Upon beginning my college career, I made several new friends who all had a passion for one thing: "Spirited Away."
Apparently, I am one of the select few who missed out on watching "Spirited Away" as a kid. Somehow, between my devotion to "Spongebob Squarepants" and "Courage the Cowardly Dog," I managed to miss the several screenings of this famous Studio Ghibli film on Cartoon Network. And apparently, that was a grievous mistake.
This mistake was remedied almost immediately during my first year, as one of my friends found the film as quickly as possible and played it on the big flat-screen in our residence hall's lounge.
After my first viewing, I agreed with her. I really, really missed out as a kid.
And Studio Ghibli is better than Disney.
"Spirited Away" is an animated movie with such serious and heartfelt underlying themes, you simply cannot dismiss it as a mere cartoon. The art style—a beloved aspect of Studio Ghibli's films—is gorgeous, and the characters are beyond lovable. One of them, No-Face, is probably familiar—if nothing else, I've seen people dressed up as this character in viral videos and on Halloween. Anyway, "Spirited Away" caught my interest, and I decided that I'd delve even deeper into the film company's works.
It took a while, but eventually, my friends and I procured copies of "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Princess Mononoke," and my Studio Ghibli journey continued. I remembered having seen images and characters from "My Neighbor Totoro" since middle school, but the movie was anything but what I expected.
That's one thing that makes Studio Ghibli so great: they take incredibly serious issues and emotions and make them accessible to young viewers. Arguably, Disney has begun to do the same thing with movies like "Inside Out" and "WALL-E" (both fantastic films), but every single one of the Studio Ghibli movies I've watched so far has had some incredible, hard-hitting message. I wish I'd grown up with the message sent by Princess Mononoke regarding industrialization and its effect on and relationship with nature.
Instead, I grew up watching Snow White get kissed out of a poison-induced coma by some guy who gets to do that stuff cause he's a prince. The damsel saved by a somewhat creepy male authority figure once again. Hooray.
Don't get me wrong—I watch Disney movies all the time. Every time a new one comes out, I do my best to go see it in the theater (toting along my little siblings so it seems like an act of kindness instead of a weird obsession with children's movies, of course). My argument here is not that Disney is bad, but that Studio Ghibli is just that good. Truly iconic.
Honestly, I'm writing this after a weekend of Studio Ghibli binge-watching, which is probably biasing me in favor of the film company's work, but it really is amazing. Over the weekend, I rewatched "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke," and then viewed "Howl's Moving Castle" (a real gem) and "When Marnie Was There" (a very strange yet satisfying movie) for the first time. I have come to the conclusion now that Studio Ghibli is incapable of disappointing me.
When I have children of my own, they will most certainly grow up on a mix of Studio Ghibli and Disney so they really get that well-rounded childhood I deserved and did not receive.
Spread the word. Save a life.
Studio Ghibli films are a must-watch.
