The name Hayao Miyazaki is well-known among anime fans across the globe. He is a Japanese director who first inspired me to step into the wonderful world of anime. Yes, and I mean it when I say that.

So, I happened to come across a social media post that applauded his film for his unique way of creation. That’s how I decided to watch his film named Spirited Away which was released in the year 2001. I can say that it is, without a doubt, one of the most artistic animated films I’ve seen so far.

Animated by Studio Ghibli, you might be amazed to find that Spirited Away was the first anime film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In addition, it won 31 accolades in the following years in different categories. Recently it was declared that Miyazaki’s Spirited Away will be turned into a stage play which will premiere in 2022 in Tokyo.

When researched about the creation of this film, I found out that the director first worked on story boards even before writing the script. Unlike the computer-generated ones, all frames in the film were hand-drawn by Miyazaki. It indicates the traditional Japanese art and culture. Considering this fact, it is appreciable how he gave special attention to detailing in each frame.

The plot centres around a young girl named Chihiro and her parents as they relocate to a new town in the countryside. They eventually find themselves in an abandoned theme park. With no souls in sight, it appears to be a mysterious area, which raised Chihiro’s doubts.  She tries to stop her parents from indulging themselves in having free food served there. All of her efforts, however, go in vain.

Chihiro eventually decides to explore the place on her own, but she gets trapped in the world of spirits. As the night grows darker, she only see spirits all around her. She panics, unaware of what is going on, and discovers her parents have been mysteriously transformed into pigs.

Haku, a river spirit, finds Chihiro and guides her to escape from the place. It is, however, too late. He promises Chihiro that he will assist her and her parents in escaping from this place. He assigns Chihiro to work at the bathhouse for the spirits, which is run by Yubaba, the story’s antagonist who captured her parents. As the story progresses, it becomes more interesting.

The transformation of Chihiro’s character from a spoiled brat to a self-reliant girl is seen at the end of the film. The story emphasises the real value of family. The concept of “you never know what something is worth until it’s gone” is depicted.

‘Spirited Away’ remains a classic in the world of animation even after 20 years of its creation, and it is still one of my favourite films.