Movies

SPIRITED AWAY’s Original Japanese Trailer Rereleased Ahead of Studio Ghibli Fest

by Luke Y. Thompson
Oct 9 2018 • 7:08 AM

It seems odd to be calling anything about Spirited Away “vintage,” but then you look at its date, and look at today’s, and…yep, it really is 17 years old. Perhaps because the story plays as such a timeless fairy tale, it doesn’t feel dated in the least. Enchanted food, bath houses of the gods, and mysterious trains to nowhere never go out of style.Fathom Events and GKids are bringing back Spirited Away (a.k.a. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) along with eight other Studio Ghibli movies as part of this year’s ongoing Studio Ghibli Fest in theaters nationwide. Chihiro’s journey will be back on the big screen Oct. 28-30, and to promote it, GKids has put the original Japanese trailer online.

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It’s a little different from faster-paced American-style trailers, isn’t it? A song sets a soothing mood as images might suggest this is the tale of a servant girl, rather than a regular girl swept into a fantasy realm. Then suddenly you get No-Face in his full glutton-monster mode, which feels downright incongruous to the calm the soundtrack appears to be attempting to induce. Plus all the words onscreen are reminiscent of old black and white-era trailers that used to give the whole story away, though obviously if you know Spirited Away, you know there’s a lot that’s not being shown here.Should these kinds of trailers be made more often? Do you prefer it to quick cuts with loud “BRAHM!” noises and/or a slow, creepy version of a pop song over a black screen? Share your thoughts with us below in comments.

Images: Studio Ghibli