1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

As discussed in class, John Lasseter who worked for Pixar, worked with Miyazaki for
the English version of the movie Spirited away. Lasseter is also responsible for
convincing Disney to buy the distribution rights; and with that, the movie went on to
become the highest grossing film for Studio Ghibli (Miyazaki company that he cofounded with Isao Takahaka). In 2003, Spirited Away took home the Academy Award for
Best Animated Feature.
2) Find a related article and summarize the content. (on the film, director, studio,
actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet. Cite the
article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related
article but do not plagiarize any content.
The article, Acclaimed Japanese Animation Director Puts Down Pencil, written by
Joshua Hunt for The New York Times, discusses Miyazakis plan to retire. In a news
conference Hayao Miyazaki stated that Ive mentioned that I would retire many times in
the pastbut this time I am quite serious. The article then goes on to talk about
Miyazakis last film The Wind Rise. This film is loosely based on Mitsubishi A6M Zero
fighter plane designer, Jiro Horikoshi, during WW2. The article ends by revealing that
more that 600 journalists were at the news conference where Miyazaki announced his
retirement, showing that it was a testament to Mr. Miyazakis international appeal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/07/world/asia/acclaimed-japanese-animation-director-putsdown-pencil.html?_r=0

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. How did the article support or change
the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

I thought it was very interesting that Miyazaki said that he has mentioned retirement
many times before, but never has done it. This goes to show that his love of creating
anime feature films is so great that he couldnt part with it for long. This statement also
goes along to the discussion in class about how he was very much involved in the
drawing process for creating Spirited Away. His attention to detail and his determination
to make it come to life is what made Spirited Away so fascinating, visually.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a
result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. I am less
interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than
I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.
Identity was a big theme throughout this film. We see in the beginning of the movie that
Haku warns Sen from forgetting her real name, Chihiro, or she will be enslaved in that
spirit world forever. Ultimately, Sen remaining true to herself and her real name helps
Haku remember his identity. Remembering his name and identity Haku was now free.
Greed is also a theme that was brilliantly captured throughout the film. In the beginning
we see Chihiros parent greedily and gluttonously chowing down food, this action turned
them into pigs. Pigs in popular culture is synonymous with greed, dirty, and gluttony.
Greed is also shown through Yubaba and her love for gold. This greed is what made
her overlook the fact that her baby was switched. I enjoyed the film, not only because it
is imaginative and a visually stunning, but because the complex story was laid out so
intelligently.

Plagiarism Statement:
Attach the following statement to the end of every journal assignment
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I
clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or
used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the
bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another
way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or
originality.
8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the
research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: Maria Soldi

Date: April 28, 2015