Spirited Away

Miyazaki-san is my favorite modern animator; he has no equal. "Spirited Away" is his masterpiece, an awe-inspiring tour de force that works for adults and children alike.

I suggest watching it by yourself first if you have childen under the age of, say, 8; you'll know if your kids can handle it. Josie and Lou have seen it (after we previewed it) and in spots they cuddle close to me, but they don't seem overly traumatized--like, not at all. Potentially scary parts: The turning of Chihiro's parents into pigs (Josie always leaves the room during this part); a boilerman with four long spider-like arms (who turns out to be Chihiro's mentor); three enormous body-less heads that bounce all over the place (and turn out to be more funny than threatening); and No Face, a spirit who at one point threatens to literally devour everything in sight, but redeems himself in the end.

Like "My Neighbor Totoro," which is set in Japan in the 1950s, "Spirited Away" (set in modern Japan and in a "spirit world" that is filled with traditional Japanese culture) is a great way to introduce your family to Japan. You could build a whole Japanese curriculum around these two films alone; in fact, sneaky homeschooler that I am, I've done just that without my suspicious anti-curriculum Josie being any the wiser.

This is how much Josie and Louisa love this film: I can get them to scrub their crayon marks off the walls by playing "Sen at the bath house." They pretend they work at the spirits' bath house and will even scrub the floors as long as they can do it the traditional Japanese way!

I can't guarantee this film will get your kids to help you scrub floors and walls, but I can just about 100% guarantee that you will be enchanted by it. It's a DVD that should be in every family's library (along with "Totoro" and "Kiki" of course!).

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

And don't forget "Princess Mononoke"! Also by Miyazaki, and with a English script written by Neil Gaiman. The voices include Claire Danes, Billy Crudup, and Gillian Anderson. Not for younger kids, definitely, but beautiful.

Spirited Away is one of the finest animated films I have ever seen. It’s beautiful to watch. The images in the bathhouse particularly appealed to me (especially when Chihiro/Sen was filling the big tub for the river spirit). But the tale itself is one that takes its rightful place among the best fantasy literature for children.

Some of the motivations in the film seemed opaque to me; I could not decipher them. I didn’t know if it was my own lack of familiarity with Japanese culture and tradition, or maybe that the director intended to leave some things to mystery, but it only added to my fascination.

In the beginning, Chihiro’s apathetic attitude and complaining was a little too reminiscent of myself! It was satisfying to witness her willingness to humble herself, accept wisdom from others, trust, and follow instructions to her own benefit. It was good to see the good rise in her. What fascinated me was that one mis-step on her part could have ended her life and her parents’. That element of danger, of not knowing what one will see next, and the sense of the courage required of Chihiro as she faces the unfamiliar, lends a real excitement to the story. It reminds me of the original versions fairy tales that I used to read as a child. I would love to add this one to our library!