Spirited Away, Still Popular After 20 Years
By: Penny G.S
September 16, 2022
The retired animation extraordinaire Hayao Miyazaki came out with the movie Spirited Away in 2002 which means this year is Spirited Away’s 20th Anniversary of being out in the US!
Hayao Miyazaki
Spirited Away has been out since August 31, 2002, in the US however it came out in 2001 in Japan but how has it been so popular still after 20 years? I asked some students in EJHS about why they think it’s popular and about how good the movie is, “It is such an entertaining movie with a plot that really hooks you. I could watch it over and over again!” Maggie Cooper said.
“I think that after all these years the movie is still popular because of how relatable the characters are. Chihiro is an average character thrown into a crazy situation, and I think that people can really relate to that.” quotes Macy Mullin.
Speaking of the plot, the storyline for Spirited Away is down below, but beware because it contains spoiler
(SPOILERS)
At the start of the movie, you see the main character, Chihiro in a car moving to a new town with her parents not knowing what to expect.
Along the way Chihiros parents seemed to have gotten lost and ended up in front of an arch with a strange-looking statue in front of it, her parents decide to go in for a moment even against Chihiro’s warning that it could be dangerous.
The family goes in to see a large field and the smell of food wafting in the air, the parents go to explore and reluctantly Chihiro goes too, and after walking for a bit they find an abandoned town with somehow fresh food in a food stall. The father called out if anyone was there and since there weren't the parents decided to start eating the food saying they’ll pay for it later. Chihiro was the only one who didn’t eat and she went to explore the area until she found a large Bathhouse, somehow still running.
Chihiro (The Main Character)
Chihiro Staring at the Ocean
Chihiro stayed there until a boy ran up to her and told her to leave immediately as the sun started to set.
Chihiro ran to her parents, but she saw pigs in their place. Chihiro ran even more away from the spirits back to a drained river her family had crossed to get to the town and saw it turned into an ocean with a ferry filled to the brim with spirits visiting the town.
Chihiro ran away from the river away from everything until the boy from earlier (named Haku) Helped her and told her to get a job in the bathhouse by a man named Kamaji no matter what. Chihiro did as she was told by the boy and ran to where Kamaji was supposed to be working as the person who operates the iron supply in the Bathhouse.
Chihiro got to Kamaji and had to ask many times before a girl (Named Lin) came in to give him lunch and he offered Chihiro a job as Lin's assistant, but before Chihiro could start she had to make a contract with Yubaba the owner of the bathhouse.
Lin took Chihiro to Yubaba to get a job and at first Yubaba denied her but then Chihiro kept begging and Yubaba agreed for a price, the price was Chihiros own name.
Her name was changed to Sen and as soon as Sen got a job she worked towards getting her parents and her free from the Spirits Bathhouse.
Voice Actors
English
Chihiro - Daveigh Chase
Yubaba/Zeniba - Suzanne Pieshette
Haku - Jason Marsden
Lin - Susan Egan
Kamaji - David Ogden Stiers
Chihiro’s Mother - Lauren Holly
Chihiro’s Father - Michael Chiklis
Assistant Manager - John Ratzenberger
Boh (baby) - Tara Strong
Voice Actors
Japanese
Chihiro - Rumi Hiiragi
Yubaba/Zeniba - Mari Natsuki
Haku - Miyu Irino
Lin - Yumi Tamai
Kamaji - Bunta Sugawara
Chihiro’s Mother - Yasuko Sawaguchi
Chihiro’s Father - Takeshi Naito
Boh (baby) - Ryunosuke Kamiki
Movie Trailer!
Contributor Bio
Penny is a 12 year-old 7th grader and judging by the article she really likes Studio Ghibli, although her favorite Studio Ghibli movie is, 'Whisper of the Heart' spirited away is another top favorite.