​Japanese anime "Spirited Away" wins Chinese hearts

The 2001 Japanese animated film "Spirited Away" is dominating the Chinese box office, 18 years after its official release.

Still image from animated film "Spirited Away," directed by Hayao Miyazaki. [Photo: IC]

The film has raked in 218 million yuan during its first four days of screening, securing the best debut ever for a Japanese title in the Chinese market.

"Spirited Away" is the story of a girl who wanders into a mysterious spirit realm to rescue her parents and returns them to the human world.

"Actually, many viewers didn't watch this film in cinemas 18 years ago," said Chen Gang with the School of Arts and Communication at Beijing Normal University. The Chinese film expert was also asked about why the same film would resonate with audiences which DID see the film nearly 20 years ago. "For them, 'Spirited Away' means more about a memory of youth and adolescence. After they had more social experience and grew up, they felt something new about life that they hadn't felt before when they watched it again 18 years later."

"Spirited Away" is the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, as well as the first hand-drawn non-English language animated film to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, which it earned in 2003.

(Story includes material sourced from CCTV PLUS)