Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a 1937 film by David Hand, is often credited with being the first hand-drawn animated feature. Walt Disney Company’s subsidiaries and their films have been acclaimed for their animation, both critically and commercially. Toy Story 3 was nominated in 2010 as Best Picture. It has grossed over $1,063,171,911 (IMDb).

Studio Ghibli’s founder Hayao Mizoakki is often referred to as “the Walt Disney Japan” by Deadline. Japan’s animation industry has been a dominant force in the Japanese domestic market for decades, and is growing internationally, including in America. Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away (2002) (Hayao Miyazaki), which grossed $274.949,886 globally (IMDb), is the only animation in a foreign language to have ever won an Academy Award. Toy Story 3 & Spirited Away share many similarities as animated blockbusters that deal with nostalgia. But they differ in their approach to national identity & cultural traditions. Spirited Away is a story about the struggle of Japan against Western cultural dominance, while Toy Story 3 celebrates it.

First, we must establish whether the films are blockbusters. It is evident that both feature the characteristic of “preeminence of spectacle …[and] high budgets and large box-office revenues” (Shin-Stringer 58). Toy Story 3 had a budget of $200,000,000. Spirited Away’s production cost was $15,000,000. Both movies, as we have seen above, exceeded their expectations upon release. Regarding the emphasis on spectacle, they both have vibrant, kinetic environments filled with adventure and action.

Spirited Away’s characters are always on the go, whether they’re escaping No-Face or cleaning up a river spirit that’s been polluted, or flying off in Haku’s dragon shape. Toy Story 3 takes full advantage of the Disney/Pixar visual spectacle, as shown by the escape from Sunnyside Daycare or the conclusion action sequence in the tri county landfill’s incinerator. Both films were “visercal fast-paced and kinetic” (Schatz). The plots of both films, while offering captivating worlds, are also kept moving by bright action sequences.

Toy Story 3’s immaculate 3D Animation and advanced computer generated special effects are made possible because of its “excessive Budget…and state of the art production values.” (Schatz 18,) while Spirited Away’s hand-drawn, meticulously detailed slides pay particular attention to backgrounds and subtle character depictions (take note that the shadows in Yubaba’s eyes have been given special attention). Finally, both movies are “mainstream A class star vehicles”(Schatz 40). Toy Story 3 boasts a cast including Tom Hanks Tim Allen Joan Cusack Don Rickles Michael Keaton and Joan Cusack. Spirited Away, which is not well-known in the West but has a talented cast that includes Rumi Hiiragi and Miyu Irino, who have all had multiple roles in Japanese film and TV (IMDb). The cast members were all well-known to their native countries. This, combined with the prestige and reputation of the production studios, helped the film fill theaters.

The films’ accessibility is further enhanced by the fact that they are both coming-of age stories with heavy nostalgia themes. Reminiscence is a powerful tool for audiences. It shows their growth, and it also provides the comfort we associate with childhood. “Nostalgic Content…makes Us Feel…Content” (Kruzel), because “retro-themed Entertainment feeds into Our Tendency to Reflect Back on Positive Events That Shaped Who We Are Now” (Whitbourne). Spirited Away’s approach is more direct. Since it is not part of any series, this nostalgic coming-of -age story may be considered as its own. Chihiro’s innocence, energy, and naivety will bring back memories of childhood for everyone, no matter what culture they come from. Viewers can reflect on their journey to adulthood as Chihiro enters the bathhouse with Kamaji and immediately begins her work. The journey of a young woman as she experiences love, loss, and the realization that the colorless world does exist is reflected in her.

Transition is imminent. Spirited Away’s setting is a nostalgic nod to “Meiji Japan, a time when the architecture was influenced by both Western and Japanese styles” (Suzuki). Spirited Away was a hit in 2001, even though it is unlikely any Japanese viewers of the show remember the Meiji Era. The Japanese, however, value their culture and heritage. The rustic scenes portrayed are a perfect example of the Japanese aesthetic, wabisabi. Spirited Away takes audiences back to simpler, more authentic times that strike a cultural note “through its complicated vision of an almost-nostalgic fantastic world threatened by pollution both from inside and outside”(Napier 288). Appadurai, who believes in “nostalgia with no memory” in which the past is a “synchronic warehouse of culture scenarios”, has even foreign audiences captivated by rural Japan.

Toy Story 3 offers a nostalgic tale of growing up that is different from the other two films. Disney/Pixar makes the assumption that millennials have seen previous installments of the series. Toy Story 3 had a massive impact because the audience, including those who are currently children, experienced their own coming-of age right along with Andy. It’s obvious that the world we loved as kids is no longer the same. The toys are fewer (and even Andy and Molly have grown up), the children are gone, and there is no Bo Peep. It’s easy to feel nostalgic, but the most poignant moment is when Andy gives his toys to Bonnie. This is an obvious way of saying goodbye to childhood. Nostalgia plays a large role in the film, as both children and adults can easily recall fond memories of watching older films when times were simpler and less jaded.

Spirited Away and Toy Story 3 are similar in theme, but their connotations are completely different. Spirited Away is a film that “[searches] what could be called cultural recovery or rehabilitation in a corrupted postindustrial society.” (Napier 289). Spirited away is a direct reference to the tension and anxiety of Meiji Era. The rapid industrialization of Japan, which was imposed by the West, created a new set of pressures and demands.

In Japan’s postmodern era, many workers and their families have lost touch with their own traditional values in favor of Western-style values. This has led to an existential malaise. The spirits are totally cut off by the physical realm and ignored. They were supposed to be a reflection of traditional Japanese Shinto beliefs. Consider the first scene in which we can see Shinto shrines being dug up, thrown along the road and then buried to make way for the amusement park.

Yubaba is cruel and dominates the bathhouse, which is their only source of happiness. Yubaba, dressed in Western clothes and with Western decor, represents the West. She does only paperwork, lives comfortably and hires lower-class workers. The bathhouse is a symbol of Japanese purity and cleansing, but the spirits only get a short respite before they have to return to a world which doesn’t acknowledge or respect them. Chihiro has her identity literally changed when she enters this world. Haku experiences the same loss of identity. Haku is freed only when he realizes that he was the spirit Kohaku River. The film is clearly “centered around the tension of Japanese cultural identity with otherness”(Napier, 288). It also conveys a message about the benefits to the nation from returning to authentic and traditional values (Suzuki).

Toy Story 3 – in contrast to Spirited Away – continues the trend and provides a subtle but persuasive glorification. Toy Story 3 is a film that focuses on America. However, the West can be interpreted as America. A cowboy being the protagonist instantly gives an American feel to the story, since the cowboy has always been the archetypal American icon. The trend continues with the astronaut as the secondary protagonist. Although the astronaut may not be unique to America’s culture, the American space industry and its former obsession with going into space have made it a prominent figure in America’s history.

Lotso is “the enemy”, or someone who does or doesn’t follow Woody and Buzz. Woody, Buzz and the other toys were in Toy Story rivals. They were fighting over traditional American culture versus new American culture. But they got past this and worked together to win in the two subsequent installments. Woody, Buzz and America always triumph. It is subtle, but this “otherness” can be seen in Buzz’s Spanish mode. Buzz’s Spanish version is a stereotypical depiction of Latin Americans as exotic lovers. Buzz flirts with Jessie in a precarious way, while the audience laughs at his exaggerated actions and words. To “fix” Buzz’s English, the toys must return him to that mode. Toy Story 3’s digital shine and production quality are a general glorification America.

Hollywood is where blockbusters are made, and no country outside of Hollywood would be able to produce something so technically advanced as Toy Story 3’s computer animation. Toy Story 3 represents a major achievement for American computer animated films. This is because the film was produced with the full support of the country and industry. A sequel, Toy Story 3 has a lot of reflection. Audiences either subconsciously or consciously think about the two previous installments. They were all milestones for computer animation.

Aside from that, it is worth noting the unquestionable abundance of toys around the globe. The story is not realistic if there aren’t enough toys. It may seem innocent and unthreatening, but we must remember that “soft-power” lies in a nation’s ability to ‘coerce’ people instead of coaxing them.

Spirited Away, Toy Story 3 and other landmark animations have proven that animated films are able to compete with blockbusters. Their powerful narratives, which are easy to relate to and impactful, often meet or exceed the precedents established by their live action counterparts. Their conflicting themes are fascinating, even though they could be considered family films or children’s movies. Both films present opposing views when carefully considered. Many viewers may miss the latent messages of national identity and culture. All films, regardless of how small they seem, are vehicles that disseminate the cultures of their nations.