Hayao Miyazaki is a famous animator, film director and producer whose recent films are the all-time most viewed in Japan. He has received several major awards for his works, including: the Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films in the U.S. (2001); the Golden Bear Award in Germany (2002); the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, Silver Scream Award from the Amsterdam Fan- tastic Film Festival, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award (2003).

Spirited Away is the best known film by Miyazaki. It has received substantial play and accolades in North America and Europe, and is the most widely seen film ever in Japan. Its beautiful colors and imaginative characters remind the viewer of Fantasia and Alice in Wonderland. While the main focus is the misad- ventures of a scared little girl who gets separated from her parents when they turn into pigs after gorging on a banquet they find in a deserted amusement park, while traveling to their new home, Miyazaki introduces ecological elements as a subtle but important sub- text. The girl, Chihiro, ends up in a bathhouse in the spirit world used to replenish all varieties of spirits but is surrounded by Roman-style feasting. She seeks employment in the boiler room from a half-human named Kamaji, who works in crude, dirty, hazardous conditions to keep the coal and energy flowing. Through her hard work and diligence she eventually is able to find a way to rescue her parents, who had become victims of their irresponsible consumption.