Course · Film & animation

Hayao Miyazaki and “Spirited Away”

A course about Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, with a close reading of “Spirited Away” and illustrations of its characters.

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PepelenCourse author

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Who Hayao Miyazaki is

Lesson 1. His life and Studio Ghibli

9 exercises · Understand who Hayao Miyazaki is, how his path in animation took shape, and how Studio Ghibli came to be.

Lesson 2. Signature themes and style

6 exercises · Recognize Miyazaki's recurring themes (flight, nature, young heroines, pacifism, the world of spirits) and understand his commitment to hand-drawn animation.

The major films

Lesson 1. Key works: an overview

5 exercises · Get an overview of Miyazaki's major films: what they are about, when they came out, and what themes they explore.

Lesson 2. Plots, characters, and themes

7 exercises · Connect each key film with its plot, main character, and central theme.

Stage 1. The tunnel and the move: Chihiro's family enters another world

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

5 exercises · Understand the setup: the move, a sulky ten-year-old Chihiro, the tunnel as the border between worlds, and the first rules broken.

Who's who: Chihiro's family

4 exercises · Remember who is in the Ogino family and what role each of them plays in the setup.

Stage 2. The spirit town and the pig parents

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

5 exercises · Understand what town lies beyond the tunnel, why the parents turned into pigs, and what the motif of food and greed means.

Stage 3. Meeting Haku

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

5 exercises · Understand Haku's role: he saves Chihiro, teaches her the rules of the spirit world, and keeps the secret of his own name hidden.

Stage 4. Down to the boiler room: Kamaji and the soot sprites

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

5 exercises · Understand Chihiro's path to the boiler room, the role of Kamaji the boiler man and the soot sprites, and the theme of work and kindness.

Stage 5. The contract with Yubaba: Chihiro becomes Sen

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

6 exercises · Understand the film's central motif: the contract with Yubaba, the stolen name, and the link between a name and the memory of who you are.

Stage 6. Working in the bathhouse: Sen grows up

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

5 exercises · Understand how, through work and trials, Sen stops being a whiny child and becomes brave and responsible.

Stage 7. The River Spirit: the stinking guest and the theme of ecology

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

5 exercises · Understand the River Spirit episode and connect it with the theme of ecology (rivers polluted with trash) and with Sen's growing reputation.

Stage 8. No-Face (Kaonashi) and the gold

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

5 exercises · Understand No-Face's storyline: greed, fake gold, devouring people, and how No-Face is set against Sen.

Who's who: the spirits and residents of the bathhouse

5 exercises · Match the main characters of the spirit world with their roles and learn to recognize them by sight.

Stage 9. Crisis: Haku's wound and the stolen seal

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

6 exercises · Understand the turning point: who Haku really is, why he stole Zeniba's seal, and how Sen saves him with the bitter medicine.

Stage 10. The train across the water to Zeniba

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

6 exercises · Understand Sen's journey to Zeniba, the difference between the twin sisters, and how No-Face changes away from the bathhouse.

Who's who: Boh and Zeniba

5 exercises · Remember Yubaba's son, little Boh, and her sister Zeniba, and don't mix up the twins.

Stage 11. The return, Yubaba's test, and the way home

Breakdown: what happens and what it means

7 exercises · Understand the ending: how his name gives Haku back his memory, how Sen passes the final test, and why the film has no clear-cut villain.

Summary: what the film means

5 exercises · Bring together the main themes of “Spirited Away”: name and memory, food and greed, work and growing up, ecology, and the world of kami.