Have you spotted the Totoro toy in Toy Story 3? Since 1996, Disney has been distributing most of the Studio Ghibli movies in the United States, including Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, The Secret World of Arrietty, Ponyo, The Wind Rises, Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Howl’s Moving Castle. Although Disney is actually no longer distributing Studio Ghibli movies, this month’s Disney Truth will expose some truths behind both stories and also compare and contrast Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away to Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Both stories weave a similar storyline with mysterious characters and settings that represent their respective transitional periods.
There are so many ways that Alice in Wonderland can be interpreted, from the controversial idea of the story being based on drugs since the 1960s, the historical references, and the theme of growing up.
Most people know the story of Alice in Wonderland, where the film starts off with Alice getting tired of her sister’s lessons. She proceeds by telling her cat, “...if I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense”. She then goes on to sing about how a “world of her own” would be a wonderland. As she finishes her song, she spots the white rabbit in a waistcoat holding a watch and follows him down a rabbit hole into wonderland. Some argue that the rabbit hole represents hallucination or a “drug trip.”
Also, do you remember the iconic part of the story when Alice is urged by the doorknob to shrink to the right size by drinking from a bottle labeled “Drink Me” and eat the cookie marked “Eat Me” that alter her physical state? Some say that these represent “magic mushrooms” which produce similar effects of LSD: hallucinations and an altered state of consciousness which would explain why Alice shrinks and grows.
She shrinks but becomes too small to reach the key on the table. The doorknob then suggests Alice to eat the cookie marked “Eat Me.” She then begins to grow too large and starts to cry, creating a literal ocean of tears in the room. The doorknob mentions that there’s still some liquid left, so she finishes the whole bottle which turns her so small that she falls into the bottle. Her tears sweep the bottle away, along with her in it, and the keyhole under the doorknob swallows the bottle, so she gets past the door. She is, however, swept onto shore and meets Mr. Dodo who is smoking a pipe that could be interpreted as smoking nicotine.
As she chases the white rabbit, she goes into a flower bed and meets flowers who perform “The Golden Afternoon” for her. After they finish performing, they start to insult her and after she is shooed away from the flowerbed, she meets a caterpillar that could be possibly smoking opium (as Alice in Wonderland was written during the time of legal opium use) who gives her advice about a mushroom where one side will make her shrink, and the other will make her grow. These mushrooms, again, represent an altered state of consciousness which is why she can shrink and grow.
She continues through the woods where she meets Cheshire Cat, who mysteriously can disappear only leaving a grin behind. Some argue that he is on Nitrous oxide (also known as “laughing gas”) which produces heightened senses, short-lasting euphoria, and a slight feeling of discomfort. He also gives her mysterious directions seemingly like he doesn’t know what he is talking about. Alice ends up a tea party with the March Hare, Mad Hatter, and the Dormouse where they are celebrating the unbirthday of the March Hare. There at the party, the sugar can be seen as cocaine. This makes sense because of the behavior that the March Hare and the Mad Hatter show. They have increased physical activity, increased physiological processes, and a rewarding high. Some even say that the Dormouse is high on marijuana due to his distorted sense of perception, initial liveness, and even increased panic when he hears the word “cat.”
Spirited Away
into Wonderland
into Wonderland
Spirited Away
By: Tiffany Lei