includes a tea party and the Monarchy system which is developed by the English and portrays its corruptness. Chihiro loses her identity in <em>Spirited Away</em>. Loss of a name equals loss of an identity in the Japanese culture. The bathhouse, which is still common in Japan, is a place where people would socialize and share stories. This is the central place in the film. There is also a strict emphasis on the Japanese culture with tradition clothing and Old Japanese villages (Patel).

Both films are products of transitional periods. When <em>Alice in Wonderland</em> was written, Britain was in the midst of a great turbulence brought by industrialization, urbanization and Darwinism (Patel). <em>Spirited Away </em>is set in a precarious period for Japan’s economy just after the ‘babble boom’ of the early 1990s” (Ando). With both films being written during a time of transitional periods to industrialization of a country, this parallels with the main protagonists transitioning to adulthood. While Japan and Britain were transitioning, there proved to be many problems standing in the way which caused both countries to revert back to past principles before taking the step forward. You can see these problems with both Alice and Chihiro in the movies as they go on their adventures.  Disregarding different cultures and religions, you can see the same principles are still being taught.

<em>Spirited Away</em> is a film that has captivated millions with its fantastic world. The message of this film is one of equality. It goes to show how people all around the world are able to connect in one way or another. The same principles are taught throughout the different cultures and religions, who are we to say that one culture or religion is better than the other? Understanding we are all one is important for future generations to learn. Hopefully, with our children and their children knowing this, that we are one, will bring everyone together. It is a futuristic goal that there will no longer be hate between countries because of different cultures and religions, but that we can all considered the same because of principle and understanding.
<p align="center">Works Cited:</p>
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Spirited Away.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2004. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.

I used this website to get information on the overview of this film. This website has a lot of information about the making and development of the movie.

Gomes, Paul. Spirited Away. Lesson Plan: Spirited Away. Paul Gomes, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012.

I used this website to get information about the history and religion of Japan. This is a lesson plan that had a lot of info on <em>Spirited Away</em>.

Zagzoug,, Marwah. "The History of Anime and Manga." The History of Anime and Manga. Black Horizon Anime / C.T. Evans, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. &lt;http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/his135/Events/Anime62/Anime62.html&gt;.

I used this website to get information on the history of anime. It has a lot of info. about anime and manga.

<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/</a>

This website helped me with reviews on this film.

Patel, V. "New Zealand Cinema." <em>: Alice in Wonderland vs. Spirited Away</em>. New Zealand Cinema, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012.

<a href="http://nzcinema-vp427.blogspot.com/2009/03/alice-in-wonderland-vs-spirited-away.html">http://nzcinema-vp427.blogspot.com/2009/03/alice-in-wonderland-vs-spirited-away.html</a>

This website helped me with the similarities and differences b/w <em>Spirited Away</em> and <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>. It has a lot of great similarity and differences info. on this website.