There is no resolving the debate over which of beloved animator Hayao Miyazaki’s masterworks is his greatest, but Spirited Away is a popular choice—and it’s not just about the sumptuous colors and detail. It’s also about a remarkable twist on Alice in Wonderland, in which an insecure girl comes of age by striving to rescue her foolish parents from a world of monsters. Accepting hard labor in a punishing bath house, Chihiro responds to hostile forces—including a terrifyingly violent greed monster and a sinister stalker called No Face—with an increasingly courageous spirit of compassion and mercy, instead of the usual heroic shows of destructive force.
—Jeffrey Overstreet