In what year was 'Spirited Away' released in Japan? The answer is 2001. Hayao Miyazaki's fantasy film opened theatrically in Japan on July 20, 2001, distributed by Toho and produced by Studio Ghibli.
The story follows Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl who enters a supernatural world after her parents are transformed into pigs. She takes a job in Yubaba's bathhouse, where she must work to rescue her parents and preserve her identity. The film's Japanese title is Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, commonly translated as Spirited Away.
The year is sometimes confused with 2003 because that was the North American home-video release, while the film's North American theatrical release began in 2002. Its original Japanese release came earlier and quickly became a major cultural and commercial event. Spirited Away won the 2002 Golden Bear and later became the first Japanese and hand-drawn film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.