Or it might be that identifying the kami as the perpetrators was a way of finding acceptance. It was apparently due to the absence of a known reason that such events were attributed to the kami (gods). Wrong RoadsĪ kamikakushi refers to the sudden vanishing of somebody for no reason. The idea of kotodama could still be said to feed into the creative background for Japanese poetry. According to this belief, when certain words are spoken, their hidden power can affect the real world in a variety of ways. In Japanese tradition, words are thought to have a spiritual power, which is called kotodama. The witch Yubaba controls people through their names. (© 2001 Studio Ghibli/NDDTM)Ĭhihiro (千尋) becomes Sen (千) when Yubaba, who runs the bathhouse in the story, takes one character of her name and gains control over the girl. They are typical of the Japanese people of the time, who ignored the country’s traditional, spiritual culture to sing the praises of economic prosperity.Ĭhihiro, the 10-year-old central character in Spirited Away. The couple and their daughter Chihiro are selfish, ill-mannered, and devoted to their desires. She is the daughter of middle-class parents, as is apparent from the four-wheel-drive Audi they own, the upscale brand of the supermarket bag inside, and the relatively young age at which they have been able to buy a detached house in the suburbs. Miyazaki said that girls of that age are tough these days, which is why he chose one as the heroine. The original Japanese name for the film is Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi, which might be translated literally as “The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro.” But why this title?Ĭhihiro is the name of the main character, a 10-year-old girl. Director Miyazaki Hayao’s film has also received critical plaudits around the world and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It soon became the country’s highest-grossing film ever, and was only toppled from this position last year by Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train. Animators within the studio also loved his storyboard work and were ready to support him with the project.It has been 20 years since the film Spirited Away was released in Japan in July 2001. The one who gave Gorō Miyazaki the title of director for Tales from Earthsea was actually Studio Ghibli producer, Toshio Suzuki, who liked Gorō Miyazaki's storyboards. He also loved Le Guin's work and read her books in high school, and mentioned that the story of a boy who couldn't control his own magic power particularly resonated with him. In his writings, he explained the decision was one led by passion, as he loved animation dearly and could no longer ignore it just out of comparing himself to his father. RELATED: Behind the Frame is a Love Letter to Escape Rooms and Studio GhibliĪt 38-years-old, Miyazaki changed his mind and went from landscaping to working at Studio Ghibli. He studied landscaping at the Shinshu University School of Agriculture and had a lot of experience in constructing parks and gardens, and even had a hand in designing the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. In fact, Gorō was sensitive to this and was a landscaper before going into the film business, believing he would never reach the level of praise this father obtained if he worked in movies. In general, a lot is left unexplained, which doesn't help with worldbuilding, character development, or anything else that Ghibli films typically thrive in doing.īeing the son of one of the most famous animators in the world must add a lot of pressure to someone seeking out a career in film. The plot itself also fell into the same unfocused pitfall, not giving the audience an idea of why these characters in particular seek to stop Cob's quest for immortality or why Cob having immortality would destroy Earthsea in the first place.
Important elements such as character motivation were unfocused, not diving into why Therru goes from hating to loving Arren, not explaining why Arren killed his father, and why Cob wants eternal life. Outside of just comparison though, Tales from Earthsea still stumbled in many regards.
#THE INN BETWEEN SPIRITED AWAY FULL#
Then, of course, there is the world-building which was limited to just generic plains, towns, and a castle, while works like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke had enriched locations full of interesting creatures, cultures, and unique buildings. For movies like Howl's Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro, for example, their soundtracks are incredibly memorable while Tales of Earthsea's soundtrack is easily forgotten the moment the credits roll. A lot of what critics say Tales of Earthsea got wrong is due to its comparison with other Studio Ghibli works.
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