IPS feature

Japan's animation guru Hayao Miyazaki is making movie history once again with his latest film, Spirited Away .

The film, playing in its 14th week in Japan, crossed the US$200 million mark in late October, becoming the first foreign-language film in history to gross that much outside North America. It has thus become the highest-earning Japanese film ever.

In Japan, its distributor Toho Cinema reports that the film has taken over from all-time favourite Titanic , which was the company's box office hit at US$219.5 million in receipts.

Spirited Away will soon be shown in theatres across Asia - where Japanese animated films are a popular part of youth culture - and Toho predicts an equally enthusiastic response in the region.

The secret to the success of the film, which is about a 12-year-old spoilt girl who is transformed into a mature young lady after a series of wild adventures, is a combination of brilliant technology, beautiful pictures, and a moving story line, say critics.

"This is arguably Miyazaki's best film. The Japanese just love it," says movie critic Haruo Mizuno.

The film centres on Chihiro, who represents a typical young girl in modern Japan. She and her parents take a wrong turn on a drive one day, and find themselves in a surreal theme park.

Spoilt young generation

Her parents are turned into pigs after eating food that they should have not consumed - and now Chihiro must find a way out to turn them back into humans.

According to Mizuno, the story has a special meaning for the Japanese today. "Miyazaki's message is clear. He is pointing his finger at Japan's spoilt young generation who need to take responsibilities and that is why the film is popular even with adults," he explains.

For example, in the film Chihiro is given a new shortened name, Sen, by a wicked witch. 'Sen' is a reference to the growing trend among young people to abbreviate the Japanese language or abbreviate, a fad that is their way of turning their back on tradition.

In another scene, the wicked witch makes Sen look for her parents, after they have been turned into pigs, in a sty full of other pigs.

The girl makes a mistake the first time by pointing to the wrong pigs. Later, however, she makes the correct choice without wavering, illustrating Miyazaki's intention of showing how the girl has matured under the situation and can now recognise right from wrong.

Kazuko Iwatuski, 53, who watched the film with her husband, agrees that Spirited Away is Miyazaki's best. "The film illustrated the mess we are in right now. Japan's economic power has not helped us to bring up children with commitment and responsibility."

Rising juvenile delinquency

Critics explain the cartoon harks back to Japan's lost values, such as caring for each other and respecting elders.

Against a backdrop of rising juvenile delinquency, political corruption and the long economic recession, the Japanese feel they have lost their way, says Mizuno. "This is more the reason for its wide appeal among so many types of audience," he adds.

But to no surprise, Toho reports that the complex fantasy of the film, which unfolds with a series of majestic ghouls and wizards that is compared by some to the world of Alice in Wonderland , also contributes to the unprecedented success of Spirited Away .

"Miyazaki's animation is famed because of his ability to portray gentleness and love in his characters," explains Keisuke Kikuchi, spokesman for the film. "He has done the same in this film."

Box office sales of Spirited Away have taken over from Miyazaki's other hits such as Totoro and Princess Monooke .

Contemporary theme

Released in 1997, Princess Monooke was the most popular film in that decade and touches on environment protection. Monooke, a princess brought up by wolves, fights to protect a forest from being cut down.

Mizuno contends the film will play well to Asian societies given the breakdown of traditional values in the region amid rapid globalisation. "This film is a sure success as it takes on a very contemporary theme that can be shared by other societies in the world," he points out.

Donald Richie, an American expert on Japanese film, says the success of animation in Japan illustrates the fascination among the people for the medium of cartoons. The country has had a long history with animation that also illustrates Japan's superior technology expertise, he says.

The popularity of animation in Asia has made it a major Japanese export, and is featured in comic books and games as well.

Miyazaki is said to develop his pictures by using a pencil himself - and his Studio Ghibli, which handles his products and films, just opened a new museum, the Ghibli museum, last month. The museum features his films and animation techniques.