“Spirited Away” exemplifies director Hayao Miyazaki’s unique style of storytelling through fantastical, bizarre worldbuilding, complex yet understandable characters, and a message that transcends time even 23 years after the movie’s release. 

The film begins with our protagonist, Chihiro (Daveigh Chase), while moving to a new town, clearly upset with her situation. During the car ride, her parents turn down the wrong road and stumble upon what looks to be an abandoned theme park, which they insist on exploring despite Chihiro’s reservations. While walking around, they discover a stall with delicious-looking food, which the parents immediately begin to indulge in. Chihiro’s caution proves correct as her parents begin to transform into pigs while ghostly figures emerge from around the park, some of which take her parents away. Without getting into any more spoilers, Chiriho must face various trials in this otherworldly environment to get her parents back and, hopefully, escape.

This is, admittedly, a wild premise. Chihiro, and by extension, the audience, has no idea what is going on, and the film never goes out of its way to explain itself. We are forced to learn alongside Chihiro purely through context and our assumptions, mirroring her journey of growth and discovery. Chihiro, and the audience, start out alone. Yet, as the story progresses and Chihiro continues to navigate, discover, and even befriend the inhabitants of this spirit world, a sense of profound nostalgia and magic begins to drive the narrative. Chihiro and the audience have been here before. Beautiful, luscious animation and incredible scoring by Ghibli staple Joe Hisaishi aid this odd familiarity. 

This icon of Studio Ghibli’s catalog has been highly praised over the years, receiving various accolades, including the 2003 Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It remains a preeminent force of animated filmmaking that not only holds up but continues to take on new meaning, dealing with themes of growing up, identity, loss, consumerism, and environmentalism. 

“Spirited Away” is a coming-of-age story. It is an underworld narrative like no other. It is a children’s film for all ages. It is endlessly rewatchable and utterly moving, a feast for both the eyes and the soul. Above all though, I consider “Spirited Away” to be the crowning achievement of Studio Ghibli’s rich catalog and a must-watch for anyone who has ever felt alone, had to grow up, or simply wants to watch a truly special movie (i.e. literally everyone).