Visited the Ghibli Museum and saw something that made me rethink a classic

I was at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka last month, and in the Saturn Theater, they showed a short I'd never seen before. It focused entirely on the food from 'Spirited Away,' like the steamed buns and the banquet scene. Seeing those dishes animated in such detail, isolated from the plot, really highlighted how much care goes into every frame. Has anyone else had an experience where a museum exhibit changed how you view a familiar anime?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera_lewis21mo ago

Honestly, that sounds like overthinking it. You say seeing the food "highlighted how much care goes into every frame," but that's just what Ghibli does. It's their normal work. A museum showing a clip doesn't change the movie itself. It's cool you liked the short, but it didn't add anything new. You just noticed something that was always there. I've seen stuff like that before and it never made me rethink the whole film. It's just a neat extra.

the_wesley1mo agoMost Upvoted

vera_lewis2 has a point, but sometimes those extras make you appreciate the normal work even more lol.

linda_dixon491mo ago

Wait, you saw that food short too? I was there in April and it totally blew my mind! I always loved the food in Spirited Away but seeing it all alone, just the steam rising off a dumpling for a full minute, made me realize something wild. It's not just pretty food. That banquet scene isn't about being hungry, it's about being tempted and losing yourself. The way they drew the glisten on the meat... it's creepy when you really look. It made the whole movie feel darker for me. I get what @the_wesley means about appreciating the normal work, but this felt different. It changed the feeling of the movie for me, not just how I saw the art.