It only took 18 years…
Hayao Miyazaki’s anime masterpiece Spirited Away is finally being released in China.
The film about a little girl who must save her parents after they were turned into pigs was first released in Japan in 2001.
Becoming the most successful film in Japanese history, the movie earned more than $331 million worldwide and even claimed the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
All films screened in China must have government approval. The years-long delay has meant that many of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli movies have been watched by fans through pirated downloads and DVDs.
But that seems about to change as it has now been announced that Spirited Away will finally make its Chinese debut.
The June 21st premiere will follow on from another Miyazaki feature, My Neighbour Totoro, debuting in China last December, 30 years after its initial release.
