Made in the early 1990s and released in 2001 in Japan, and a year later worldwide, Spirited Away is considered by general audiences and many critics like Hayao Miyasaki's magnum opus with Studio Gibli. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The film is about a young girl, Chihiro, who moves to a new region of the country with her parents without her consent, only for her father to lose them. After passing through a tunnel, they end up at an abandoned fair, where his parents continue to satisfy their hunger and eat seemingly freshly prepared food, and soon after turn into pigs. Now stuck in the spirit world, our young protagonist must find a way to survive and adapt to the bizarre new environment of the spirit bath. The story is about personal growth, from a young boy to a reliable adult. There are many themes in the film, such as trusting others, how greed is not the way of life, and how everything may not be as it seems. Along the way, Chihiro meets other characters, the most important one being a young boy named Haku. It is soon revealed that Haku is some sort of dragon who seems to care for Chihiro, and actively aids her in her survival in the spirit world, even though he is the right-hand man of Yubaba, the main antagonist of the story. Yubaba, the witch who owns the bathhouse, is driven by greed, as are most of the workers, and is the one who reluctantly accepts Chihiro due to an oath she had to take when the bathhouse was built. Under Yubaba, two particular spirits come into contact with Chihiro, becoming her confidants and close friends: Kamaji, the spider spirit of the boiler room, the second spirit that the protagonist meets and who directs her to Yubaba after telling her to stay firm and never give up back no matter what, and Lin a weasel spirit who was very skeptical of the young girl, but soon develops a brotherly bond with her and comforts her when needed. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Ultimately, the story of Spirited Away is worth seeing, because it is an experience handcrafted to be a truly memorable time. From colorful characters, absolutely breathtaking art that has become timeless, and a story that remains true regardless of age, it's worth checking out. Works Cited Miyazaki, H. (Director). (2001). Spirited Away [film]. Japan: Studio Ghibli. Napier, S. J. (2005). Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation. Palgrave Macmillan.Schilling, M. (2017). The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Kuhn, A. (2011). The enchanted city. BFI Publishing.McCarthy, H. (2001). Hayao Miyazaki: master of Japanese animation. Stone Bridge Press. Miller, J. (2006). The contemporary Hollywood film industry. Wiley-Blackwell.Phillips, G. (2018). Spirited Away, Second Edition: A Companion Film. Bloomsbury Academic. Bryce, M., & Davis, J. (2014). Anime: A Critical Introduction. Bloomsbury Publishing.Brophy, P. (2009). Spirited Away: the meaning of Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece. Mythos Books.Cavallaro, D. (2006). The anime art of Hayao Miyazaki. McFarland.