Spirited Away analysis | in depth scene by scene breakdown

[@mylittlethoughttree]

It's finally here!!! Naturally, this video has spent the last 2 months stuck in copyright appeals, so that is why some of the patron credits won't be up to date. Hope you all enjoy! Patreon link - www.patreon.com/mylittlethoughttree

[@um1860]

The dark color Spirits down Yubabas home are employes that apears in the old Town outside the Bathhouse Ps forgive my writting mistakes, I am learning english by myown

[@LordWyatt]

I just binged you series. Hardly anyone goes as depth into this film as you did. *Well Done.* Also I noticed something recently for part 5: When Haku tells Yubaba that something precious to her is missing, she first inspects the gold (noting his previous tone) and questions his sincerity with a Look that he returns. That’s when she turns and notices her Bo isn’t acting his normal self and undoes Zeneba’s spell. During her shock the gold turns to dirt (or pebbles) simultaneously representing her own feelings. Her precious Bo is gone; all her wealth and power means nothing now as she panics before turning on Haku. I’ve always tried paying attention to the deal and it’s details but these videos made me think about that scene and the symbolism shown. Funny how defensive Zebaba gets when she and those she cares about are threatened (I doubt she cares for her sister lol)

[@rebeccaflynn7211]

Thank you for these videos! I've always liked Spirited Away but never really understood it. I'm glad you're committed to this series as its been great so far and I'm looking forward to the next part!

[@geuthazan]

Great job 👏 Eagarly waiting for the last 2 part! 🤩

[@LipstickSuccubus]

are you ever going to finish this...

[@papercrane7685]

this is my comfort movie. Strange how it feels like an escape to leave our world and enter this terrifying, gruelling, crafty spirit world... I guess I should try more to see the humanity in the Hakus and Bohs and No Faces of this world. A few moments of reflection looking at the ocean and train out of this place couldn't hurt either

[@lutilda]

PLEASE continue this series!! I love it so much!

[@MADMadisson]

I've worked with children as well. When you mentioned how "Children in difficult family environments might think that the only way they can have their prcence noticed is to be seen as a monster." it hit home cause I've sadly seen that situation multiple times. I love your videos. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@Baby-blue999]

The black spirits in the chute in Yubaba’s floor were all of the other workers who died in the bathhouse that Yubaba disposed of. It was literally her intention to throw Haku down there to die forgotten as well, he was just another slave who was no longer useful to her. When he showed up in her office she even said “You’re still alive?” in an irritated tone, she was entirely of the belief that he was dead and thrown away with the other lost spirits beneath her floors.

[@xenomorph6599]

28:20 gotta love how chirhiro moves right here. Perfectly reflective of how a person's body actually moves when trying to make a panicked decision on where to go, particularly that little lurch to her right twice at the end before turning around. Also, as for the coal spirits, Yubaba DID threaten to turn Chihiro into a lump of coal. Maybe these are similar victims after having been through the furnace

[@beary-boo3223]

Just found this and am sad that there aren't any more parts as of right now. Excited to see more, whenever that happens!

[@hannahbobanana1561]

Oh no I just finished this and realized there’s no more😭 this was awesome please continue!

[@suzannax]

Interesting to hear how much of the story went over my head when I was younger. Tbh though the art is so beautiful it didn't matter, just gives me a reason to go back and watch it.

[@1987Onslaught]

You're final thoughts had me thinking - Why is it that we turn to attacking people rather than empathy? When we feel slighted we want to lash out. Is it something natural and coded within us or some external influence that has been consistently reinforced? Why does it seem like it takes more energy to care than to despise?

[@jutajazz]

An easy path is that of grit and anger, change takes effort, every moment, never having done that, an auto-pilot response is the quickest. However, taking a chance of change and working on healthier responses always starts a different and new experience

[@matthewc9806]

In my opinion the answer is in the question itself. Anger is not inherently good or bad. But we label, ignore, and shove it down. The more anger you have suppressed and not dealt with, the quicker you'll be to anger in any situation. The same goes for any emotion, the more fear someone builds up they become afraid of even leaving the house. As you let go and work with your anger you can learn to respond more reasonably. It takes time, a long long time and a lot of work. But it's actually less time and less effort than one spends suppressing their feelings because we "aren't supposed to" feel that way. A Freudian might say it has something to do with the Id and its animalistic instincts of competition, like there's a perceived scarcity of resources so we need to fight over them or if someone else is winning that means I'm losing. That might have some truth to it too

[@gracehaven5459]

My Nana loved this movie. She introduced it to my sisters and I via VHS tape back when they were just called "videos" still. My elder sister didn't get it but it inspired a lifelong love of anime for myself & the younger one. It still very deeply reminds me of Nana. She was an artist herself & had a knack for finding eccentric and artsy films to broaden her horizons. (rest in peace Nana 🥲) I never even realized how much this movie had an impact on me and my generation in fact until recently: incidentally I had a group therapy session this week in which we were to paint a picture of our "anxiety monsters" and how we feel they would look like. No short of 3 of us had created No Face as a symbol of our anxiety in various renditions in a group of merely 9, lol!! If that doesn't speak to impact I don't know what does.

[@SteveJubs]

So thoughtful and lovely as always. It’s wonderful to be able to spend a little time listening to someone else who loves this film as much as I do catch all of these tiny yet significant details (which I would never have noticed) and make so many connections between the different events of the story. When I was younger, I remember thinking this movie was a bit all over the place, a bit unfocused maybe, though loving it all the same. But the older I get, the more I’m blown away by how incredibly thematically cohesive it all is. Can’t wait for the next episode!

[@LordWyatt]

Right? That’s how movies should be thought of. Every moment (even seemingly pointless ones) should be thought and connected carefully to make the World (not just the story) flow. It’s relieving to revisit old films that you once thought were alright and discovering how well done they truly are.

[@earfquakehq]

this is just a guess but i think that the reason haku couldn’t return home was because haku was a river (when him and chihiro first met) and that river was drained and apartments were build on it if i remember correctly

[@noxiousbones]

I had a breakthrough watching this analysis. I do snarl and bite at those trying to help me when I’m hurt. But those in my life that have pushed past that have meant more to me than anything else in the world. Also No-face’s obsession with Sen makes so much more sense after understanding how she acts towards him. I used to think that he didn’t eat her because she denied his offerings (or detested her own greed) and never really understood it. But now I do! And this movie further solidifies itself as one of my all-time favorites!

[@itspeachiie]

I’ve recently binged your video essays on Spirited Away and they've honestly been the best videos I’ve seen yet. I love how you not only point out symbolism and deeper meanings, but you also talk about the characters' emotions and how they affect their decisions. you always find things that I’ve never noticed before, even after watching Spirited Away a million times. tysm for providing such great analysis on this masterpiece of a film! can't wait for the next parts :)

[@mylittlethoughttree]

Thankyou! ☺️

[@tomdekel881]

you make me cry everytime I watch this videos, please keep doing what youre doing and we need a part 5

[@pandora789]

this is how i interpret the whole 'chihiro eating the river spirit's gift' thing: the river spirit and haku (in his true form) look kind of similar. which, you know, makes sense. the "he's a dragon" scene, which happens before this, establishes that chihiro knows what haku really looks like. and you can see her staring after the river spirit a little as it leaves. in the scene where she and haku meet, haku never says what the food he gives her is, but it is in the shape of a round ball, similar to that of the river spirit's. so this is what i imagine chihiro's thought process to be: haku gave me this food, which helped me -> haku is a dragon -> this river spirit kind of looks like haku as a dragon -> the river spirit also gave me something like haku did -> it is also food that will help me?? when i was younger i felt that chihiro realizing that haku was a river spirit was something kind of pulled out of nowhere even if she did remember the events that happened to her, but i think looking at it this way sort of provides a natural progression of thought for her to have alongside (or maybe aiding in) her sudden recollection later

[@TheFangirlOtaku]

"No-Face Yes-Voice" had me dying so thanks for that. I am actually sick and while it made my condition worse it brightened my day as my final hours draw near. It's just a sinus infection, I'm not actually dying

[@amazinglybrea]

Dang you were joking about the next time you were gonna finish this series 😩😩😩😩 it’s 2023 I’m glad I was able to binge watch the ones I did!

[@laracristol91]

A little detail that I love (and I can't remember if you've mentioned in a previous video). When we see the bathhouse for the first time, we are seeing what any guest is SUPPOSED to see of it, beautiful, grand and spotless. That's what the front of it shows, however when you see it from the side or the back, you notice the ragged, worn down sleeping quarters for the workers vs how beautiful and full of details Yubaba's quarters are. I found it fascinating because it's a great tell on how much Yubaba cares about appearances. Wherever the guests are allowed to move around, it's all very luxurious, but the places they are not meant to see are left uncared for. Literally putting up a front, a mask, and leaving what's behind the mask (we could say reality, maybe?) as it is. It doesn't matter what reality is, how ugly it may be, because it's not meant to be seen by the people that "matters". Of course there's a lot more that you could say about that, about Yubaba's superfluousness and the bathhouse reflecting that. I don't know.

[@margaret3639]

this is my favorite movie! but my favorite part of the film is actually at the beginning when they first arrive at the abandoned amusement park. Its a relaxing moment and you can feel a sense of awe and curiosity about this new place like the protagonist feels. Also the music?? peaceful and ambient. Best opening in a movie.

[@deenadallas2802]

I'm so glad I had the pleasure to see the four analysis videos, and I can't wait to see the last analysis video. Another thing: I love the parallel video between Chihiro and No-Face, but I'm still waiting for Part 5.

[@finnstoner1975]

i hope you continue thus series i love it so much!!! i know you haven’t gotten to end of the film yet but i watched it recently and noticed that at the end of the movie when chihiro and her parents are walking through the tunnel again, it looks like they’re walking in the same direction(right to left across the screen). in the same positions and saying the same things almost as if they never actually left the tunnel into the spirit world and just walked in a circle back to their car. this kind of feels like when as a kid you would play all sorts of games that you might not remember when you’re older but in the moment as a kid everything felt so real. OR when you’re dreaming and it feels like days or weeks pass in it and you live a whole other life just to wake up again the same as when you fell asleep and soon you forget what you were dreaming about and move on with your life

[@willmurrin9344]

I appreciate your videos. You contribute some of the best film analysis on KZbin. It would be nice to see you finish this series. Thanks!

[@countyfacts6920]

34:40 I always thought these were the spirits, or even humans, that Yubaba through down the chute when they were no longer useful, or tried to rebel. Hence why the three heads were trying to push Haku down it.

[@seankong9733]

He's back he's back! And he's better than ever! GOD I've been waiting so long for this to come back!

[@ezkl9424]

This movie parallels the life and death of my daughter. There are so many similarities, it's both disturbing and comforting. Your analysis drives it home.

[@Live-hh6li]

My subscription of this channel is just because of this series

[@strife_fox]

the train sequence is my favorite

[@margotgrant3947]

.... thank you for taking the time to ponder and share such relatable analysis; in watching several Miyazaki films with a young elementary school age family member, I was struck by the optimism: " but it will have a good ending because it's Miyazaki"; I think I most admire his devotion to and tenacity in the portrayal of what is True Of Life... in a most approachable context - anime ... I've heard that our experience on this earth is all an emergency situation, with purpose, and it will come out Right in the end.

[@gwarnc.yk1]

This is my favourite movie of all time I’ve watched this like 5 times I remember wen I was rlly young I use to see it playing on film 4 but never knew what it was until yearssss later I became in love with it

[@valesfm]

Lol I work at Amazon, and I have related to this movie since I was a kid. And it's true, we often fantasize of leaving in that train, and we never do so. And then years go by and you even forget you had a dream and a choice.

[@channarytsui1024]

loved this analysis!! looking forward to the next one

[@unreeeal493]

Finally, I have waited for this day for so long

[@akaro4752]

Man i really need the next part of this, this series has been amazing so far

[@MaliceInCandyland]

We need another Spirited Away video. 😭

[@mylittlethoughttree]

Yeah, I have left it way too long

[@stripes616]

@@mylittlethoughttreeI searched through your channel for the next video lol love this video!

[@Andreslovesun]

just spent 2 hours with you explaining what i saw as a kid a could never get of my mind, really looking foreward the nexts episodes. thank you so mutch for your work :)

[@MrWhite-bp6hc]

I’ve been waiting for this a while glad to see it’s out and up to the best quality!

[@debeshbhattacharjee3907]

I have been watching the movie for the 3rd time with you analysis screen by screen...it is really helping me to understand it much better...Thanks again for all your efforts, love from India...

[@_elenaio_]

Beautiful analysis! I loved your definition of trust.

[@aidanl7711]

i feel so utterly cheated by the youtube algorithm that I’m only JUST NOW finding out about part 4

[@gabrielatorres5646]

I had been waiting so much for this!! Thank you so much!

[@jaywalkingagain]

This is very well done. You've taken a scene I often overlook as a transitional one and managed to derive meaning out of it. I'm now finding this as one of my favorite scenes as well.

[@meimei8718]

I agree that there are subtle but important differences to greed. The avarice associated with gold and the greed for a life changing vector can be different.

[@katharina_r]

I am so happy that you have uploaded a new episode. I really appreciate listening to you analysis and thoughts on the movie

[@efoxkitsune9493]

Once again, what a fantastic video. I really love your analysis of No Face, it's exactly how I interpret him too, only I could never word it so well. I can't wait for the next part, involving his big scene. Thanks for these wonderful breakdowns, they always make my day. Sending love your way. Take care!

[@Leobrook11]

I love these videos you go in such depth on these scenes and I love the way you go over them explaining detail by detail. You deserve a lot more for these videos. You’re a goat 🐐

[@chinhuiyi9673]

ah finally i love this series from your channel so so much 😩👌🏻❤

[@everausten]

I love these deep dives on such a beautiful film ✨🌟🌙

[@laurencarlson2449]

I'm so excited for the other videos!!(:

[@hanoapuaa]

You know the three heads. In Japanese culture they say a man/person carries 3 faces.. My thought. The heads is Bo’s father.. And now it open for your own thoughts.

[@nalu3430]

One thing I don't like about the English dub is the extra exposition they added.(extra lines where they dump information) Cause it does afect the narrative, for example, the one that I hate the most is when Chihiro sees Haku flying away for the first time and in the English dub she says "haku? Is he a dragon?" But in the japanese version she says nothig, so later when she sees the dragon fighting the paper things we get this amazing moment when she calls "Haku!!" Almost instinctly, but then,she asks herself "haku?" Suddenly realizing that for some reason she knows that it's him, foreshadowing the plot that she knew him since she was little but does not remember completly. Another dub moment that I hate with all my heart is when they are falling and chihiro says "I knew you were good" what do you mean by that?? She has not doubt him since the first half of the movie. I hate that dub so much!! Cause in japanese she says "thank you!!" Of course

[@itsQUINNderful]

Yes!! The English dub is horrible. When I was little I watched in the first time in English and I didn’t like the movie. I rewatched as an adult in its original Japanese form and it’s just so beautiful! I feel like the English dub dumbs everything down and makes the characters more negative.

[@Mjumiman]

Such a treat whenever one of these videos goes up

[@spazatron300]

Please finish this series. I just came across it and need resolution.

[@sarahmoller7308]

Jesus Christ, I loved this so much. Just as much as your previous analysis videos; they're greatly insightful and calming to listen to and I get to see my favourite movie in a totally different light. You my guy deserve far more subscribers, the world needs more intelligent and emotionally mature people like you. And now I'll listen to this again - for sleeping. 😆💜 Don't get me wrong, please don't misunderstand - your videos are NOT boring at all, but your voice is so gentle and soothing and it helps me fall asleep.

[@midnighthowler1101]

I've been waiting waiting for this

[@rafaelakrauss9804]

I am totally blown away with your ability to understand so many of the themes withing this film! I'm doing a presentation on this very soon, so tell me If you need any help with next video or any other film( I would looove to help! ) Also, your channel's name is so very cuuute!

[@mylittlethoughttree]

Thanks! That's a damn kind offer as well. I couldn't say until I actually sit down to try and analyze the next section of the film though...whenever I find the time. Hopefully soon, it's been a long while now

[@KnuckleHunkybuck]

"You'll get sick if you go outside." I barely remember anything about this movie, but the jarring relevance of an overgrown baby being scared of the outside because he's been convinced of its danger by a lording master is far too close to current events for me not to give it a rewatch.

[@1marilynable]

I can't wait until the next on. I'm always checking for it lol

[@gwenmorse8059]

I'm so glad to see the next section of this. You always make me see familiar things in a new way. I also wanted to point out that you invited us to comment on the new Harry Potter prologue video, but you also disabled comments. A bit of a mixed message there. :D

[@mylittlethoughttree]

Yeah, youtube disabled them for some reason, not sure why but it's happened before, I've enabled them again anyway

[@AndRea-hy7sg]

Can't wait for the next episodee 💕💕

[@lunaluminosa8872]

did part 5 of this series ever got made? would love to see

[@Fallendown45]

Waiting for the next part.. Excellent analysis

[@mohmmedbinsalmanalsaud]

This is a guess but i could imagine the stars aproaching, the spirits reaching out for sen and her returning to komaji as a parallel to her arrival to the bath house but now she has grown alot and al that character development if you know what i mean but thats all just a thought

[@esherman4421]

Just found this series, really like it!

[@Anoki_S1]

Oh yes im so excited to hear more of this! ❤️❤️❤️

[@wilkoufert8758]

Re: Frog … I Agree that he’s not punished for being greedy. But he is corruptible, he rejects no face when he thinks that he’s trespassing and then changes his mind about it as soon as the gold comes into play. It is this and kindness towards no faith, reducing him to what he’s able to pay, that gives no face the urge to swallow him - more like a counter-action than like a punishment.

[@steamedhamlet]

The music is very silent hill like... in that it's not a very "western cinema" type of music accompaniment and may seem completely contradictory to the situation the character is in. But i think get it; the music knows something we don't or is reflective of a larger world's atmosphere that is not affected by the characters' situation. Specifically the opening scene in Silent Hill which has a relaxed jazzy kind of music while Heather is possibly in danger.

[@LadyPapaMayodora]

If you havent seen song of the sea i would highly recommend it even if you don’t analyze it. But i think if you watched it you would be very interested

[@em_.hay.]

Hiya, I really enjoy all your videos and I really think you'd like a series on Netflix called 'One Day at a Time'. It's such a heart-warming, feel-good show about a Latino family in America - the mum is an army veteran suffering with PTSD, and lives with her kids and Cuban mother. It's so funny and light but also covers some really important issues such as mental illnesses, racism, LGBTQ rights and so much more, and it's really given me a lot to think about in life.

[@truppelito]

Incredible! I love this series

[@gr2159]

Great job!!

[@netscayped]

❤ my favorite series

[@nayar824]

I'm wondering the relationship between haku and chihiro? I believe he was her dead brother, as Google claims, but I'm sick of people calling haku chihiro's "Dragon boyfriend" it's sickening to me. I just want to end the debate, but I can't find any interviews with the director answering this, can you?

[@MashaTormis]

Definitely and I kind of see them very great friends

[@milkman2994]

When shall we get this next video sirrrr

[@goncalonunes9207]

I ll just seat hhere waiting for part 5

[@williamjefferson5200]

Why didn't Kamjī keep Haku still when he was struggling; thrashing about, and hitting drawers with his tail? Kamajī was just standing there and watching. Because Chihiro was only keeping Haku's jaws shut, he was free to thrash about with the rest of his body and make a mess. If only there were more people in the boiler room besides Chihiro; Haku, and Kamajī. They could've kept Haku still

[@sn9731]

Wait, what? The love isn't a romantic one? How comes? :' ( Btw, absolutely love your work! Thanks for all the effort

[@sukuntee]

The frog was greedy when no face swallowed him, that’s why what no face manifested becomes glutton n greed.

[@erinnovak541]

at 34:44 i was thinking that the spirits were lifting them up to somewhat help them get to where they need to be. to push them up out of the darkness where these spirits are stuck. They are helping others not share the same fate? I don't know that was my initial thought at least.

[@marywhistley]

Oh it's here!!!!! Time to order sushi and watch it 😁

[@Half-baked-couchpotato2498]

Any update on the copyright appeals? I would love to see the rest of this series

[@asexualtrickster]

Are you going to do any similar in depth analysis of other Ghibli movies? Or just other movies in general.

[@mylittlethoughttree]

Almost certainly more Ghibli after this series is finished ☺️

[@irisanjelika]

is there going to be a part 5? 🥹

[@mylittlethoughttree]

100% it's bad I haven't made it yet, I just find it hard to find the time to devote to a massive video, knowing I'll then have to go through 2 months of copyright war, before I'm able to release it. I promise I will finish the whole series though

[@Sandra-hc4vo]

I like the series, very nice

[@matthewc9806]

Are you gonna do any videos on other ghibli films? I love them all

[@mylittlethoughttree]

Well they give me such copyright hell and attempted at first to get my channel terminated....so in a pathetically petty act of revenge, I'm going to make as many Ghibli videos as possible, once this series is done 😆

[@nathandriel6437]

just ... Thank You! ^^

[@FiveAcreFarm]

That was damn good!

[@victoriavillar_]

i´ve been waiting :´)

[@heyimmashark9030]

part 5 when?

[@veggiechip]

this was the most indecisive rambling jesus

[@brightblackgrouse6236]

Great picture

[@solargomez634]

Will you make a nother part for this?

[@mylittlethoughttree]

Ofcourse!

[@tricej7802]

Was there a part 5 analysis?

[@opinionpaladin6007]

I don't understand the cult following of these films. But I do like the movie

[@DoubleDSheree]

So where's the rest??

[@misty_morning_dew]

No face must be a female spirit, very good with threads and needles.

[@klenner]

Oof I might be wrong but the English dub is inferior... The dialogue... Is quite bad imho

[@hunson3396]

Could watch one of these for every ghibli movie, seriously good stuff !!