Spirited Away to Wonderland: The Liminal Journey
Two movies generally targeting younger audiences are often overlooked for their content, impact, and the messages being conveyed. However, when you look at Spirited Away and Alice in Wonderland these are two children’s movies that regardless have been highly acclaimed and winners of many awards! Spirited Away is a Japanese film written by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki is the Japanese animated film to win an Oscar and an Academy Award amongst many others and is critiqued for its depth and underlying meaning. Alice in Wonderland is a Brittish 1999 television film winning four Emmy and is based off of Lewis Caroll’s novel, which has become as famous as to have had 12 different films directly based off of it. While both these movies come from different countries with different purposes, to have the world acclaim they have garnered puts them on the same level in many aspects and at the same time makes their differences more emphasized. Children’s stories are generally fun and uplifting based on the American stories. However Japanese culture holds no differences in trying to relay the same messages however it is simply done in the unique style of Japanese Animation. By looking at genre, we can explore the themes and content emphasized in Children’s stories, and comparing the cultural background, two differently made movies can still retain the same values.
Both Spirited Away and Alice in Wonderland are two movies that are solely based on Fantasy theme. In Spirited Away a young girl (Chihiro) travelling with her parents stumble upon an abandoned theme park while trying to find their new home, her parents engorged themselves with food while she goes exploring, only to find her way into a completely new world filled with all different creatures and she finds herself trapped in this world and her parents have been turned into pigs. Alice in Wonderland takes upon the same story line but in a different sense. Alice after leaving her problems due to her lack of confidence sits down by a riverside only to notice a white rabbit that is running late and her curiosity sparks and she chases the rabbit down only to stumble upon a completely different world called Wonderland with a charade of characters.
“But soon she is spirited off on an adventure, during which she discovers an enchanted world and experiences newfound excitement and a sense of purpose”(Puig).
These movies become very similar in terms of plot however neither movie as an influence on the other and both plots are unraveled very differently as they take different approaches. They both consist of two girls whose curiosities get the better of them as they are cast into a completely new world and must rely on their own inner strengths to escape. The enchanted worlds they delve in are beyond bizarre and completely strange that not only entices the curiosity of the characters in the movie but also viewers as well, strange yet captivating. And as many children’s stories there is a large emphasis on the morals behind the story that can be shown through the different themes.
Close up shot of the bottle to emphasize Alice's curiosity
Good versus Evil is probably one of the most common themes found in any story line that is meant for children.
“Director Hayao Miyazaki treats his audience as imaginative and intelligent human beings, rather than catering to kids with rote displays of silliness, stunts and scares”(Puig).
Spirited Away incorporates Good vs. Evil by instilling it within the characters and in a very complex and imaginative fashion. It addresses the ideal that everyone has a duality of good and evil within them and that one often overcomes the other and shows an inner struggle within everyone. Chihiro(Protagonist in Spirited Away) is originally a spoiled and unpleasant girl that simply gets what she wants, however as the storyline progresses she becomes more dignified and shows unwavering altruism and care towards others. This shows here towards the end being ultimately good. No Face is an interesting character, as his name implies as he has no face he has no character as well. I think No Face is important to this them and is an enigma. No Face is a character that is determined to be good or evil based on the way the audience interprets him. He is shown to be devoted to Chihiro however the antics and mischief he gets into just to please her draws a line between undying devotion and psychotic impulse. He represents the perfect duality of good and evil, and because he has no face it hard to determine and is up to the audience to classify him as good or evil. Haku is another enigmatic character and through his antics and mischief is hard to determine whether he can be considered on or the other. Even Yubaba, the evil witch, though ultimately evil even shoes her good qualities such as her love for Boh. This shows that even characters that are represented as evil, have duality of nature. Alice in Wonderland, approaches Good vs. Evil, but similar to the audience in a more childish sense, good and evil are generally one-sided. Alice is seen as good because she is the protagonist of the story and the audience sympathizes with her the most, this includes any character that is seen as helping Alice. Antagonist who is the main force against Alice, this is the Queen of Hearts and her minions are seen as evil, or anyone impeding Alice’s progress. However their level of evil is played down and diluted, with childish mischief and silly antics due to the audience targeted by the movie. This is one of key differences between these two different movies, complexity of characters.
Chihiro vs. Yubaba , Good vs. Evil
*Note the defined characteristics*
No Face's shroud of mystery as he tries to help Chihiro.
Another theme addressed is power of self sufficiency and growth that is often always incorporated with many stories directed toward Children. Both movies include young women whose childish curiosity and lack of true strength get them caught up a new world. Chihiro(Protagonist from Spirited Away) is seen initially as a spoiled brat but as she progresses through the film develops an inner strength within her and becomes a more capable person. She starts off completely apathetic as she moves to a new place not caring about anyone but herself. However the moment she finds herself trapped in a new world, She realizes she can only rely on her own strengths. She take on responsibility at a bath house and shows unwavering concern for her parents when they become transformed into beasts and she tries to find every way she can return them back to normal. She takes up a responsibility to Haku by remembering his real name and freeing him from the evil witch’s (Yubaba) control. When she is finally able to change her parents back she escapes the world however the lessons she learned remains, she become extremely excited to be moving to a new place. Alice also undergoes a similar transformation. Alice starts of as unconfident and unable to perform on stage in front of a huge audience. When she runs away from her problem is where she finally meets the white rabbit and follows him into Wonderland. As she delves deeper and deeper into Wonderland she meets new people and learns new things from each and everyone one of them. She also meets the Cheshire Cat who is able to help her out and teach her important things she needs to know about Wonderland. In the end she is put to the test when she is put on trial and she is finally able to gain the confidence to stand up to the relentless Queen of Hearts. It is then she is finally prove herself and is instantly transferred out of her dream. She goes back on to the stage and performs with complete confidence in herself. The archetypal entrance into another world clearly demarcates their status as one in-between. In her transition between child and adult, they stand outside of these societal boundaries, a situation mirrored by the supernatural setting outside of reality. It is their liminal journey that helps them transition to this adulthood.
Culture plays an important part on the strengths of this film and why they retain differences. Culture has a direct impact on the characters as well as on the scenery, two things that are strictly emphasized in both films. Alice in Wonderland takes on strictly English ideals and culture. For instance the White Rabbit is a good representation of the English Stereotype of a gentleman. Nice coat, stop watch, monocle, and polite regard towards others. As Alice explores Wonderland, the camera stills take an emphasis on the Castle like structures and interiors, Castles being from British History. It also includes Tea Party which is another English theme, as tea has become a staple part of English diet. Finally one of the most emphasized systems is the Monarchy System in Wonderland. Croquet is a sport that was developed in England. There is a King and a Queen, however like in British History, Queens hold a lot of power and Wonderland takes upon that because the Queen is the rule of the land. The Queen also heads the trial system that is meant to incriminate Alice, which was a system that was first developed by the English and displays the corruptness of a Monarchy. Spirited Away is a film that derives a lot of its elements and storyline through traditional Japanese Culture. One of the key elements that is incorporated into a lot of past Japanese Folk lore is the loss of name. Loss of name equals a loss of identity and it can be shown by the enslavement of Chihiro and Haku who have both lost their identities and are stuck in this world until they can gain one. In this case Chihiro chooses to create a new adult identity for herself rather than regain her childish one. It also includes the use of bath housing, which is still common today in Japanese Society as it was back in the past. It was a central place where people would socialize and new people would come in and out always having new stories. This is similar to Chihiro in that she met a number of new people simply by working at the bath house. Spirited Away also incorporates rite of passage through death. Japanese folklore often incorporated death and passage on in the same. When Chihiro is transferred to this new world where there are Japanese Gods located in these bath houses it was the same as saying Chihiro was currently stuck in the spirit world and was dead until she could escape. Also they put a strict emphasis on the Japanese culture with traditional clothing and Old Japanese villages.
Traditional Japanese village with old-style clothing
“Both works are products of transitional periods: when Alice was written Britain was in the midst of a great turbulence, brought about by industrialization, urbanization and Darwinism, while Spirited Away is
set in a precarious period for Japan’s economy just after the ‘babble boom’ of the early 1990s”(Ando).
One key thing to know is regardless of different culture their similarities couldn't simply be coincidence. If to look at the times both stories were written it can be shown that the situations during which the stories were written were almost similar. Both stories were written during times of transitional periods to industrialization of a country. This is parallel to the main protagonists of both stories transitioning to adulthood. While the transition was beneficial, many problems stood in the way that cause problems for both Japan and Britain during this transition that made them revert back to the past principles before taking the step forward. This is also similar to the journey of both girls had problems they needed to overcome, however in their present state they are unable. It wasn’t until both entered a fantasy world that was based on historical context of their respective cultures that they are able make the full and complete transformations.
Alice in Wonderland and Spirited Away, are two films that have captivated millions with their fantastic worlds. Both movies although different in culture, through the use of similar content and themes that are addresses by many Children’s stories are able to convey the same messages onto society. This goes to show how people all around the world are able to connect in one way or another. Disregarding different cultures and religions the same principles are still being taught. This is important to understanding that our youth are learning in a similar fashion. This projects that our future generations are moving closer and closer to becoming united. It is a futuristic goal that there will no longer be discrepancies of one country to another because of religion and culture, but that we can all be considered the same because of principle and understanding.
Bibliography and Works Cited
Satoshi, Ando. “Regaining Continuity with the Past: Spirited Away and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Bookbird 46.1: 23-29. Project MUSE. 11 Feb. 2009
Reider, Noriko T. “Spirited Away: Film of the Fantastic and Evolving Japanese Folk Symbols.” Film Criticism 29.3: 4-27. Academic OneFile. Gale. 11 Feb. 2009
Puig, Claudia. "Spirited Away' turns heads in U.S." USA Today. 11 Mar. 2009
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