Spirited Away: The Wonderful Messages Of This Film
Spirited Away is a film that never goes out of style. To this day he inspires children and adults alike because of his wonderful messages and everything else he has to offer. In fact, it is considered to be one of the best films of the century. Today we want to tell you why it is worth watching this film again and again.
In 2001 Studio Ghibli released this animated film that tells us the story of a ten year old girl. Chihiro is trapped in a magical world where she has to work in a bath house for gods in order to survive. Through her adventures in this huge bathhouse, we learn more about Japanese tradition and spirituality.
There are kamis, spiritual beings that belong to the Shinto religion. In the western world they are deities and in Japan they are associated with the elements of nature. We also get to know yokai, creatures that are a mixture of demons and the spirits of nature.
Chihiro manages to solve a problem her parents caused. They do not respect Japanese traditions or minimal adequate education. She is a normal girl and is able to do anything that is asked of her. In addition, she always thinks of others and wonders what is right.
The lessons that Spirited Away teaches us
Working with others produces better results than working against them
During her trip to the bathhouse, Chihiro has to ask the sorceress Yubaba, who runs the baths, for work. Knowing that this is a difficult task, she decides to be very kind and do whatever Yubaba asks her to do.
In this way, she succeeds in completing all the tasks assigned to her in order to survive in this magical world and one day to be able to return to her own world.
Although Yubaba treats her rather harshly, she asks the sorceress for work in a friendly and polite manner. She also calls her “grandmother” and even asks her to free her friend Kohaku from a curse.
Everyone has a good side, you just have to look for it
That truth is evident in characters like Kaonashi. He is a black shadow with a white face that Chihiro is not afraid of.
Although everyone is convinced that Ohngesicht is evil, Chihiro tries very hard to discover his good side. This enables her to find out what is really going on with the Unfaced and discover his true colors.
Spirited Away teaches us that greed turns you into a monster
The story of Chihiro begins with her parents consuming too much of a food that does not even belong to them. They then turn into pigs.
They believe that this meal will make them happy. However, the truth is that their greed will only get them into trouble. And this is exactly where Spirited Away begins.
Ecology, nature and their meaning in Spirited Away
The meaning of nature is another important topic in Spirited Away. There’s a terribly stinking god in the bathhouse who bothers everyone else because he’s so horrible and smelly.
With a lot of patience, Chihiro devotes himself to the god and washes him. It turns out he’s a god from a polluted river. Inside it is a bicycle that is contributing to more and more pollution. When Chihiro cleans him up, the god appears for what he really is.
The bicycle that is stuck in the stinking god also has great significance. It’s there because someone threw it in the river. The film reminds us of the importance of not polluting our environment.
When we throw objects or rubbish in the water – like a bicycle – we not only pollute the water, but also damage its mind.
Once the river is clean, Chihiro is very happy about it. In addition, all the workers dance for joy and celebrate when the god of the river comes out of the bathhouse clean. Hayao Miyazaki, the screenwriter and director of this film, teaches us something very valuable. He teaches us that if we treat a river well, we won’t get rich, but we will be happy.
The consumer society makes us slaves
In this animated film , anyone who gets a job at Yububa loses their name and memories of their previous life. In this way they all become slaves because they can no longer remember who they really are.
Yubaba steals their names so that they can become slaves. For example, she makes Kohana forget his name and promises him a treasure, which she never gives him.
In summary, we can say that Spirited Away is and will remain one of the greatest films of the 21st century. When children see this movie for the first time, they love it and spend hours talking about what they saw and asking lots of questions.
It is therefore important that you do not withhold this film jewel from your children and enjoy the wonderful messages of this film with them.
