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Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning masterpiece in high definition. This Spirited Away Blu-ray + DVD combo from GKIDS has the English dub and original Japanese audio in lossless 5.1, plus storyboards and trailers. Pre-owned copy in Good condition, Region A, in stock now. Add it to your cart and start your Ghibli shelf.
| Format | Blu-ray |
|---|---|
| Discs | 2 |
| Studio | SHOUT! FACTORY |
| Released | October 17, 2017 |
| Run time | 2 hours and 5 minutes |
| Condition | Good Condition |
| Availability | In stock |
The Spirited Away Blu-ray from GKIDS and Shout! Factory is the modern North American release of Hayao Miyazaki's Academy Award-winning masterpiece: the film in high definition on Blu-ray, plus a DVD copy, with both the English dub and the original Japanese audio in lossless 5.1 surround. For anyone building a Studio Ghibli Blu-ray shelf, this is the edition most collectors recommend.
This listing is a pre-owned copy of the October 2017 release, in Good condition. The Blu-ray is Region A and the DVD is Region 1, so both play in standard US players.
New copies of this release originally shipped with a 12-page booklet and, on the first pressing, a slipcover. Because this is a pre-owned copy, those printed extras are not guaranteed.
Ten-year-old Chihiro wanders with her parents into what looks like an abandoned theme park. By nightfall her parents have been transformed, and she is trapped in a bathhouse for spirits run by the witch Yubaba. To survive and free her family, she has to work, keep her name and find courage she did not know she had.
Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003, the first hand-drawn and the first non-English-language film to win that award. It also shared the Golden Bear, the top prize at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival. More than two decades later it is still regularly named among the greatest animated films ever made.
Both are here in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Watch with the English dub, featuring Daveigh Chase as Chihiro, or switch to the original Japanese cast with English subtitles. Joe Hisaishi's score sounds especially rich on the lossless tracks.
Spirited Away was first released on Blu-ray in North America by Disney in 2015. After Disney's Ghibli distribution deal ended, GKIDS and Shout! Factory reissued the film in 2017. This GKIDS edition uses a higher video bitrate than the Disney disc, which gives a cleaner image. The Disney release had a short introduction and a featurette that are not on this edition, but the core extras carry over.
Pair Spirited Away with Tales From Earthsea on Blu-ray + DVD, another Studio Ghibli release, and explore more in our anime on Blu-ray and DVD and animation sections. Unsure about formats? Our guide to DVD vs Blu-ray breaks it down.
For the film's full history and awards, see the Spirited Away article on Wikipedia.
Spirited Away Blu-ray: Questions Buyers Ask
Does the Spirited Away Blu-ray include Japanese audio?
Yes. It has the original Japanese audio in lossless 5.1 with English subtitles, as well as the English dub.
Will it play in my US player?
Yes. The Blu-ray is Region A and the DVD is Region 1, both standard for the United States and Canada.
What is the difference between this and the Disney Blu-ray?
This 2017 GKIDS edition has a higher bitrate and a newer distributor. The Disney disc had an introduction and a featurette that are not included here.
Is Spirited Away suitable for kids?
It is rated PG for some scary moments. It is a family favorite, but parents of very young children may want to preview the more intense scenes first.
Is this copy new or used?
This listing is a pre-owned copy in Good condition, as shown in the specifications on this page.
This copy is in stock and is dispatched within two business days. Standard shipping is $4.99, and orders over $50 ship free, so adding another Ghibli title to your cart gets you closer to free delivery. Every order is covered by our 30-day return policy. Add it to your cart now and step into Miyazaki's spirit world.
Standard shipping is $4.99. Orders over $50 ship free.
You can still order it. Delivery may take 2–4 weeks because the item needs to be sourced from the manufacturer.
This is the Blu-ray edition, 2 discs.
Z Hayes –
Originally posted on Amazon.com · not a MarioShroomed purchase
What a wondrous tale!
I’ve been introducing my seven-year-old to several of Studio Ghibli offerings, such as Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, and more recently Studio Ghibli: The Borrower Arrietty DVD (Licensed boxed version, Japanese audio version with Eng Sub). I held off on showing her Spirited Away until today because I felt some elements such as the spirit world would be too scary for her until now.
She watched it with me this afternoon and loved it! Before showing this to her, I explained some elements of Asian folklore (I am originally from Southeast Asia and could relate to some of the folklore underlying this story) so she could follow the story better, though this is not strictly necessary, especially for older viewers.
Spirited Away follows the adventures of 10-year-old Chihiro who together with her parents is making a move from the city to the suburbs. Chihiro is not very happy about this move, and when her parents accidentally find themselves off the beaten path on their way to their new home, she discourages them from exploring. Chihiro has a strange sense of foreboding that this new place which her father presumes to be an abandoned theme park is much more than that and she is of course proven right. Her parents are turned into pigs after gorging on food they found at this place, which turns out to be inhabited by the spirit world.
In Asian folklore, there is an emphasis on respecting old superstitions, which includes belief in the spirit world inhabited by the Gods and otherworldly creatures. When Chihiro’s parents gorged on food meant for the spirits, they were being very disrespectful and so are punished accordingly. The rest of the story follows Chihiro’s efforts, aided by the loyal Haku, to redeem her parents and make their escape from the malevolent witch Yubaba who rules over this world.
The animation is simply amazing and conjures up a fantastical world of odd-looking creatures (that radish spirit was just out of this world!) in an alternate world that is vividly brought to life. The animation is superior but what makes this such a memorable film is the heartfelt story with its underlying theme of respect, loyalty,friendship, trust, and sacrifice. Chihiro’s relentless efforts to save her parents credibly portrays the theme of filial piety and her courage and determination make her a true heroine, serving as a great role model for children. This is a film to be enjoyed by viewers of all ages, and I am so glad that I have the opportunity to share this remarkable film with my own child. P.S. Watch out for deals on Studio Ghibli films here on Amazon, as the prices tend to drop and I’ve been able to amass my very own Ghibli collection!
C. Johnson –
Originally posted on Amazon.com · not a MarioShroomed purchase
Superlative work
Many people feel (including myself) that “Spirited Away” is Miyazaki’s best work. It’s easily worth seeing more than once, more than twice, putting it in a very special category of work. This is possibly because Miyazaki does so much of his movies himself, giving a purity of purpose that most movies, made by committee, cannot possibly match if the single creator is so gifted, which Miyazaki absolutely is.
The plot is surprisingly complex, with numerous characters who don’t fit into stereotyped “good or evil” roles. Just watching the first 10 minutes reveals Miyazaki’s almost unlimited imagination in action. “Spirited Away” is a bit over 2 hours long, considerably longer than most US animated works. So you get plenty of value, considering you will very likely end up watching multiple times over the years.
“Spirited Away” focuses on a girl who faces all sorts of challenges, and is forced to grow up in order to save her parents, after they all became trapped in a completely different world they are sucked into after they lose their way. One involving aspect of the movie is that people and other beings in this other world are simply going to work, trying to make money, eating etc- their motives aren’t different from ours. Magic is part of their lives, instead of facing, say, a corporate framework every day at work in our world. This makes their actions much more believable, enabling us to suspend our disbelief and enjoy the movie.
The artwork is gorgeous, a visual feast if there ever was one. Some viewers feel that the movie is too dark, but is this different from old Bugs Bunny cartoons? In these you’ll see exaggerated cartoon violence, involving blowing each other up with dynamite, falling off cliffs and so forth. In a nation that can’t seem to detach from the the 9/11 terror attacks over 10 years ago, these cartoons actually might inadvertently remind some of the unthinkable. Miyazaki’s work can’t be any worse than these unintentional cartoon events and no kids should be prevented from seeing the movie. I myself had nightmares for years after seeing a Disney cartoon (Fantasia) many years ago, and since “Spirited Away” resolves very positively, I don’t think children should be prevented from having such a rich experience.
I don’t know why Miyazaki makes his animes: is it to make an environmental statement? Because his talents must be exercised? Or maybe just because he can? Whatever the reasons, we are lucky to have the chance to see his work. His worlds are so strongly conceived, so complete, that they seem to somehow be “more real” than our mundane daily lives. For someone able to evoke such powerful imagery, it’s not far from a definition of magic. Something timeless and wonderful exists in “Spirited Away”, something there isn’t nearly enough of. If you haven’t seen “Spirited Away”, as the introduction says, you are in for a very rare treat.
Alex H –
Originally posted on Amazon.com · not a MarioShroomed purchase
A Truly *Wonderful* and *Magical* Movie!!!
I love the movie SPIRITED AWAY by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. It’s a breath taking anime film about a young girl, Chihiro, who is literally “spirited away” to a nether world full of magical beings and fantastic possibilities. She must stay and work at a bathhouse for spirits because a witch has turned her parents into pigs. With courage, hope, love, and the help of a boy named Haku, Chihiro must find a way to outsmart the witch and rescue herself and her parents from this realm and return to the human world.
Just like another reviewer pointed out, beneath the surface this film is also about not judging people at face value because there’s good and bad in all of the characters, and in us. Chihiro seems to understand that and therefore has compassion for even the most frightening and evil spirits/characters that pop up in the movie and helps them. And even though she might be afraid of them, she doesn’t judge them. Perhaps that’s the real message of the film and why people find it so endearing…
The English dub is fantastic and Daveigh Chase as “Chihiro,” Jason Marsden as “Haku,” and the fabulous Suzanne Pleshette as evil witch “Yubaba” are terrific in their respective roles. But for those purists out there the original Japanese language track in 5.1 surround sound is available.
=========== DVD 1 ===========
** Spirited Away Movie ** (02:04:28-Minutes)
= Intro by John Lasseter (Pixar)/Widescreen with English or Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and French (not in 5.1). English subtitles and captions for the hearing impaired are also available options.
BONUS FEATURES
** Introduction by John Lasseter (Pixar) ** (01:11-Minutes)
= talks about his first viewing of the film and how it is his favorite.
** The Art O Spirited Away ** (15:12-Minutes)
= featurette hosted by Jason Marsden (voice of “Haku”). It also shows Miyazaki and Lasseter as well as some of the actors and the people behind-the-scenes English version of this film, talking about the movie.
Sneak Peeks, Scene Selection and Set Up available.
=========== DVD 2 ========
** Behind The Microphone ** (5:40-Minutes)
= featurette showing the English dub in the studio with Marsden, Pleshette, Chase and others.
** Storyboard With Sound ** (10:38)
= storyboards for a scene with the dialogue intact. You can listen to either the Japanese or English language track.
** Nippon Television Special ** (41:51)
= Japanese TV special on the making of “Spirited Away.” Japanese with English subtitles showing the concept, storyboards, research, animation, creative meetings etc. that went into this movie. The crew works around the clock to meet deadlines, sleeping and eating at their desks. It also shows the voice actors for the Japanese language track.
** Japanese Trailers & Teasers ** (28:58)
= 23 different trailers and teasers for the film. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Great film and fantastic DVD set and I highly recommend it. And for other Miyazaki films may I suggest Kiki’s Delivery Service and/or Howl’s Moving Castle, both favorites of mine (although I didn’t like the Kristen Dunst’s voice over on “Kiki’s…”).