Spirited Away (2001)

Brent, Nate, and Kate hop on a dragon's back and fly into May's new theme (AniMAYtion) with the 2001 animated classic Spirited Away starring: Daveigh Chase as Chihiro/Sen, Suzanne Pleshette as Yubaba/Zeniba, Jason Marsden as Haku, Susan Egan as Lin, David Ogden Stiers as Kamaji, Lauren Holly as Chihiro's Mother, Michael Chiklis as Chihiro's Father, John Ratzenberger as Assistant Manager, Tara Strong as Boh, and Bob Bergen as No-Face.

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, produced by Studio Ghibli, and distributed by Toho. It tells the story of a young girl named Chihiro Ogino who, while moving to a new town with her parents, stumbles upon a mysterious world of spirits and demons.

The film begins with Chihiro and her family getting lost on their way to their new home. They eventually come across what appears to be an abandoned amusement park and decide to explore it. As they begin to eat the food left out at one of the stalls, Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs, and she finds herself trapped in a world of spirits.

She is taken in by a young boy named Haku, who advises her to ask for work from Yubaba, the witch who rules over the spirits. Yubaba agrees to employ her but takes away her name, renaming her Sen. She is put to work at a bathhouse for spirits and is given a difficult task by Yubaba: to identify and serve a stink spirit that has entered the bathhouse.

As Chihiro works at the bathhouse, she learns about the many spirits and creatures that inhabit the spirit world, as well as the rules and customs that govern them. She also discovers that Haku is a dragon who is under Yubaba's control, and that she must help him break free from her spell.

Throughout the film, Chihiro faces many challenges and obstacles as she tries to find a way back to the human world. She is helped by a variety of characters, including a friendly spirit named No-Face and a river spirit that she rescues from pollution.

As she navigates the spirit world and learns more about herself and the people around her, Chihiro ultimately finds the courage to confront Yubaba and demand her name back. With the help of her friends and the knowledge she has gained, she is able to break the spell on Haku and return to the human world, where she is reunited with her parents.

Spirited Away was directed by Hayao Miyazaki, who also wrote the screenplay and designed the characters. It was produced by Studio Ghibli, a renowned animation studio in Japan. The film features music by Joe Hisaishi and animation by a team of talented animators, including Masashi Ando, Katsuya Kondō, and Yoshifumi Kondō.

The film was released in Japan in 2001 and became a critical and commercial success, grossing over $347 million worldwide. It won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003, and has since become a beloved classic of Japanese animation.

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