10 Great Movies You Didn't Know Had A Hidden Symbolic Meaning

3. Child Prostitution - Spirited Away

Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of the exceptionally talented Studio Ghibli and director of numerous beautifully animated movies, is no stranger to infusing his works with hidden symbolic content. From My Neighbour Totoro to Princess Mononoke, his movies often contain interesting allegorical content lying beneath the surface narrative. Spirited Away - one of his finest films - is a densely layered story which draws heavily on Japanese folklore and speaks to the rites of passage undertaken by a young girl confronted with an upheaval in her life. But beyond this it's a darker tale of child prostitution: taking place in a bath house - a euphemism for brothel - the central character finds herself forced to "please" a range of grotesque male clients including the obscenely wealthy "No-face" who desires to "own" her. Of course, this aspect of the movie is just a small facet of a much broader exploration of the perils of youth, where growing up means confronting the harsh truths of the real world as the paradisical time of childhood - and the parental protection which goes with it - begins to peel away.