# Spirited Away
Where to watch: In Theaters
Type: Movie
Genres: Animation, Family, Fantasy
Rating: PG
Year: 2001
Runtime: 2h 5m
Curator Score: ★ 98%
Rating count: 4,330,578
Tagline: Beyond the tunnel was a mysterious town.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Main stars: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki
Curator Watchlist
https://www.curatorwatchlist.com › spirited-away
Spirited Away
A landmark fantasy that blends childlike wonder, emotional coming-of-age, and eerie worldbuilding with extraordinary visual invention. It’s accessible as a family adventure, but it also rewards adults with rich atmosphere, symbolic depth, and a deeply felt sense of transformation.
Plot overview:
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
Cast: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takashi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tatsuya Gashuin, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yumi Tamai, Yo Oizumi, Koba Hayashi, Tsunehiko Kamijô, Takehiko Ono, Bunta Sugawara, Shigeru Wakita, Shirou Saitou, Michiko Yamamoto, Keiko Tsukamoto, Akio Nakamura, Shinji Tokumaru, Kaori Yamagata
Production: Studio Ghibli, Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network Corporation, Mitsubishi, dentsu, TFC
Where to watch: Max
Curator Review
Verdict: A landmark fantasy that blends childlike wonder, emotional coming-of-age, and eerie worldbuilding with extraordinary visual invention. It’s accessible as a family adventure, but it also rewards adults with rich atmosphere, symbolic depth, and a deeply felt sense of transformation.
Best for: fans of imaginative animated fantasy; viewers who like emotional coming-of-age stories; people drawn to dreamlike worlds and folklore; families with older kids; audiences who appreciate hand-drawn craft and visual detail
Skip if: you want fast, plot-heavy action; you dislike surreal or ambiguous storytelling; you prefer strictly literal worldbuilding; you need a very dark or very comedic tone; you are looking for a conventional hero’s-journey structure
Overview: A dazzling piece of animation, Spirited Away turns a child’s fear and curiosity into a fully realized spirit world that feels both enchanted and unsettling. The film’s power comes from how specific it is: the bathhouse rules, the strange creatures, the shifting identities, and the way Chihiro slowly learns to move through danger without losing herself.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- 🌻 lindsay 🌻: I got lost in a department store when I was 5 and it felt a lot like this
- andrea🌹: wish my bf was a river
- David Sims: I mean, probably the best movie ever made?
- Karsten: no disrespect to totoro but what planet was i on when i said that was the best ghibli film
- James (Schaffrillas): If I could give this movie 6 stars I would
Recommended similar titles:
- Princess Mononoke (1997 · Adventure, Fantasy, Animation · 2h 14m · PG-13 · Where to watch: Max)
Epic hand-drawn fantasy with mythic scale, ecological tension, and a similar sense of wonder mixed with danger.
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984 · Adventure, Animation, Fantasy · 1h 57m · PG · Where to watch: Max)
A visionary animated adventure that combines environmental themes, courage, and a richly imagined world.
- Howl's Moving Castle (2004 · Fantasy, Animation, Adventure · 1h 59m · PG · Where to watch: Max)
A romantic, whimsical fantasy with shifting identities, magical spectacle, and emotional warmth.
- The Boy and the Heron (2023 · Animation, Fantasy, Drama · 2h 4m · PG-13 · Where to watch: Max)
A later, more reflective fantasy from the same tradition of surreal imagery, grief, and self-discovery.
- Wolf Children (2012 · Animation, Family, Drama · 1h 57m · PG · Where to watch: Max)
A tender coming-of-age story that treats transformation and family bonds with emotional sincerity.
- The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013 · Animation, Drama, Fantasy · 2h 17m · PG · Where to watch: Max)
Lyrical, painterly animation with a strong emotional core and a sense of fragile wonder.
- Coraline (2009 · Animation, Family, Fantasy · 1h 40m · PG)
A child enters a strange otherworld where beauty and menace coexist, with strong visual imagination.
- The Secret of Kells (2009 · Animation, Family, Fantasy · 1h 19m · NR)
Stylized hand-drawn fantasy with folklore, mystery, and a distinctive artisanal visual design.
- Song of the Sea (2014 · Family, Animation, Fantasy · 1h 34m · PG)
A gentle, mythic family fantasy rooted in folklore, grief, and transformation.
- The Red Turtle (2016 · Animation, Drama, Fantasy · 1h 21m · PG)
Wordless, meditative animation that turns nature and mystery into an emotional fable.
- The Iron Giant (1999 · Animation, Drama, Family · 1h 26m · PG)
A heartfelt animated story about fear, identity, and choosing compassion over panic.
- Ponyo (2008 · Animation, Fantasy, Family · 1h 40m · G · Where to watch: Max)
Bright, playful, and elemental, with child-centered wonder and a strong sense of enchantment.
Topics: animated fantasy, coming-of-age, folklore, surreal, whimsical, eerie, hand-drawn animation, family adventure, dreamlike, Japanese cinema
https://www.curatorwatchlist.com/movie/spirited-away/129
Spirited Away
Where to watch: In Theaters
Movie · Animation · Family · PG
2001 · 2h 5m · ★ 98% (4M)
Beyond the tunnel was a mysterious town.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki
Overview A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
Production Studio Ghibli, Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network Corporation, Mitsubishi, dentsu, TFC
Cast Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takashi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tatsuya Gashuin, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yumi Tamai, Yo Oizumi, Koba Hayashi, Tsunehiko Kamijô, Takehiko Ono, Bunta Sugawara, Shigeru Wakita, Shirou Saitou, Michiko Yamamoto, Keiko Tsukamoto, Akio Nakamura, Shinji Tokumaru, Kaori Yamagata
Curator Review
Verdict
A landmark fantasy that blends childlike wonder, emotional coming-of-age, and eerie worldbuilding with extraordinary visual invention. It’s accessible as a family adventure, but it also rewards adults with rich atmosphere, symbolic depth, and a deeply felt sense of transformation.
Best for
fans of imaginative animated fantasy
viewers who like emotional coming-of-age stories
people drawn to dreamlike worlds and folklore
families with older kids
audiences who appreciate hand-drawn craft and visual detail
Skip if
you want fast, plot-heavy action
you dislike surreal or ambiguous storytelling
you prefer strictly literal worldbuilding
you need a very dark or very comedic tone
you are looking for a conventional hero’s-journey structure
Overview
A dazzling piece of animation, Spirited Away turns a child’s fear and curiosity into a fully realized spirit world that feels both enchanted and unsettling. The film’s power comes from how specific it is: the bathhouse rules, the strange creatures, the shifting identities, and the way Chihiro slowly learns to move through danger without losing herself.
Top Letterboxd reviews
🌻 lindsay 🌻 (4.5★) · 25035 likes
I got lost in a department store when I was 5 and it felt a lot like this
andrea🌹 (4★) · 16153 likes
wish my bf was a river
David Sims (5★) · 12132 likes
I mean, probably the best movie ever made?
Karsten (5★) · 9103 likes
no disrespect to totoro but what planet was i on when i said that was the best ghibli film
James (Schaffrillas) (5★) · 8800 likes
If I could give this movie 6 stars I would
Recommended similar titles
1997 · Adventure, Fantasy, Animation · 2h 14m · PG-13 · Where to watch: Max
Epic hand-drawn fantasy with mythic scale, ecological tension, and a similar sense of wonder mixed with danger.
1984 · Adventure, Animation, Fantasy · 1h 57m · PG · Where to watch: Max
A visionary animated adventure that combines environmental themes, courage, and a richly imagined world.
2004 · Fantasy, Animation, Adventure · 1h 59m · PG · Where to watch: Max
A romantic, whimsical fantasy with shifting identities, magical spectacle, and emotional warmth.
2023 · Animation, Fantasy, Drama · 2h 4m · PG-13 · Where to watch: Max
A later, more reflective fantasy from the same tradition of surreal imagery, grief, and self-discovery.
2012 · Animation, Family, Drama · 1h 57m · PG · Where to watch: Max
A tender coming-of-age story that treats transformation and family bonds with emotional sincerity.
2013 · Animation, Drama, Fantasy · 2h 17m · PG · Where to watch: Max
Lyrical, painterly animation with a strong emotional core and a sense of fragile wonder.
2009 · Animation, Family, Fantasy · 1h 40m · PG
A child enters a strange otherworld where beauty and menace coexist, with strong visual imagination.
2009 · Animation, Family, Fantasy · 1h 19m · NR
Stylized hand-drawn fantasy with folklore, mystery, and a distinctive artisanal visual design.
2014 · Family, Animation, Fantasy · 1h 34m · PG
A gentle, mythic family fantasy rooted in folklore, grief, and transformation.
2016 · Animation, Drama, Fantasy · 1h 21m · PG
Wordless, meditative animation that turns nature and mystery into an emotional fable.
1999 · Animation, Drama, Family · 1h 26m · PG
A heartfelt animated story about fear, identity, and choosing compassion over panic.
2008 · Animation, Fantasy, Family · 1h 40m · G · Where to watch: Max
Bright, playful, and elemental, with child-centered wonder and a strong sense of enchantment.
Topics
animated fantasy, coming-of-age, folklore, surreal, whimsical, eerie, hand-drawn animation, family adventure, dreamlike, Japanese cinema
Open Spirited Away (2001) on Curator TV