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.
Spirited Away
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Animation · Family
Fri · 2h 5m
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.
Director
Hayao Miyazaki
Cast
Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki
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
Topics
animated fantasy, coming-of-age, folklore, surreal, whimsical, eerie, hand-drawn animation, family adventure, dreamlike, Japanese cinema