Hayao Miyazaki’s surreal Spirited Away holds a special place in cinema: It’s the movie that sunk Titanic to become Japan’s highest-grossing film, and it’s 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was only the second of its kind, and it stands as the only Oscar for both a Japanese animated film and a hand-drawn animated film.
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Spirited Away, the film is returning to theaters Dec. 4 and 5; the first night will feature the English dub, while the second will be in the original Japanese with English subtitles.
It’s not all about the Spirited Away nostalgia, however; the presentation will include the Studio Ghibli short film Ghiblies: Episode 2, a short collection of vignettes never before released in North America.
Find more information about this special event here.
Spirited Away isn’t my personal favorite Studio Ghibli film — Princess Mononoke retains that honor, followed by Howl’s Moving Castle — but its impact and appeal are undeniable. What’s yours?
