At the 75th Academy Awards held in 2003, Spirited Away won the Oscar.
Spirited Away is a Japanese animated fantasy film released in 2001. The film was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli for several companies, including Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi. Toho distributed the film. After deciding to base the film on the ten-year-old daughter of his friend Seiji Okuda, who would visit his home each summer, Miyazaki wrote the screenplay for Spirited Away. The film's production, which had a budget of US$19 million, began in 2000.
Pixar animator John Lasseter, who was both a friend and a fan of Miyazaki's work, persuaded Walt Disney Pictures to acquire the North American distribution rights for the film. He also served as the executive producer of the English-dubbed version, while Kirk Wise was hired on as the director and Donald W. Ernst as the producer. Screenwriters Cindy and Donald Hewitt wrote the English-language dialogue to match the original Japanese-language lip movements of the characters.
What is Spirited Away about?
On their way to their new home, ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino and her parents come across a tunnel that leads to an apparently deserted amusement park. Despite Chihiro's objections, her father decides to explore the area, and they stumble upon a restaurant filled with delicious food.
As her parents indulge, Chihiro explores the park alone and discovers a bathhouse where she meets a boy named Haku, who advises her to leave. However, when she returns to the restaurant, Chihiro is horrified to discover that her parents have turned into pigs, and the exit is now blocked. Upon meeting Haku, Chihiro is led toward the bathhouse, where she encounters various creatures and animals, including the masked spirit No-Face. Haku instructs her to seek a job from Kamaji, a yōkai who commands the susuwatari. However, Kamaji already has enough susuwatari to help him, and Chihiro accidentally causes a disturbance while trying to assist.
As a result, Kamaji sends Chihiro to Yubaba, the witch who manages the bathhouse. Lin, one of the workers, escorts Chihiro to the top floor, where she can find the witch. In an effort to free herself and her parents and return to the human world, Chihiro secures a job at Yubaba's bathhouse.
In which category did Spirited Away win an Oscar?
Spirited Away received an Oscar in the Best Animated Feature category. Spirited Away was met with widespread critical acclaim and achieved global box office success, earning $395.8 million worldwide. With a total of ¥31.68 billion ($305 million), the film became the highest-grossing and most successful Japanese film in history. This record stood for 19 years until 2020, when it was surpassed by Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train.
FAQs
A. Two Korean movies have won Oscars — Parasite and Minari.
