Comparative analysis of sign-semantics involving ‘talisman and magic’ themes in two animated fantasy films: ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Legends, anecdotes and tales are a reflection of people’s life which in turn represents their experiences. Behaviors, rituals, traditions and cus toms together with types of thinking s tyles, mores associated with kindred and kinship and many other deeds, both written and verbal, passed down from generation to generation cons titute the cultural possessions of a nation. As two themes, talisman and magic which are found in anecdotes and tales with their central motif based on a magical thinking have their roots in traditions. S till these themes are clearly evident in modern society and leave a noticeable impact on the folk cus toms of urban and rural communities. Magical thinking has been a permanent fixture of human life, from unknowing early humans who learned through experience to modern humans who receive scientific teachings and live in an environment affected by thinking, wisdom and technology. For millennia, humans have believed that everything in the world around them is alive and, above all, aware of what’s going on. To them, talisman and magic manifes t themselves in certain objects, forms, sounds, terms, movements, beverages, edibles and inhalants which are effectively used to transfer, change or take control of natural forces and matters. Based on their cus toms, traditions and thinking, countries in four corners of the world have maintained a type of magical behaviors and passed them down to following generation. In our dreams, imaginations, films and books, we animate living creatures and even objects in a bid to nurture a magical belief, something which has left its footprint on our real life as well. Myths and tales on elves which have been created based on these [magical] beliefs, rites and rituals are s till lis ten-worthy and believable although they are old and impalpable. As an art-indus try, animation with its salient features such as daydreaming, enchantment, and animation of lifeless objects has successfully drawn ideas from these anecdotes and created multiple products which are themed after talisman and magic. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, an American animated musical fantasy film directed by David Hand, and Spirited Away, a Japanese animation directed by Hayao Miyazaki, are two remarkable fantasy films which have chosen talisman and magic as their themes based on discrete cultural signs and indexes. According to semioticians, signs which are created in the form of words, images, sounds and objects affect the text and lend meaning to it. Through semiotics, the secrets and talisman of language and texts can be unraveled and concepts can be thoroughly fathomed out. The s tudy of signs along with identification and analysis of man’s cultural works helps raise human perception and awareness when it comes to various sciences such as anthropology, philosophy, sociology and art, in particular.Thus, the researcher has chosen Spirited Away and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in pursuit of a practical goal. The researcher has tapped a qualitative method for this s tudy with an approach toward sign-semantics and has s tudied different resources including written archives, libraries as well as audiovisual materials and s tills.