25 Years Of Spirited Away

On July 20, 2001, a film was released in Japan. A film that would go on to become one of the most beloved and acclaimed animated films in history. A film that would become Japan's top-grossing film for nearly two decades, and would become the first non-American film to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar. That film was Spirited Away.

Spirited Away was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. Many consider it to be his finest work, and it's easily the best known. Certainly, it's widely seen beyond the usual anime crowd, and has been discovered by cinephiles, foreign film fans and family audiences. It was regularly screened (along with the rest of the Ghibli collection) on the UK's Film 4 channel, and has had multiple cinema re-releases in the US via GKIDS Films Ghiblifest. It has helped the film stay in the public's consciousness for 25 years in a way few films do. By almost any definition, it's a classic.

In 2001, Disney had a first-refusal distribution deal with Studio Ghibli. In fact, Disney even invested a 10% stake in the film, through their Buena Vista arm. Disney signed the deal after the huge success of Miyazaki's previous film, Princess Mononoke. Subsequently finding it to be much darker and more adult than they were expecting, it was passed off to subsidiary Miramax. There it was under the watch of one Harvey Weinstein (long before the law caught up with him), so it was a minor miracle that it was released unscathed. Spirited Away was much more family-friendly, so they decided this time to release it themselves.

Spirited Away was offered to Pixar's John Lasseter (pre-cancellation) to handle the English-language version. Lasseter was an outspoken Miyazaki fan, who had later also become his friend, so he jumped at the chance. Lasseter was executive producer on the English dub, and he hired Kirk Wise (Beauty and The Beast) to direct and Donald W. Ernst as producer. The screenplay was adapted by Cindy Davis Hewitt and Donald H. Hewitt.

Disney had a policy of casting well-known names as voices in their Ghibli dubs. Spirited Away has a slightly less starry cast, which perhaps more reflects how Pixar cast their own films. Led by a young Daveigh Chase as heroine Chihiro/Sen, the ensemble included Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette,  Michael Chiklis, Lauren Holly, Susan Egan, and David Ogden Stiers. And of course, Lasseter found space for a role for Pixar's "good luck charm" John Ratzenberger.

The film was eventually released in the United States without much fanfare in September 2002. Disney spent hardly anything on marketing, and so it had little impact on the box office, showing on as few as 26 screens on initial release. However, following the film's win at the 2003 Oscars, it was released on 714 screens. By the time it finished its run, it had grossed around $10 million.

The film also found some success in the UK, where it broke into the top 10 box office chart, despite being a modest release. It also did well in France, South Korea and belatedly, China.

Nowhere was the film more successful than at home, however. It had a record-breaking opening, beating the previous record holder, Miyazaki's own Princess Mononoke. It spent 22 weeks at number one and went on to gross  ¥30.4 billion, becoming Japan's highest-grossing film in history. It was a record that would stand for an impressive 19 years, holding off competition from the likes of Your Name and Miyazaki's own later films. It wouldn't be until Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Movie- Mugen Train was released in 2020 that Spirited Away would finally be knocked off its spot.

As well as the Oscar, the film was also nominated for a BAFTA Film Award (in the foreign language category), and won Best Film at The Japan Academy Prizes and Best Animated Film at Tokyo Anime Award, The Saturn Awards and The Annie Awards. Miyazaki also won an Annie Award for Best Director.

If not for a twist of fate, we might never have seen Spirited Away at all. Miyazaki originally intended to retire after Princess Mononoke. However, his chosen successor, Yoshifumi Kondō (director of Whisper Of The Heart) died tragically young of an aneurysm- and the rest is history.

If you've somehow managed to avoid seeing it for a quarter of a century, Spirited Away follows 10-year-old Chihiro as she moves to a new town. After her parents are turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba, she is transported to the spirit world. There, she gets a job at Yubaba's Bathhouse while she tries to find out how to turn her parents back into humans and get back to the land of the living

The film is set in a world of spirits, gods and yokai (Japanese supernatural creatures) and draws heavily on traditions of Japanese Shinto and folklore. It's extremely Japanese, but its appeal has proven to be much wider than that. It comes from a classic tradition of stories of characters transported to another world that stretches back to Alice In Wonderland, and has become known in Japan as Isekai.

It's full to bursting with unforgettable characters from Yubaba to the iconic No Face, all brought to life with Miyazaki's unique charm. They're not as simplistic as purely good or evil- even Yubaba is not that bad in the end.

As well as the dazzling visuals, music is a key part of the film's appeal. Miyazaki once again teamed up with his frequent collaborator, composer Joe Hisaishi, who turned in a career-best performance. The best-known track,   One Summer's Day, is permanently imprinted on a million brains. Music from Spirited Away has prominently featured in several of Hisaishi's concerts.

As the years have gone on, Spirited Away's reputation has only grown. It has been firmly cemented as a classic, not only of anime but of animation, children's cinema, and world cinema. It's frequently featured in lists on websites and magazines of Greatest Animation Films, Greatest Foreign-Language Films and even Best Films of the 21st Century. It's launched a mountain of merchandise- My Neighbour Totoro might be the most merchandised Ghibli film, but Spirited Away gives it a run for its money. It's inspired a generation of animators from Pixar to Ponoc, and it's even had the ultimate compliment of being referenced in The Simpsons. In 2022, a stage adaptation opened in Japan, transferring to London's West End in 2024. It has since expanded to Taipei and Los Angeles.

25 years on, Spirited Away remains one of the must-sees of animation. Captivating for children and adults alike, it really does demonstrate Miyazaki and Ghibli at the very height of their powers. It's a good introduction to Studio Ghibli for newbies and to anime as a whole. Arguably, it's never been bettered. 

Spirited Away will return to US cinemas for 25th Anniversary showings from October 17- October 21 as part of GKIDS Films' GhibliFest 2026. If you've only ever seen the film on a TV, the opportunity to watch on the big screen is one you shouldn't pass up. Hopefully, a 4K restoration and an IMAX release is in the future, following in the footsteps of Princess Mononoke and Kiki's Delivery Service. A 4K UHD release would be nice, too. Whatever the future may hold, its status as an all-time classic is assured. There's no sequel, no spin-offs, no (god-forbid) live-action remake. Spirited Away is as magical today as the day it first opened.

Spirited Away is available to stream on HBO Max in the US and on Netflix outside the US, Canada and Japan. It is also available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD.

Images: © 2001 Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli, NDDTM