Which girl characters in Western literature engage in a quest to return home from a magical world? What are the parallels? What sets “Spirited Away” apart?
Similar to “Spirited Away”, “The Wizard of Oz” tells the story of a young girl who enters an alternative universe and is, therefore separated from her family. Both storylines feature a female antagonist who is forced to endure a journey filled with disruptions in reason and stability to save her family and return home. Despite the similarities, I think that the main theme that sets “Spirited Away” apart is that the main character, ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino is not sexualized or objectified like the character Alice. In “Spirited Away”, Chihiro is on a mission to serve a higher purpose, while Alice is just trying to return home.
