Wizard of oz and spirited away Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wizard of oz and spirited away - Essay Example The Wizard of Oz is a tale about the negotiation of gender, race and identity in popular culture. Spirited Away is about a child’s transition from childhood to adulthood. Spirited Away is a film about a Japanese girl who moves to a new city with her parents. In this film, the young girl goes through stages of transition, which are accompanied by rites of passage. In her adventure through her new world, Chihiro becomes lost in a fantastical world. She meets odd creatures, which alternately hinder and help in her adventure. The film has numerous Shrine Shinto and folk perspectives, which are embedded in the Japanese cultural vocabulary of the film. The film is a representation of the Japanese culture. It has numerous instances that portray the Japanese Shrine Shinto and folk perspectives, which are embedded in its cultural vocabulary (Clews and Michael 187). Spirited Away centers on Chihiro and her journey through the world of spirits. During her journey, Chihiro becomes separated from her previous world. Her experiences in this world are comparable to the experiences of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz because they represent a rite of passage to adulthood. The archetypical entrance of Chihiro into the spiritual world demarcated her status as an individual who is between childhood and adult hood. In addition to the rite of passage, Spirited Away also provides critical commentary of the Japanese society, in a similar fashion to the Wizard of Oz (Clews and Michael 188). The film focuses on critical cultural perspectives such as the dissolution of traditional cultures, generational conflicts and customs present in a globalized society. Like in Spirited Away, Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz, lives in a fantastical world. She lives in the world of Oz, which is inhabited by witches. The world of Oz is facing a major conflict between the wicked witches and good withes. Unlike Chihiro, Dorothy is treated like a heroine because her