Which Studio Ghibli film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003?

Which Studio Ghibli film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003? Spirited Away won it.

The Japanese animated fantasy film was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. It won at the 75th Academy Awards, held on March 23, 2003, recognizing films released during 2002. The film follows Chihiro, a girl trapped in a supernatural bathhouse after her parents are transformed into pigs.

The wording can cause a small date mix-up: Spirited Away was released in Japan in 2001, but its Oscar win took place in 2003. The Academy’s award year refers to the ceremony year, while award listings often identify the eligible film year as 2002. It was the first Japanese, hand-drawn, and non-English-language film to win Best Animated Feature.

Spirited Away also became the first anime film to win an Academy Award. Its competitors included Ice Age, Lilo & Stitch, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Treasure Planet.