What is Spirited Away About?

Chihiro, the young woman who plays the main character in Spirited Away, acts as a conduit through which the film's anxieties and phobias are conveyed to the audience. The primary lesson that can be drawn from this movie is the importance of maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity, which is exemplified by Chihiro's actions throughout the story. It is the most dreadful fear that a child could possibly have, and it is likely their greatest fear overall: the fear of being separated from her parents. Chihiro's passage into adulthood is catalyzed, however, not by overcoming her fear but by tracking down and reuniting with her parents. 

Yubaba, a powerful witch, transforms Chihiro's parents into pigs as a form of punishment for disobeying her and eating food that was not intended for them despite Chihiro's warnings. In order to save them, Chihiro needs to face the reality of her new role as an adult while still acting like a child and go into the bathhouse. She is not so much put to the test as she is given the opportunity to work through the anxieties brought on by moving to an unfamiliar new town. Chihiro's journey and transformation are primarily motivated by her fears of the unknowable, which are personified by the aberration of her finding herself trapped in a spiritual realm that has the potential to eventually keep her there permanently.

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