Spirited Away was the first Japanese animated feature to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Hayao Miyazaki’s film received the prize at the 75th Academy Awards ceremony in 2003, honoring films released in 2002 in the United States awards cycle.
The film’s Japanese title is Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, often translated as The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro. It follows Chihiro after her parents are transformed into pigs in a supernatural bathhouse. The film combines Japanese folklore, original fantasy, and a coming-of-age story.
Spirited Away also achieved major commercial success in Japan and became a landmark for international animation audiences. Miyazaki did not attend the 2003 ceremony. The award is sometimes confused with later Academy recognition for other Japanese animated works, but Spirited Away holds the distinction of being the first Japanese feature winner in that category.