The studio was launched by the pair in 1985, following the success the previous year of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, directed by Miyazaki – who would go on to win two Oscars, including for Spirited Away – and produced by Takahata, his confidant and rival.
Featuring members of the Japanese production’s cast performing in Japanese with English subtitles, Spirited Away runs until August 24 at the London Coliseum, the West End’s largest theatre, which seats roughly 2,400. The show’s original limited run was extended by five weeks because of popular demand.
The three-hour play tells the story of a young girl named Chihiro who stumbles into a fantastical spirit world with her parents while the family is on the way to a new house.
After a powerful sorceress named Yubaba turns her parents into pigs, Chihiro must use her wits to survive. She works at a magical bathhouse while searching for a way to free her parents – and herself – from Yubaba’s spell.
I was drawn into a world full of excitement, but also loneliness. The stage version is even better than the film
Tickets for coming performances are selling well, according to the theatre’s website, with reviews from British publications such as The Guardian describing the show as a “lavishly imaginative theatrical feast” and The Independent calling it “three hours of constant, unpredictable spectacle”.
British viewers Billy Clarke-Smee, 22, and Max Ellis, 22, who attended the show last week, said they were impressed by the “breathtaking” visuals and puppetry.
“The show took scenes from the movie and exploded them into something even more detailed,” Clarke-Smee said. “It has a distinctly Japanese charm and appeal.”
Ellis said: “I think the stage production is a better way to view and understand the story.”
Dylan Jones, 39, who came all the way from Wales to see the show, said: “I was drawn into a world full of excitement, but also loneliness. The stage version is even better than the film.”
The play follows in the footsteps of the hit My Neighbour Totoro stage play, another Miyazaki film adaptation. The stage version of the 1988 anime, put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company, is set to return to a theatre in the British capital next year.
As in the Japanese production, the role of Chihiro is shared by actresses Kanna Hashimoto, 25, and Mone Kamishiraishi, 26. Veteran artist Mari Natsuki, 72, who voiced the character Yubaba in the film as well as playing the sorceress on stage in Japan, is also reprising her role in London.