Princess Mononoke is Studio Ghibli’s 1997 epic fantasy film, taking place in Muromachi-era Japan. The only Studio Ghibli film to receive a PG-13 rating, Princess […]

In Spirited Away, Chihiro Ogino (nicknamed Sen) is a 10 year old girl who enters a spirit world while traveling to her new home with her family. During her adventures, she quickly matures from an easily scared child to a hard-working and courageous young girl.

In Spirited Away, when Chihiro Ogino (Rumi Hiiragi/Daveigh Chase) crosses into the Spirit World, Haku (Miyu Irino/Jason Marsden) is the first spirit she truly interacts with, and he acts as her protector throughout the film. When Haku is affected by a curse, Chihiro heals him with a magic dumpling and her pure love for him. Near the end of the story, Haku is revealed to be the spirit of the Kohaku River that Chihiro had fallen into as a small child. This explained his unusual knowledge of, and closeness to, her.

Granmamare (voiced by Yuki Amami in Japan, and Cate Blanchett in the American release) is not only the Goddess of Mercy and the Queen of the Ocean, but she is also the mother of Ponyo in the 2008 Studio Ghibli film “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.” She can change size at will, often enormous but occasionally the size of a human in order to interact with other beings. Her blousy blue dress is reminiscent of the sea.

In My Neighbor Totoro, 10-year-old Satsuki and 4-year-old sister Mei Kusakabe move into a new house in the countryside that might be haunted. Now they’re neighbors not just with Totoro, but with soot sprites and a multi-legged cat-bus as well!

In Howl’s Moving Castle, Sophie is a young hatter who is turned into an old woman by the Witch of the Waste’s curse. It’s in this form that she encounters a wizard named Howl, and thats when her adventure begins.