Spirited Away is a wondrous fantasy about a ten-year-old girl named Chihiro, who is whisked away to a spirit world and must learn to overcome her fears and face unique challenges in order to save her parents and herself. The most successful film ever to play in Japan, Spirited Away became the first animated feature in fifty years to win the coveted Golden Bear Award at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival and Best Animated Feature Film 2002 at the 75th Annual Academy Awards.
Set in rural Japan, Spirited Away opens with ten-year-old Chihiro and her parents on their way to a new home in the suburbs. Having taken a wrong turn, the family arrives at what they believe to be an abandoned amusement park. Chihiro's parents are soon tempted by a buffet of irresistible food, which nearly consumes them as they consume it. They are quickly transformed into large squealing pigs.
When Chihiro searches for help, she finds a friend in Haku, a mysterious boy with magical powers. He introduces her to the spirits that inhabit the amusement park at night. Chihiro must go to work for Yubaba, a fierce old woman with a huge head and short body, who runs a hot springs resort for all manner of fantastic creatures and gods. Her experiences with these spirits, monsters and beings from ancient legends, lead to a series of extraordinary and entertaining adventures beyond her wildest imagination.
十歲的千尋一日與父母搬家到小鎮去，途中迷路，誤闖一條荒廢村落。原來這是一條精靈棲息的村落，千尋父母不知就裡，擅自吃了村內食物，被罰變成大肥豬。千尋驚惶下，遇上少年白；白帶千尋逃出村落，但千尋為了要救回父母，被逼留下。白安排千尋到村上的浴場工作，浴場負責人湯婆婆循例奪去千尋名字中的「尋」字；從此，千尋化名為千。千在浴場裡本來只要想法子拯救父母一起返回現實世界，卻意外地得到更多……
《千與千尋》是宮崎駿最近作品，在今年奧斯卡金像獎中榮獲「最佳動畫」殊榮，同時在第52屆柏林影展勇奪「金熊獎」殊榮，成為日本動畫進軍國際市場的先驅。電影是日本首部運用全數碼攝影製作的動畫電影，加入CG數碼技術後，令畫面具層次感。當年在日本公映時，票房更打破《鐵達尼號》創下的二億一千九百五十萬美元票房，成為日本電影史上最高票房神話紀錄。
《千與千尋》並非一般對與錯、正與邪的故事，而是透露在現實中人與人之間的相處之道；讓人看得開心之餘，亦充滿了生命力和人生智慧。正如宮崎駿解釋：「在故事中，沒有武器，也沒有超能力，反而是教人在善惡的社會裡，學會如何生存，如何愛人，發揮人的終極智慧。」
