Name: Kimberly Adams
School: Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh
Grade Taught: second grade
Subjects Taught: language arts and social studies
Appropriate Grade Level for this Movie: (Read Review)

Review:

First, I have to say, Spirited Away is very difficult for me to review. I almost want to write two reviews, one as a personal enjoyment review and the other as a review for educators. As a movie that one can enjoy with his or her family, I would recommend it for children seven and up. I say this because a few of the scenes with the deity creatures might be a bit frightening for younger children. I think this would be a great movie for children, teens, and adults that like high fantasy-based movies. I am a huge fan of anime, and I have watched all of Hayao Miyazaki's movies. I have to say, that Spirited Away was my least favorite. While most of Hayao Miyazaki's movies contain some fantasy elements, I was simply not able to become interested in the plot. I probably would have liked it better if I watched the whole thing in Japanese with subtitles. In fact, I would recommend watching it with the subtitles. The voice acting for the English dubbed version made me cringe. The dubbed version of Hayao Miyazaki's other movies was much more tolerable and even enjoyable for some reason. I will say that on a positive note, that much like Hayao Miyazaki's other movies, the artwork in this film is beautiful.

As an educator, I did not find this film to be suitable for classroom use in the elementary grades. With older students, it could be used to talk about character development. In order to talk in-depth about this film or to think critically about it, it is important that students would be able to grasp the rather abstract ideas that are presented in the film. This film would also be good to use as a comparing and contrasting activity with Hayao Miyazaki's other films. I could also see this film being used to discuss Japanese animation or artwork. There are also possibly some cultural topics that could be discussed using this film, but I would look for other possible films first.

My 7 year old sister had chosen to purchase this movie in the early 2000's based on the cover art alone. As I was 14 at the time, I certainly enjoyed the movie, but on a very surface level. I've enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy stories for most of my life and this was a great addition to my 14 years young collection.

Fast forward 15 years later, my wife had never seen the movie and I had not watched it since my time in high school. I decided we should revisit it and see how she viewed it as an adult and how my understanding may have changed as my life experiences had shaped my own thoughts since I viewed it last.

First, please do yourself a favor and watch it in its native language with subtitles instead of the English dub. It is much more immersive and the actions of the characters match the speech far better. Additionally, the language adds atmosphere. You understand that this is not something from your childhood and the culture as a Western viewer is not something that you grew up with. However, it does force the viewer to have an open mind going forward. This will be foreign to you, but it's a glimpse of something new, not something to attached to your own constructs of how society works in their current geographic location.

Spirited Away is, at its essence, a fantasy story about a young girl, Chihiro and her journey of empathy. Her story begins with moving to a new house. This life changing event can be challenging for adults and children alike and spans generations. More recently Disney used it as a primary event in the movie Inside Out. Our heroine and her parents make a pit-stop to explore an old gate/tunnel. While exploring, they have entered a new world and her parents break some of the rules of the world they have entered. What follows is a magical adventure of a young girl who spends the movie growing up and taking responsibility for her actions. She enters a spirit world with set rules and with static characters. She befriends a boy named Haku who begins her adventure in the spirit world and sets Chihiro on a journey that no one could expect, least of all her.

Throughout her journey, she brings the human element and condition to the world she now inhabits. Others see her as making rash decisions, based not on her selfishness, but on her selflessness. She is an anomaly that some characters in the movie struggle to pin down. As the movie progresses, Chihiro makes friends along the way and helps them grow in their own story. She adds the possibility of growth and seeing outside the norm to them and eventually these growths result in a revelation, sharing with the viewer that the spirit world and the human world are interconnected and not as far apart as we think.

As Chihiro and her parents return to their world, she takes pieces of what she has learned with her. While her actions changed the world she just left, the viewer can also see that what she had experienced left a profound effect on Chihiro and we witnessed her own personal growth story. This story would be excellent for a social curriculum within an elementary school, showing how to use manners and being kind to others. At the same time, it could be very valuable to high school students when teaching about symbolism and the interconnectedness of spirits with our own world, the film would make a strong introduction or lesson culmination to Shintoism.

Spirited Away is a wonderfully fantastic film that reminds us that everyone is doing the best they can, and perhaps extending a kindness towards others, even the smallest act, is enough to change the course of events in the world. As my wife and I finished watching the film, we were reminded that the world is more interconnected today than ever before, but we seem to be growing further apart. Helping one another is sometimes how we get by and one person's actions can make all the difference in someone's life, and maybe even the world. Spirited away exemplifies wonderfully. Please find a friend or loved one and give this film two hours of your time.