14 Best Animated Movies Like Spirited Away – Must See

Spirited Away is a masterpiece of animation by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. It has captured viewers with its imaginative stories, beautiful visuals, and touching themes. There are many more films like this one that you might enjoy if you liked this coming-of-age story set in a magical world.

From My Neighbour Totoro and other Studio Ghibli hits with their incredibly detailed worlds to Mamoru Hosoda’s Wolf Children with its deep, thought-provoking plots, these films all love fascinating stories and stunning animation. So, watch these amazing movies like Spirited Away in that they will blow your mind with their skill and emotional depth.

The Top 14 Movies Like Spirited Away To Watch:

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an exciting time-traveling tale with some sci-fi themes and great writing. The story is about Makoto, a high school girl who has a strange experience at a museum and learns she can jump through time.

At first, Makoto only uses her new power for small things, like doing well on tests and staying out of awkward situations. She quickly learns, though, that what she does has effects on the lives of those around her. Makoto learns important lessons about taking care of herself, being friends, and living in the present as she struggles with her power.

Kubo and the Two Strings

Laika Studios’ stop-motion cartoon Kubo and the Two Strings is an exciting journey set in ancient Japan that is both exciting and heartwarming. Kubo, a young boy with a magical shamisen, sets out on a quest to find the famous samurai armour that his late father wore.

So, Kubo has to fight evil spirits and gods, including his mean grandpa, the Moon King, with the help of a guardian monkey and a cursed beetle fighter. Kubo learns about his own secret power and how important love and family are as he pieces together his family’s past.

The Boy and the Beast

Like Spirited Away, The Boy and the Beast is about a boy who is almost alone and ends up getting involved in a different world called the Beast Kingdom. It’s part kung fu movie, part coming-of-age movie, and part movie about finding a family. It does a lot of different things well.

For me, the main thing that links it to Spirited Away is that it just keeps going on and on. After the A-plot is over, you think the B-plot will cover everything, but then the C-plot comes along and steals the show. Still, it ends like a fairy tale and makes you want to do something.

The Secret World Of Arrietty

The Secret World of Arrietty is a beautiful movie based on the book by Mary Norton. The movie is mostly about the Clock family, a group of tiny people who live in a human home and steal things from their hosts to stay alive.

Things change for them though when Shawn, a good-hearted human boy, finds Arrietty and the Clock family’s secret world. As their bond grows, a suspicious maid puts the Clock family’s lives in danger. Arrietty and Shawn face problems together, talking about trust, strength, and how important it is to look out for the people we love.

Wolf Children

With moving themes of love, family, and identity, Mamoru Hosoda’s Wolf Children is a must-see movie. The movie is about a young woman named Hana who falls in love with a strange man who turns out to be a werewolf. They have two kids named Yuki and Ame. Both of them have the werewolf powers of their dad.

The father dies, which is very sad. This leaves Hana to raise their children by herself. Hana goes to the country, where it’s harder to take care of her kids and help them figure out who they are as both humans and wolves. The movie beautifully looks at motherhood, finding a place to join, and how hard it can be to balance ethnic differences.

Mirai

One of my favourite Mamoru Hosoda movies is about a spoilt little boy who is having a hard time growing up because he throws rage tantrums all the time. While his parents are young and trying their best, things become very hectic in the house when a new baby, the named Mirai, is born.

His way of dealing with things is through a kind of nostalgia magic. He starts to play in other worlds and times, where his mom is a child again and his new best friend is a guy who looks like a nomad and hangs out in his backyard with his dog. So cute and charming, you can’t help but love the main character, even when he’s yelling his head off.

Also Read: 15 Thriller Movies Like Gone Girl with Unpredictable Endings

Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind

The movie Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is set a thousand years after a terrible war, when the world is in ruins. Nausicaä is the princess of a small, quiet valley in the story. She is kind and sweet. The world is overrun by a poisonous jungle full of poisonous bugs and huge creatures called Ohmu who watch over it.

When her valley is threatened by countries at war who want to take advantage of the jungle’s secrets, Nausicaä sets out to learn about the poisonous forest and stop more damage. The movie looks at life’s worth, empathy, and how everything is linked.

The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is the story that The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is based on. A poor man who cuts bamboo finds a tiny, glowing princess inside a stick of bamboo and raises her as their daughter with his wife.

The girl, who is named Kaguya, grows up to be a beautiful beauty who gets unwanted attention from noble men. As more and more about her past comes to light, Kaguya has to face her fate and make hard decisions. The film’s unique watercolour animation makes it a moving look at love, identity, freedom, and the fleeting beauty of life.

The Wolf Children

Hosoda seems to really enjoy two types of stories: those about kids and those about animals. His family story about a young woman who falls in love with a wolf-man and has two hybrid-werewolf kids with him brought them together. When the wolf-man dies in a terrible accident, the family has to keep going on their own.

The idea may sound sketchy, but this movie always makes me cry. The way it’s done is completely magical, and the graphics are stunning, from the rolling hills to the busy cityscapes. Also, there’s something really cute about seeing babies turn into dogs on the spot.

Grave Of The Fireflies

Grave of the Fireflies, which was directed by Isao Takahata, is a sad story set in the last few months of WWII. The story is about a teenage boy named Seita and his younger sister Setsuko, who are trying to stay alive in a war-torn Japan.

After being left without a parent after a firebombing, they first stay with a distant cousin but finally have to take care of themselves. The brothers have to deal with a lot of problems, like food, illness, and the end of society. This frightening and moving movie shows the horrible truths of war and how strong the human spirit can be in the face of hardship.

Howl’s Moving Castle

The cartoon fantasy adventure movie Howl’s Moving Castle is based on a book by Diana Wynne Jones. The story is about Sophie, a young hatmaker who is cursed by the Witch of the Waste and turns into an old woman. Sophie meets the mysterious wizard Howl and his magical walking house while she is looking for a fix.

When Sophie joins Howl’s fight against Madame Suliman, another strong witch, she learns about love, courage, and finding out more about herself. This beautiful movie takes place in a country that is at war and explores ideas of inner beauty, loyalty, and the power of kindness.

Turning Red

To be fair, I do have a bias because I love this movie. But this list still needs to include it, especially since it’s based on Ghibli films so much. What happens when you lose your way and your feeling of control is at the heart of Turning Red.? This is also true for Spirited Away as a whole.

Also, a lot of the images in Turning Red come from Asian culture, just like they did in Spirited Away. The movie honours these images in deep (and sometimes silly) ways. Even though it’s not as dark and scary as Spirited Away, that’s one of its best qualities: it perfectly shows how a pre-teen girl feels.

Princess Mononoke

In Princess Mononoke, the story takes place in a made-up version of old Japan where people live with gods and ghosts. In the story, Prince Ashitaka is cursed by a monster and goes to faraway places to find a fix.

He gets caught in a violent fight between the people who mine iron and the people who live in the holy forest, including Princess Mononoke (San), who was raised by wolves and is very angry. As Ashitaka tries to bring peace to the two sides, he learns how complicated their fight is. The movie looks at ecology, how nature works, and what happens when people are greedy.

My Neighbor Totoro

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli made the cute and silly movie My Neighbour Totoro. There are two girls named Satsuki and Mei in the story. They move to the country to be near to their sick mother. They meet Totoro there. Totoro is a cute, magical forest spirit and a lovely animal friend.

The adventures Satsuki and Mei have with Totoro and other friendly animals teach them important lessons about life. The movie is a touching look at the innocence of youth, the strength of fantasy, and how important it is to enjoy the beauty of nature.

Conclusion:

Spirited Away is a gem that will stay with you for a long time. Luckily, there are many more equally charming films out there waiting to be found. The magic of stories lives on whether you’re watching other Studio Ghibli classics, diving into Japanese cartoons, or spreading out to find gems from other countries.

Also Read: 10 Best Romantic Musical Movies Like La La Land