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Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It tells the story of a 10-year-old girl named Chihiro who enters a magical world of spirits and gods when her parents are turned into pigs by a witch. She must work in a bathhouse run by the witch and find a way to free herself and her parents from the curse. Here is a possible summary of the storyline/plot in 800 words:
The film begins with Chihiro and her parents driving to their new home in the countryside. Along the way, they come across a tunnel that leads to an abandoned amusement park. Chihiro’s father decides to explore the park, despite Chihiro’s reluctance. They find a stall with delicious food and start eating, but Chihiro refuses to join them. She wanders around the park and meets a boy named Haku, who warns her to leave before nightfall. She runs back to her parents, only to discover that they have been transformed into pigs by the food. She also sees that the park has come to life with various spirits and creatures.
Haku finds Chihiro and helps her escape from the spirits. He tells her that the park is actually a bathhouse for the gods and spirits, and that she must get a job there to survive. He also tells her that he knows her from before, but does not explain how. He takes her to the boiler room, where she meets Kamaji, an old man who controls the water supply for the bathhouse. Kamaji pretends that Chihiro is his granddaughter and sends her to Yubaba, the witch who runs the bathhouse. Yubaba agrees to give Chihiro a job, but takes away most of her name and calls her Sen. She also warns Sen not to forget her real name, or she will lose her identity.
Sen starts working as a cleaner in the bathhouse, along with Lin, another worker who becomes her friend. She also encounters No-Face, a mysterious spirit who can mimic voices and gestures. She shows kindness to No-Face by giving him a token for the bathhouse, which makes him follow her around. One day, Sen is assigned to clean the tub of a stink spirit, who turns out to be a polluted river god. She manages to pull out a bicycle from his body, which restores his true form. He rewards Sen with a magic cake that can break spells.
Sen decides to use the cake to help Haku, who has been injured by Yubaba’s twin sister, Zeniba. Zeniba has cursed Haku for stealing her gold seal, which Yubaba wanted for her baby son, Boh. Sen finds Haku in his dragon form and feeds him part of the cake, which makes him cough up the seal. She also sees that Haku has swallowed a black worm that was controlling him. She pulls out the worm and throws it away, breaking Yubaba’s hold over Haku.
Sen then decides to return the seal to Zeniba and apologize for Haku’s actions. She takes Boh, who has been turned into a mouse by Zeniba’s curse, and No-Face, who has become greedy and monstrous by eating other workers in the bathhouse, with her. She also takes a train ticket that Haku gave her earlier. She boards the train that crosses the sea and heads to Zeniba’s cottage in Swamp Bottom.
Along the way, she meets a bird-like spirit named Kaonashi (meaning “faceless”), who is actually Yubaba’s spy. Kaonashi tries to lure Sen with gold and promises, but she rejects him. She also sees that No-Face has calmed down and become more friendly after leaving the bathhouse. She arrives at Zeniba’s cottage and meets Zeniba, who is much kinder than Yubaba. Zeniba tells Sen that she has passed her test by returning the seal and apologizing sincerely. She also reveals that Haku is actually the spirit of the Kohaku River, which Chihiro fell into when she was young and was saved by Haku.
Haku arrives at Zeniba’s cottage in his human form and reunites with Sen. He tells her that he has remembered his name and his past thanks to her. He also tells her that he has made a deal with Yubaba: he will return Boh to her in exchange for Sen’s freedom. Sen agrees to go back with Haku, but not before thanking Zeniba and No-Face for their help. Zeniba gives Sen a hairband made from Boh’s clothes as a gift and tells her not to look back until she crosses the river.
Sen and Haku fly back to the bathhouse on Haku’s dragon back. They confront Yubaba, who agrees to let Sen go if she can identify her parents among a group of pigs. Sen correctly chooses none of them, as her parents have already been taken away by Haku earlier. Yubaba releases Sen from her contract and restores her name as Chihiro. Haku takes Chihiro to the entrance of the park, where her parents are waiting for her. He tells her that he will meet her again someday, and kisses her goodbye. Chihiro hugs him and runs to her parents, who do not remember anything that happened. She does not look back at Haku, as Zeniba told her. She and her parents get back in their car and drive away to their new home, while Chihiro smiles confidently.
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