Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” is returning to the big screen.
As part of GKIDS and Fathom Entertainment’s Studio Ghibli Fest, the film will be re-released in theaters across the country from Oct. 18-Oct. 22. As previously announced, “Howl’s Moving Castle” will also be re-released as part of the fest from Sept. 20-24.
“Spirited Away” made Oscars history when it won the Academy Award for best animated feature in 2003. It was the first hand-drawn feature to win in that category.
The film follows a 10-year-old girl, Chihiro, whose family is moving to a new house. Along the way, they stop to explore an abandoned village, her parents undergo a mysterious transformation and Chihiro is whisked into a world of fantastic spirits ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba. Put to work in a magical bathhouse for spirits and demons, Chihiro must use all her wits to survive in this strange new place, find a way to free her parents and return to the normal world.
On its release, Variety wrote of the film: “It’s almost impossible to do justice in words either to the visual richness of the movie, which melanges traditional Japanese clothes and architecture with both Victorian and modern-day artifacts, or to the character-filled storyline, with human figures, harpies and grotesque creatures. Its look is frequently astounding, with a feel of traditional animation that humanizes the movie in a way pure digital animation never can.
Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning “The Boy and the Heron” will also be re-released as part of the Studio Ghibli Fest lineup.
See below for the “Spirited Away” screening dates:
Saturday, October 18 (English Language Dub)
Sunday, October 19 (English Language Dub)
Monday, October 20 (Japanese Language with Subtitles)
Tuesday, October 21 (Japanese Language with Subtitles)
Wednesday, October 22 (English Language Dub)
