Spirited Away | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

96% Tomatometer 223 Reviews 96% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings

10-year-old Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) moves with her parents to a new home in the Japanese countryside. After taking a wrong turn down a wooded path, Chihiro and her parents discover an amusement park with a stall containing an assortment of food. To her surprise, Chihiro's parents begin eating and then transform into pigs. In this supernatural realm, Chihiro encounters a host of characters and endures labor in a bathhouse for spirits, awaiting a reunion with her parents. Read More Read Less

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Spirited Away

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Critics Consensus

Spirited Away is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them.

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Critics Reviews

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Spirited Away | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Sukhdev Sandhu Daily Telegraph (UK) The film is strewn with casual poetry. Its colors, often blue and green, are muted and weak, like a tear-spattered love letter. Jul 17, 2023 Full Review Spirited Away | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Scott Von Doviak Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Spirited Away is no secondhand fairytale retread; it's a fully imagined universe, populated by wondrous beings and haunting landscapes. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 17, 2023 Full Review Spirited Away | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Jeff Strickler Minneapolis Star Tribune The plot starts suffering from dèjá vu before it's even half over. There are only so many octopus men, stink spirits and pig people you can take before they all start to blend together. Rated: 2.5/4 Jul 17, 2023 Full Review Spirited Away | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Paul Emmanuel Enicola The Asian Cut It’s a testament to a passionate filmmaker whose voice transcends the medium, elevating animation to the realm of art. It’s also, in this critic’s opinion, Hayao Miyazaki’s undeniable masterpiece. Jul 31, 2024 Full Review Spirited Away | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Jeffrey Peterson The Streamr Spirited Away reminds me of how our friends, our work family, or the people we pass by in life can become more familial than our blood relations. Jan 2, 2024 Full Review Spirited Away | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Carla Monfort Espinof Spirited Away is one of those films that you have to see at least once in your life: a milestone in animation that shines both in form and substance. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 5/5 Oct 2, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Vicious0 Favorite movie of all time. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/03/22 Full Review AnnaMarie R We own all of Hayao Miyazaki works, he is the best. We look forward to seeing them in the theater nothing better than seeing your favorites on the big screen. A must see for all ages! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/03/22 Full Review Lav I love Spirited Away so much. It was surreal experiencing this film in theaters. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/03/22 Full Review Brady Such a god damn fantastic movie. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/06/22 Full Review Joseph B Awesome to see this movie on the big screen. Very clean and was happy they used original Japanese audio. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/02/22 Full Review KE Great sound quality in this remaster. Epic visual in cinematic mode Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/02/22 Full Review Read all reviews

Spirited Away

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

Hayao Miyazaki Director Daveigh Chase Chihiro Suzanne Pleshette Yubaba, Zeniba Jason Marsden Haku Susan Egan Lin David Ogden Stiers Kamaji
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Spirited Away

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Spirited Away

Spirited Away (2001) A mysterious youth named Haku becomes Chihiro's friend and ally when she enters a strange spirit world. A ten year old girl named Chihiro remembers falling into a river as a very young firl and nearly drowning. A ten year old girl named Chihiro encounters "No Face," a mysterious transparent spirit whose unfulfilled desires pose a danger to all who come near. Chihiro (left) and Lin, a no-nonsense bathhouse girl who dreams of the outside world, have their work cut out for them cleaning up after a foul-smelling monster. The assistant manager (left) and his frog foreman keep a watchful eye on activities at the bathhouse. Chihiro accompanies "No-Face" (left) to the home of the sorceress Zeniba (right) to seek help in breaking a spell. Yubaba's giant baby boy, Boh, and the workers at the bathhouse give Chihiro a big send off. Chihiro and a transparent spirit named "No-Face" travel by train to the home of Yubaba's more compassionate twin sister sorceress, Zeniba. View more photos

Synopsis 10-year-old Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) moves with her parents to a new home in the Japanese countryside. After taking a wrong turn down a wooded path, Chihiro and her parents discover an amusement park with a stall containing an assortment of food. To her surprise, Chihiro's parents begin eating and then transform into pigs. In this supernatural realm, Chihiro encounters a host of characters and endures labor in a bathhouse for spirits, awaiting a reunion with her parents.

Director
Hayao Miyazaki

Producer
Donald W. Ernst, Toshio Suzuki

Screenwriter
Hayao Miyazaki

Distributor
Walt Disney Pictures

Production Co
Studio Ghibli, Walt Disney Pictures, Tokuma Shoten

Rating
PG (Some Scary Moments)

Genre
Fantasy, Adventure, Animation

Original Language
Japanese

Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 20, 2002, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 19, 2019

Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.0M

Runtime
2h 5m

Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
Most Popular at Home Now
Spirited Away | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

What does 100 Rotten Tomatoes mean? ›

If 60% of reviews are positive, the movie is given a “Fresh” status, but if positive reviews fall below that benchmark, it is deemed “Rotten.” A popular piece of media will typically fall between the 70-90% range, but rarely, a project will receive a 100% score. This means every last review from critics was positive.

What do the Rotten Tomatoes symbols mean? ›

When at least 60% of reviews for a movie or TV show are positive, it is considered Fresh and a red tomato is displayed. Rotten score. When less than 60% of reviews for a movie or TV show are positive, it is considered Rotten and a green splat is displayed.

Why did the parents eat the food in Spirited Away? ›

At the beginning of the film, Chihiro is greedy for her parents' attention. She whines and complains, and covets the familiarity of her own town and home. Chihiro's parents' greed leads them to eat the food that turns them into pigs.

What is Spirited Away Rotten Tomatoes? ›

96% Critics Consensus: Spirited Away is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them.

What is the #1 best movie ever? ›

Citizen Kane (1941), starring and directed by Orson Welles, has topped several international polls, including five consecutive decades at number 1 in the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound decennial poll of critics.

Has any movie ever gotten 100% on Rotten Tomatoes? ›

A number of these films also appear on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies lists, but there are many others and several entries with dozens of positive reviews, which are considered surprising to some experts. To date, Leave No Trace holds the site's record, with a rating of 100% and 252 positive reviews.

Is 95% on Rotten Tomatoes good? ›

As the reviews of a given film accumulate, the Rotten Tomatoes score measures the percentage that are more positive than negative, and assigns an overall fresh or rotten rating to the movie. Scores of over 60 percent are considered fresh, and scores of 59 percent and under are rotten.

Does Disney own Rotten Tomatoes? ›

In 2011, Warner Bros. acquired Rotten Tomatoes.

Are higher Rotten Tomatoes better? ›

The “Tomatometer Rankings” connects to the practice of viewers throwing rotten tomatoes when disapproving of a poor stage performance; the higher the percentage a movie receives, the more “fresh” it is and, at least theoretically, better in the show business world.

Why did Haku say not to look back? ›

It's not his rule, it's not anyone's rule – it's how this world works. We could let this go here and say, well, Chihiro is told not to look back because that's how it is in mythologies, and it's a direct reference to that.

Why can't Haku return home? ›

Why can't Haku return home? His river was paved over.

Why did No-Face eat the frog in Spirited Away? ›

First he is seen outside when Chihiro must cross the bridge without breathing. Because of this, No-Face takes a liking to Chihiro and offers her many gifts, including bath tokens, which came in handy. First, while in the bath house, in one of the tubs, he swallows a green frog for trying to take his gold.

Why was Spirited Away so scary? ›

Violence & Scariness. One beloved character is shown bloodied after a run-in with fantastical beasts. There's one threatening exclamation, "I'll rip your mouth." Many creatures and spirits could be considered scary or too intense for younger viewers, such as No-Face and the witch Yubaba, who border on the grotesque.

Why is Spirited Away so popular? ›

At the heart of it, Spirited Away is a movie made exactly for children, but in the best way possible. It does not shy away from talking about complex issues while still being a wholly entertaining watch. The movie doesn't try to talk down to the target demographic either, unlike a lot of other animated features.

Is higher Rotten Tomatoes better? ›

The website keeps track of all the reviews counted for each film and calculates the percentage of positive reviews. If the positive reviews make up 60% or more, the film is considered "fresh". If the positive reviews are less than 60%, the film is considered "rotten".

Does any show have 100 Rotten Tomatoes? ›

Other recent series with multiple seasons in the 100% club: The Good Place, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, One Day at a Time, Veep, Fleabag, Jane the Virgin, and Feel Good. Only Murders in the Building season 1 has the most reviews on its perfect 100% score.

Is 99% Rotten Tomatoes good or bad? ›

The 99% Club: An Ode to the Almost-Perfect Movie

The 99% Club: You'll find it, way past 98% on the Tomatometer, but just before 100%. Inside, a coterie of cinema's practically-finest, movies promising an experience beyond most others – movies that are almost perfect.

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