GKIDS has acquired the North American distribution rights for the stage production of Spirited Away: Live On Stage, which was filmed during the production's 2022 run at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo, Japan. The stage play is based on the beloved Hayao Miyazaki film Spirited Away, which was originally released in 2001. GKIDS will release the filmed version of the stage production in the spring of 2023
The stage production of Spirited Away was directed by Tony Award-winner John Caird, an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, who originally gained acclaim for his work directing and adapting the beloved musical Les Misérables. GKIDS will release two separate filmed performances of the production, which stars Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi, who are double-cast as the lead character, Chihiro. Mari Natsuki, who voiced the character of Yubaba and her twin sister Zeniba in the original film, returned to the production, taking on her original role. She is accompanied by the voice actor Romi Park. The production also features a cast full of some of Japan’s finest contemporary actors.
Of the acquisition, GKIDS president David Jesteadt said, "[w]e are thrilled to offer this unique opportunity for Studio Ghibli fans in America to experience the stage production that wowed Japanese press and audiences last year.” He continued, saying "[t]his imaginative stage adaptation by the legendary John Caird, featuring two wonderful performances by lead actors Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi, helps bring to life one of the greatest films of all time in a dazzling new way.”
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Spirited Away is one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed films to be released in the medium of animation. One of the signature films to come from Studio Ghibli, a prestigious Japanese animation studio, the film introduced many American film buffs to the studio's rich catalog of animated films. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated feature at the 75th Annual Academy Awards.
The film tells the story of Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl on a road trip with her two parents who stumble upon an abandoned amusement park which turns out to have supernatural origins. When Chihiro's parents turn, quite suddenly and literally into pigs, Chihiro will have to navigate her way through the magical and mysterious world in which she finds herself captive.
The stage production of the film was created in association with Studio Ghibli. Spirited Away: Live On Stage was presented by Toho Co., Ltd. GKIDS is set to release the stage production to theaters in the United States later this year.