Overview
A young girl must navigate a world of spirits and magic to save her family from a dark fate.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- wondrous
- eerie
- melancholic
- family movie night
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a gorgeously animated, imaginative, emotionally resonant fairy tale that works equally well for children and adults.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chihiro begins frightened and dependent, then develops resourcefulness while working in Yubaba’s bathhouse and trying to rescue her parents.
The bathhouse serves spirits and gods, while polluted and transformed beings connect the supernatural realm to Japanese folklore and human treatment of nature.
The spirit town includes benevolent, frightening, comic, and ethically complicated figures, including Yubaba and Zeniba.
Yubaba controls workers through names, while Chihiro’s ability to remember herself remains tied to freedom and return.
Films like Spirited Away, and why
my neighbor totoro
shared coming-of-age fantasy, child protagonist, folklore-inspired otherworld, and emotionally rich animation
howl's moving castle
shared studio ghibli craftsmanship, young heroine, magical transformation, and themes of courage and identity
the chronicles of narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe
shared portal fantasy, child-centered adventure, mythic creatures, and a wondrous but unsettling alternate realm
Movie Details
- Director
- Hayao Miyazaki
- Release Date
- 2001-07-20
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 8.5 / 10 (18965)
Cast
- Rumi Hiiragi
- Miyu Irino
- Mari Natsuki
- Takashi Naito
- Yasuko Sawaguchi
- Tatsuya Gashuin
- Ryunosuke Kamiki
- Yumi Tamai
- Yo Oizumi
- Koba Hayashi
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Spirited Away about?
- A reluctant girl enters a spirit-world bathhouse and discovers the courage, compassion, and self-knowledge needed to reclaim her family.
- What is Spirited Away like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Spirited Away as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Spirited Away violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Spirited Away.
- What did critics think of Spirited Away?
- Critics broadly regard it as a gorgeously animated, imaginative, emotionally resonant fairy tale that works equally well for children and adults.
- Which films are like Spirited Away?
- Films with a similar feel include my neighbor totoro, howl's moving castle, and the chronicles of narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe.
- How long is Spirited Away?
- Spirited Away runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch Spirited Away?
- In United States, Spirited Away streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
