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千と千尋の神隠し

FILM · 2001 · JAPAN

千と千尋の神隠し

Directed by
Hayao Miyazaki
Runtime
125 min
Studio
Studio Ghibli, Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network Corporation

70 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

  • 千と千尋の神隠し — production image

70 Interesting Facts About 千と千尋の神隠し

Interesting Facts (16)

  1. #001

    The city that Chihiro and her parents are moving to at the start is the fictional town of Tochinoki along Route 21, just north of Nagoya. Tochinoki is also the name of an amusement park north of Tokyo and a spa resort in southern Japan. The large hill in their neighborhood, where the dirt road begins, is called Green Hill.

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  2. #002

    Executive producer John Lasseter of Pixar supervised the English-language dubbing of the film and tried to match the actors' English-language dialog with the mouth movements of the animated characters.

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  3. #003

    (at around 1h 26 mins) To animate the scene where Chihiro forces Haku to take the medicine in his dragon form, Hayao Miyazaki had his animators study a dog's mouth as it was fed treats by a veterinarian while holding its lower jaw.

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  4. #004

    Haku's dragon movements mimic the twisting of an eel swimming. For attack scenes, Hayao Miyazaki references a live eel at a fish market just before being gutted. When he realized none of his animators had seen this, Miyazaki sarcastically remarked, "Japanese culture is doomed."

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  5. #005

    The scene at the end of the film where Chihiro and her parents are walking through the tunnel back to the car is the exact same scene as the one in the beginning of the film, only reversed.

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  6. #006

    (at around 1h 27 mins) When Chihiro crushes the small, worm-like creature that lived inside Haku with her foot, Kamaji tells her to "Cut the line!" This gesture is a Japanese good-luck charm that involves a chopping motion made with the connected index fingers of another person. It is performed whenever someone is affected by impurity. During the dubbing process for the "Spirited Away" Nippon-TV Special, Rumi Hiiragi, which features Chihiro, the concept was unfamiliar to her and was explained by Hayao Miyazaki. A sound engineer remarked, "The young don't know it these days."

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  7. #007

    The character No Face bears a striking resemblance to a silkworm, a creature of great importance in Japanese culture. No Face seems to have a white face and a mouth below it. Silkworms have markings that resemble facial features, and their mouths are located below these markings. Silkworms and No Face eat constantly and overgrow. At the movie's end, No Face goes with Sen to visit Zeniba. No Face stays with Zeniba as a spinner.

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  8. #008

    The original Japanese names written in Kanji (Chinese characters) for many of the characters provide clues to their identities: Yubaba (hot-water crone), Zeniba (money crone), Kaonashi (no face), Bô (young boy/child), Kamajii (kettle/boiler pot/old man), Chihiro (thousand fathoms or thousand searches), Sen (thousand (pronunciation of chi kanji when isolated)).

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  9. #009

    The star-shaped treats the Susuwatari (black soots) were carrying are called kompeitô, a type of traditional Japanese candy.

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  10. #010

    (at around 1h 45 mins) When Chihiro arrives at Zeniba's house, the jumping lamp with sound effect is reminiscent of the Pixar logo.

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  11. #011

    The theme of not looking back is an homage to the Shinto Myth of Izanagi (& Izanami) escaping from the Underground World of Death (Yomino Kuni), which is very similar to the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Many of the characters in this animation are based on Shinto Myth and have Shinto Gods' names. For example, Haku's actual name, 'Nigihayami Kohakunushi,' is taken from a real God's name, Nigihayahi.

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  12. #012

    Hayao Miyazaki wrote, directed, and drew the storyboards for the movie; many directors have claimed that he essentially 'writes his movie with drawings,' with films like this representing one person's work and vision. The filmmaker is so influential and involved in the production that the New Yorker once called him "the auteur of anime."

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  13. #013

    The river spirit's cleansing is based on a real-life event in Hayao Miyazaki's life, in which he took part in cleaning a river and pulled out, among other things, a bicycle.

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  14. #014

    (Around 1 hour 26 minutes) To animate the scene in which Chihiro forces Haku to take the medicine in dragon form, Hayao Miyazaki had his animators study the mouth of a dog whose lower jaw was held by a veterinarian while it was fed treats.

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  15. #015

    The star-shaped treats carried by the Susuwatari (soot sprites) are called kompeitô, a type of traditional Japanese candy.

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  16. #016

    Pixar producer John Lasseter supervised the film's English dub and tried to match the actors' English dialogue to the mouth movements of the animated characters.

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Production Story (17)

  1. #017

    There are several instances in the English-dubbed version where additional dialogue was absent in the original Japanese release. In an interview with John Lasseter, he explained that it was a necessary addition to help clarify some aspects for American audiences. For example, what is a bathhouse to a Japanese viewer might not be apparent to an American viewer. This translation issue was resolved by having the character explain, "Oh, it's a bathhouse."

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  2. #018

    This was the first film directed by Hayao Miyazaki in which a child character was actually voiced by a child.

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  3. #019

    Everytime No Face appears there is Balinese Gamelan music to be heard in the background.

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  4. #020

    Although it has a rich plot with well-developed characters, this film was not created with a script. Hayao Miyazaki's films have never used scripts during production. "I don't have the story finished and ready when we start work on a film," the filmmaker told Midnight Eye. "I usually don't have the time. So, the story develops as I begin drawing storyboards. The production starts while the storyboards are still evolving." Miyazaki doesn't know where the plot is heading, and he lets it develop naturally. "It's not me who makes the film. The film makes itself, and I have no choice but to follow."

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  5. #021

    The beginning of the title is a play on words "sen to" (meaning "thousand and"). If read as one word, "sento" means bath house, the setting for the film.

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  6. #022

    The song over the closing credits ("Itsumo Nando Demo"/"Always With Me") was intended for a Hayao Miyazaki film that was never made. Miyazaki played it relentlessly while making this film and decided to include it in the end credits.

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  7. #023

    Although Hayao Miyazaki had considered retiring after completing Princess Mononoke (1997), he was inspired to make this film after seeing a friend's sullen 10-year-old daughter.

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  8. #024

    The cleansing of the river spirit is based on a real-life incident in Hayao Miyazaki's life in which he participated in the cleaning of a river, removing, among other things, a bicycle.

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  9. #025

    Grossed ¥32 billion in Japan, becoming the highest-grossing film in the country, surpassing Titanic (1997), which grossed ¥26 billion. It held the record for nearly 20 years until it was finally surpassed by Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train (2020).

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  10. #026
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Lines appear in the English-dubbed version that are not present in the original. For example, Sen says Haku is a dragon after seeing her parents in the barn, and another instance is when Chihiro and her parents talk in the car at the end.

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  11. #027

    Despite having a rich plot and well-developed characters, the film was not created from a script. Hayao Miyazaki's films have never used a script during production. In an interview with Midnight Eye, the director said, "When I start a film, the story isn't ready and finished. Usually I don't have time. So the story develops as we start drawing the storyboards. Production begins while the storyboards are still evolving." Miyazaki does not know where the plot is going and lets it develop naturally. "I don't make the film. The film makes itself and I just have to follow."

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  12. #028

    This is the first film to gross 200 million dollars before opening in the United States.

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  13. #029

    The ending theme song ("Itsumo Nando Demo" / "Always With Me") was designed for a Hayao Miyazaki film that was never made. While making this film, Miyazaki played the song constantly and eventually decided to use it in the credits.

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  14. #030

    Hayao Miyazaki refused to travel to the United States to accept the Academy Award he won for this film because he was opposed to the Iraq War.

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  15. #031

    The river spirit washed by Chihiro/Sen rewards her with an emetic dumpling. Emetics are substances that cause vomiting. Emetics are still used today in medicine in cases of poisoning. Some of these emetics have been used since ancient times.

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  16. #032

    Haku's movements as a dragon were inspired by the swimming motion of an eel. For the scenes in which he is attacked, Hayao Miyazaki cited the example of a live eel at a fish market before it is gutted. When he realized that none of his animators had ever seen this, Miyazaki remarked sarcastically, 'Japanese culture is ruined.'

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  17. #033

    At about 1 hour 35 minutes, while Sen is on the train, they pass by an island that resembles Kame House from the Dragon Ball series.

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Behind the Scenes (5)

  1. #034

    (at around 8 mins) To portray Chihiro's mother talking while eating, the actress Yasuko Sawaguchi delivered the dialogue (in the original Japanese version) while eating a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Actress Lauren Holly did the same in the English version with an apple.

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  2. #035
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    (at around 1h 14 mins) In the English-language version, John Ratzenberger (Aniyaku) totally improvised the song he sings when praising the rich customer No-Face ("Welcome the rich man, he's hard for you to miss..."). The original script's song was "Welcome the rich man--he's pretty big, you see/so all bow down and get on bended knee."

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  3. #036

    Haku's dragon movements were inspired by the swimming undulations of an eel. For the scenes in which he is attacked, Miyazaki cited a live eel at a fish market before it was gutted as an example. When he realized that none of his animators had seen this, he said sarcastically, 'Japanese culture is ruined.'

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  4. #037

    John Lasseter, one of Pixar's producers, directed the film's English dub and tried to make the actors' dialogue match the mouth movements of the animated characters.

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  5. #038

    If the laws of physics applied in the human world, the 30-second free fall inside the bathhouse would indicate a height of about 1,200 meters (4,000 feet).

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Characters & Cast (3)

  1. #039

    This is the first film directed by Hayao Miyazaki in which a child character is voiced by an actual child.

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  2. #040

    Because of a small dubbing error, Haku's name is mispronounced. His real name in 'Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi' is Kohakunushi Nigihayami, while 'Spirited Away' refers only to the Kohaku River, ignoring the rest of his name and thereby greatly changing its meaning.

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  3. #041

    Chihiro has a farewell card 'from her best friend Rumi'. The name of Chihiro's Japanese voice actress was also Rumi.

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Easter Eggs & References (7)

  1. #042

    (at around 1h 25 mins) If human-world physics applied, the 30-second freefall through the interior of the bathhouse would suggest a height of about four thousand feet (twelve hundred meters).

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  2. #043

    Chihiro has a goodbye card from her "best friend, Rumi." The Japanese voice actress for Chihiro's role was also named Rumi.

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  3. #044

    (at around 1h 35 mins) When Sen is on the train they pass by an island that resembles the Kame House from the Dragon ball series.

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  4. #045

    This Studio Ghibli film had a DVD introduction by John Lasseter of Pixar Animation Studios, while Pixar's flagship property, "Toy Story," featured a plush doll appearance of Totoro, Ghibli's mascot.

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  5. #046

    Chihiro's father drives a first-generation Audi A4 sedan. The level of detail included by the director consists of Audi's trademark "Quattro" four-wheel drive system when Chihiro's father decides to take the car in the forest, along with the ABS (anti-lock brake system), which pushes the brake pedal back when Chihiro's father brakes hard seeing the statue.

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  6. #047

    "Chihiro," one of Billie Eilish's most recent songs, was named in reference to the film's main character. Billie cites Spirited Away as one of her favorite films.

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  7. #048
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    A minor dubbing error causes Haku's name to be slurred. His actual given name in "Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi" is Kohakunushi Nigihayami, while "Spirited Away" just refers to the Kohaku River, ignoring the rest of his name entirely, and therefore changing the meaning of his name drastically.

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Deeper Meaning (12)

  1. #049

    Chi and Sen both use the same Japanese Kanji, which means "one thousand," but are different readings of the same character. The name "Sen" is also a play on the name "Chihiro."

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  2. #050

    There is a common misconception that the film takes place in a brothel. This is false; Hayao Miyazaki made this film with young females in mind. Another quote from the creator that disproves this claim states he is unhappy with how the sex industry has become more focused on including children.

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  3. #051

    The characters in the film reflect who they are. "Boh" means little boy or son, "Kamaji" means old boiler man, "Yubaba" means bathhouse witch, and "Zeniba" means money witch. The heroine "Chihiro" means a thousand fathoms or searches, while her worker name, "Sen" just means thousand.

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  4. #052
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs as a result of eating food intended for the gods.

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  5. #053
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    After his bath by Chihiro/Sen, the river spirit rewards her with an emetic dumpling. Emetics are substances that induce vomiting. We still use emetics in medical settings today, such as in cases of poisoning. Some of these emetics have been used since ancient times.

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  6. #054

    When Chihiro crushes the small worm-like creature living inside Haku with her foot, Kamaji tells her, "Cut the line!" This gesture is a Japanese good-luck charm performed by joining the index fingers in a cutting motion. It is done when a person has been affected by impurity. During the dubbing of the "Spirited Away" Nippon-TV special, Rumi Hiiragi, who voiced Chihiro, was unfamiliar with this concept and it was explained to her by Hayao Miyazaki. A sound engineer said, "These days young people don't know this."

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  7. #055

    When the original Japanese names of many characters are written in kanji (Chinese characters), they give clues about their identities: Yubaba (hot water witch), Zeniba (money witch), Kaonashi (no-face), Bô (boy child/child), Kamajii (kettle/kettle old man), Chihiro (thousand fathoms or thousand seeking), Sen (thousand (the reading of the chi kanji when isolated)).

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  8. #056

    The beginning of the title is a wordplay: "sen to" (meaning "thousand and"). When read as a single word, "sento" means the bathhouse where the film takes place.

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  9. #057

    When Chihiro arrives at Zeniba's house, the bouncing lamp with sound effects recalls the Pixar logo.

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  10. #058

    There is a common misconception that the film takes place in a brothel. This is false; Hayao Miyazaki made this film with young girls in mind. Another quote from the creator refuting this claim states that he is unhappy with the sex industry focusing more on including children.

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  11. #059

    It is included in the list "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider.

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  12. #060

    It is the highest-rated animated film on Letterboxd.

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Career & Awards (8)

  1. #061

    This is the highest-rated animated film on the Internet Movie Database, sitting at #31 on the Top 250 as of March 2026.

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  2. #062

    The highest rated animated film on Letterboxd.

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  3. #063

    This film is in the Official Top 250 Narrative Feature Films on Letterboxd.

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  4. #064

    This is the first film to earn US$200 million in grosses before opening in the U.S.

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  5. #065

    Ranked number 37 non-English-speaking film in the critics' poll conducted by the BBC in 2018.

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  6. #066

    One of only two animated films ever to receive the Japan Academy Prize for picture of the year, the first being Princess Mononoke (1997), a product of the same crew.

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  7. #067

    First anime film to be nominated for (and win) an Academy Award. At the time, it had the longest runtime of any other film nominated or winning in that category (125 minutes). It has since been surpassed by, among other films, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013), also from Studio Ghibli.

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  8. #068

    Spirited Away was the only non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature until 2024. That year, The Boy and the Heron (2023) won the award. It was directed by Hayao Miyazaki as well.

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Life & Family (2)

  1. #069

    Hayao Miyazaki refused to go to the United States to accept his Academy Award for this film due to his opposition to the Iraq War.

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  2. #070

    Last film of Suzanne Pleshette (Yubaba).

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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