Key Facts
full title · Spirited Away
director · Hayao Miyazaki
leading actor/actresses · Voiced by Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, and Suzanne Pleshette
supporting actor/actresses · Other voices by David Ogden Stiers, Lauren Holly, John Ratzenberger,
and Susan Egan
type of work · Japanese anime
genre · Adventure/Fantasy
language · Dubbed in English. Considered an excellent translation
by anime experts.
time and place produced · 2001, Japan
awards · Best Animated Feature Film, 75th
Annual Academy Awards. Best Film, 2001, Japanese
Academy Awards. Golden Bear (tied), 2002,
Berlin International Film Festival. Many other lesser-known awards.
date of release · U.S. release date Sept. 20, 2002
producer · English version: John Lasseter
setting (time) · Late 1990s
setting (place) · A traditional Japanese bathhouse
protagonist · Chihiro, also known as Sen, a spoiled ten-year-old
girl
major conflict · After Chihiro and her family accidentally wander into
a spirit world and her parents turn into pigs, Chihiro struggles
to stay focused on her goal of freeing her parents in the face of
numerous otherworldly distractions involving greed and consumption.
rising action · Sen is tested by No-Face, who offers her gold to keep
her in the bathhouse and distract her from her goal of freeing her
parents and saving Haku.
climax · Sen gets on a train to go see Zeniba, who holds the
key to helping Sen reclaim her identity as Chihiro, saving Haku's
life, ameliorating the loneliness of No Face, and determining the
fate of Chihiro's parents.
falling action · Chihiro and her parents find their car covered with
dust. The parents think someone has been playing a joke on them.
Chihiro shows she's now resigned to her new life.
themes · The power of words and names; the blurred line between
good and evil; the shock of entering adulthood and the world of
work
motifs · Greed; food; environmentalism; rules
symbols · Water; flight; gold
foreshadowing · Chihiro's dad telling Chihiro and her mother not to
worry that he's driving dangerously because he has four wheel drive.
Along the same lines, a few minutes later he says not to worry about eating
the food because he has credit cards and cash. Both of these events
foreshadow Chihiro being left to rely on her own character and devices.
· Chihiro's parents grunting as they begin eating, which foreshadows
them turning into pigs.
· The stink spirit/river spirit turning into a white
dragon. This is a key foreshadowing of the true identity of Haku,
who is himself a river spirit/white dragon.
· Haku vomiting up the slug. This is a foreshadowing
of the purging of No-Face, which leads No-Face to peace.
