Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” as an example of a folk tale based on “Morphology of the folktale” by Vladimir Propp

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate whether Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Spirited Away can be identified as a folk tale in accordance with Propp’s classification, defined in “Morphology of the Folktale”. In my study I presented Vladimir Propp’s approach to classify folk tales and described the elements he extracted. Then, I took a closer look at Miyazaki’s life which gave me an insight into how it influenced the films he created. Finally, I looked at the narrative of S pirited Away and analysed the film’s structure in accordance with Propp’s method. As a result of this analysis, I identified common elements in the film’s plot which Propp described in his study. The outcome of my study, as well as the fact that S pirited Away is filled with Japanese folklore, allows to recognize the film as an example of a folk tale. However, it needs to be noted that the multilayered structure of the film that indicates many possible interpretations makes Spirited Away much more than just a folk tale.