Cleo

“It is rather a hodgepodge of contemporary culture and the director’s imagination.”
― Gael Berton, The Works of Hayao Miyazaki: The Japanese Animation Master

“by until that moment and, by extension, her identity and the roots connecting her to her parents. Chihiro literally becomes “thousand,” a simple number among the innumerable employees at the bathhouse. Yet, in the world of Aburaya, a person cannot return home if they have forgotten their original name. Through the contraction of a name, Yubaba obtains immense control over her employees. The most striking example comes from Haku: he is the spirit of a river drained for urbanization, thus a damned soul, his original name forgotten, his identity obliterated. The Japanese title of the film, 千と千尋の神隠し Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, easily expresses this difference of personality. “Kamikakushi” is a word used in Japan to speak of disappearances, with the implication that the missing person, especially a child, has been taken away by a god or spirit (as done by the Tengu when they began appearing in Japanese folklore). The original title takes on a very interesting meaning, since it also allows for a double meaning; the translation can be “The Disappearance of Sen and Chihiro” or “Sen and the Disappearance of Chihiro.” This second possibility illustrates further what is depicted on the screen. While passing through the bathhouse world, Chihiro is put to one side and the Sen part of her personality develops,”
― Gael Berton, The Works of Hayao Miyazaki: The Japanese Animation Master

“Kaonashi”) acts as a reflection of the father. The ability to pay, in his case gold, should let him do anything. But Chihiro makes No-Face aware that it is not so ‒ she will never accept anything from him because what she is searching for cannot be bought or consumed. From this realization, No-Face loses his reference points (his relational blueprint disintegrates) and enters a state of madness and destruction. His gluttony, however, is only a means to fill an emptiness given his despondency and anguish when he cannot buy the relationship with Chihiro.”
― Gael Berton, The Works of Hayao Miyazaki: The Japanese Animation Master

“Spirited Away uses Carrollian symbols (tunnel, river, bridge) not only to mark a crossing but to signpost the difficulty in returning to one’s own world.”
― Gael Berton, The Works of Hayao Miyazaki: The Japanese Animation Master