Spirited Away: Stage production of Studio Ghibli classic to transfer to West End

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Spirited Away is the latest Studio Ghibli to transfer to London’s West End. Following the success of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of My Neighbour Totoro, which was the big winner at this year’s Olivier Awards, Hayao Miyazaki’s animated classic Spirited Away will also be given the theatrical treatment. open image in gallery Mone Kamishiraishi in the Japanese production of ‘Spirited Away' “A world of gods and frogs, dragons and sorcerers, giant-sized babies and bouncing heads, spider-armed boilermen, no-faced loners and a young girl’s valiant quest for courage, identity and love.” Last year, Miyazaki’s 1988 film My Neighbour Totoro was adapted for the stage in a production, which ran at the Barbican. It will return for a second run from November 2023 until March 2024. open image in gallery The cast of ‘My Neighbour Totoro', which returns to the Barbican later this year In her four-star review of the production, which features a giant rabbit-like creature, The Independent’s Annabel Nugent wrote: “It’ll be hard to find a Studio Ghibli fan unimpressed with My Neighbour Totoro – and for those unfamiliar with Miyazaki’s cartoon world, this stage adaptation welcomes you with open, fluffy arms.” Meanwhile, Miyazaki’s final Studio Ghibli film, titled The Boy and the Heron, has set box office records in Japan, despite the lack of a marketing campaign.