I am very excited for this! Each time I saw photos of the live stage adaptation of “Spirited Away,” I looked up plane tickets. Alas, that never transpired, but now we have the next best thing: a filmed version of the stage play adapted from the animated film. Catch all that?

What’s Spirited Away About?

The film and play help children witness a 10-year-old child in transition– moving away from her friends and her life, moving away from following her parents’ instructions, and remembering who you are and where you came from while also learning to move on.

As a parent who has moved thousands of miles at multiple points in my life, the last three times with a family of small kids, I feel Chihiro’s journey pretty personally. It’s assumed that Chihiro’s family moved for her father’s job, and that detail is also one that I’ve experienced. Here is my main tip if your family considers it, and the one way to ensure that all voices, no matter how young, are heard.

Should My Family Move For a Job?

You and your family unit must understand what embarking on this adventure means for every single member. What are you giving up, and what does everyone want out of it? Even when your kids are young, homing in on everyone’s perspective will go a long way toward maintaining open communication. And truth be told, that is the key to making any relocation run as smoothly as possible: communication. You and your spouse must talk to each other and listen to one another, even – and especially – if they are saying things you don’t want to hear. It’s one thing to jump into an adventure with an open mind and heart; it’s another to have completely different expectations of the journey than your spouse.

That goes double for your children. They have the least amount of say in these decisions. Continually check in with them and find out how they’re feeling. Let them know it’s okay to be scared and excited; it’s fine to feel grateful and resentful, sometimes simultaneously.

There is a lot more to relocating, of course, and you can start your family’s journey by downloading my checklist of questions to ask.

How Can You Watch “Spirited Away”?

You can buy it on Blu-Ray/DVD or on demand at the links below. Don’t forget to subscribe to be one of the first people who can read and listen to my review of Miyazaki’s latest and supposedly last film, The Boy and the Heron on December 4th!

How to Watch

Cast & Creatives

CAST

Chihiro: Kanna Hashimoto / Mone Kamishiraishi
Haku: Kotaro Daigo / Hiroki Miura
No Face: Koharu Sugawara / Tomohiko Tsujimoto
Lin/Chihiro’s Mother: Miyu Sakihi / Fu Hinami
Kamajî: Tomorowo Taguchi / Satoshi Hashimoto
Yubaba/Zeniba: Mari Natsuki / Romi Park
Aniyaku/Chihiro’s Father: Kenya Osumi
Chichiyaku: Sunao Yoshimura
Aogaeru: Obata no Oniisan

Maria Abe ~ Kaito Arai ~ Yuya Igarashi ~ Yoko Ose ~ Wataru Oshige ~ Motoko Orii ~ Hiroko Kachi ~ Saori Kouzuki ~ Toshihiko Jo ~ Mayu Suetomi ~ Keiichi Tagawa ~ Hayato Takehiro ~ Saya Chinen ~ Hanano Teshirogi ~ Ayame Nakagami ~ Rei Hanashima ~ Teppen Matsunoki ~ Eiji Mizuno ~ Mayu Musha ~ Yuna Yasuno ~ Yuki Yahiro ~ YAMATO ~ Hikaru Yamano

CREATIVES & STAFF

Based on “SPIRITED AWAY” directed by	Hayao Miyazaki
Adapted and Directed by	John Caird
Co-adapted by	Maoko Imai
Original Score by	Joe Hisaishi
Musical Supervision, Orchestrations and Arrangements by	Brad Haak
Associate Music Supervision, Orchestrations and Ableton Programming by	Conor Keelan
Set Designer	Jon Bausor
Puppetry Design and Direction	Toby Olié
Choreographer/Staging	Shigehiro Ide
Lighting Designer	Jiro Katsushiba
Sound Designer	Koichi Yamamoto
Costume Designer	Sachiko Nakahara
Hair and Make Up Designer	Hiroaki Miyauchi
Projection Designer	Satoshi Kuriyama
Music Director/Conductor	Erika Fukasawa
Stage Manager	Takashi Hojo
Opening & Ending Title	Studio Ghibli
Calligraphy by	Toshio Suzuki
In Association with	Studio Ghibli
Assistant to the Director	Maoko Imai
Assistant Directors	Makoto Nagai Ryusei Onuki
Associate Set Designer	Satoko Nakane
Associate Puppetry Director	Sarah Wright
Puppetry Supervisor	Daisy Beattie
Associate Costume Designer	Mika Tominaga
Associate Music Directior	Haruka Sakai
Assistant Choreographer	Yukina Sakai
Assistant Lighting Designer	Atsushi Ozawa
Assistant Sound Designer	Mafuyu Kurokawa
Assistant Costume Designer	Yoshiko Totsuka
Assistant Hair and Make Up Designers	Mao Matsunaga Ayumi Sakura
Orchestra Coordinators	Takao Morioka / Takeru Chiba (TOHO MUSIC CORPORATION) Nobuya Matsukura/Kazunari Oshima (DAT Music)
Manipulator	Keiichiro Koga
Rehearsal Pianists	Chika Iwanaga Mio Sugita
Assistant Producer	Hayato Torisawa
Associate Producer	Haruko Murata
Producer	Haruka Ogi
Presented by	Toho Co., Ltd.

Read more: Musings on Miyazaki by a Parent Who Feels Seen

Photo/Image Credit: GKIDS, INC

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Sources: GKIDS, INC