Plot Segmentation of Spirited Away

• Film Theory Analysis of Spirited Away

• Cinematography of Spirited Away

• Mise-en-scène of Spirited Away

• Social and Psychoanalytical influences of Spirited Away

• Afterthoughts

A. Exposition

1. Chihiro and her family is moving to a new town. Her father took the shortcut and ends up in front of a tunnel to the "spirit world".

2. Chihiro's parents insisted on exploring and start eating in a food store without any permission, despite her misgivings.

3. After rejected her parents' offer, she explored around the abandoned village and found a bathhouse along with a boy named Haku, then he warns her to leave this place before sunset. But it was too late as her parents have turned into pigs, and the river is flooded.

B. Rising Action

1. Haku finds and comforts Chihiro, then asked her to find a job in the bathhouse. Kamaji, the bathhouse's boiler man asks Lin, a bathhouse worker to send her to Yubaba, the witch who runs the bathhouse.

2. Chihiro persists and get hired although Yubaba tried to frighten her away. While working, she invites a silent creature named "No-Face" inside, believing him to be a customer.

3. A "stink spirit" who arrives at the bathhouse, Chihiro discovered he is the spirit of a polluted river and cleaned him. The river spirit gives Sen a magic emetic dumpling and left lots of gold in gratitude for cleaning him.

C. Climax

1. "No-Face" learns and imitates the river spirit by tempting a worker with gold then swallows him. He demands food and begins to tip expensively.

2. Chihiro sees paper Shikigami attacking a Japanese dragon and recognizes the dragon as Haku. Chihiro follows as Haku crashes into Yubaba's penthouse. She discovered Haku stole a magic golden seal that carries a deadly curse from Yubaba's twin sister, Zeniba.

3. Haku then escaped and falls into the boiler room with Chihiro, she feeds him part of dumpling, causing him to vomit both the seal and black slug, the cures.

4. Haku becomes unconscious and Chihiro resolves to return the seal and apologize to Zeniba. She then confronted No-Face, who is now massive because he swallows greed. No-Face regurgitating everything and everyone he has eaten after Chihiro feeds him with the rest of dumpling.

D. Falling Action

1. Chihiro, No-Face, Boh (the baby of Yubaba) and the harpy travel by train to meet Zeniba.

2. Yubaba is very angry and ordered Chihiro's parents (who turned to pig earlier) to be slaughtered, but Haku offers to recover the missing Boh of Yubaba to releases Chihiro and her parents.

3. Zeniba reveals that Chihiro's love for Haku broke her deadly curse and the black slug Yubaba used to control Haku. He then arrived at Zeniba's home and flies everyone back to the bathhouse. No-Face decided to remain with Zeniba.

E. Resolution

1. In the middle of the trip, Chihiro recalls falling years ago into the Kohaku River and being washed safely ashore, she correctly guessed Haku's real identity as the spirit of the river and freeing him from Yubaba's spell.

2. When they arrived at the bathhouse, Yubaba forced Chihiro to identify her parents among a group of pigs to break their curse. Chihiro answers correctly that none of the pigs are her parents, she broke the curse and freed from the bathhouse.

3. Haku then takes her back to the starting point and vows to meet her again. Chihiro returns to the real world through the tunnel with her parents, who don't seem to remember they're eating at the stall.

4. She comes out of the tunnel being more matured and reasonable, Chihiro looks back at the tunnel, unsure if her adventure was a dream or reality. At last, they drive off towards her new home.

References

Written by Sean Lim Xu Hang

569 words