It's been 20 years since the Oscar-winning animated movie 'Spirited Away' was released. Here are 5 ways it changed Japanese animation forever.

Cheryl TehJul 21, 2021, 15:51 IST

"Spirited Away" won an Oscar in 2003 for Best Animated Feature. At $395.5 million in box office takings, it was the highest-grossing animated film ever in Japan for 19 years. It was dethroned by "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train" last year, which reaped over $500 million in gross earnings.Spirited Away/IMDB

It has been exactly 20 years since Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning "Spirited Away" hit theaters.
For 19 years, it was the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, until it was dethroned last year by "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train."
But "Spirited Away" is more than just a movie - it has fundamentally changed the landscape of Japanese anime.

"Spirited Away" won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003, but it continues to captivate audiences to this day.

Miyazaki's use of mythology continues to influence film.

"Spirited Away" includes references to mythology and Shintoism throughout the movie. Spirited Away Wikia

"Spirited Away" set a precedent for making heroines the center of Japanese animated films.

"Spirited Away" made having a young female protagonist finding her way in the world a commonplace staple in anime. Studio Ghibli Wikia

"Spirited Away's" dreamlike landscapes have continued to find their way into more recent Japanese anime movies.

One of "Spirited Away"'s most memorable sequences is one that the movie's fans call "the train scene" - where no dialogue or plot developments happen for a full two minutes. Spirited Away Wikia

?Spirited Away" offers a thoughtful message about environmental pollution embedded within it. Now modern Japanese animated films know they have the room to communicate a deeper message, too.

In a scene mid-way through the movie, protagonist Chihiro helps to cleanse a river spirit of his earthly burden - a mountainous heap of trash confining him to the human world. Spirited Away Wikia

?Spirited Away" offers a thoughtful message about environmental pollution embedded within it. Now modern Japanese animated films know they have the room to communicate a deeper message, too.

"Spirited Away" also made merchandise like plushies and other paraphernalia a thing.

Studio Ghibli has found its way into the US, too. This is just part of Kinokuniya San Francisco's massive in-store section dedicated to Ghibli merchandise. Kinokuniya San Francisco

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It's been 20 years since the Oscar-winning animated movie 'Spirited Away' was released. Here are 5 ways it changed Japanese animation forever.

"Spirited Away" won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003, but it continues to captivate audiences to this day.

Miyazaki's use of mythology continues to influence film.

"Spirited Away" set a precedent for making heroines the center of Japanese animated films.

"Spirited Away's" dreamlike landscapes have continued to find their way into more recent Japanese anime movies.

?Spirited Away" offers a thoughtful message about environmental pollution embedded within it. Now modern Japanese animated films know they have the room to communicate a deeper message, too.

"Spirited Away" also made merchandise like plushies and other paraphernalia a thing.