In case you haven’t caught wind of the news, Studio Ghibli’s most popular movie “Spirited Away” has been turned into a live-action stage play in Japan, bringing to life a story so rich in fantasy, emotion, and creativity.
Photos of the play were published over the weekend by Toby Olié, the Puppetry Designer and Director, which instantly went viral on social media as fans couldn’t believe how each of the mythical characters in the original movie were effectively made real.
See just a few of them below!
First look: Spirited Away on stage
Adapting the limitless imagination of Hayao Miyazaki’s iconic animation for the stage was both a monumental joy & challenge.
More images in my online gallery: https://t.co/rLGZRBzamN#千と千尋の神隠し #SpiritedAway pic.twitter.com/05Dyf3H1Qc
— Toby Olié (@TobyOlie) March 3, 2022
Here are even more images of #SpiritedAway at Tokyo’s Imperial Theatre.
Thank you for all of the kinds words, likes & shares of my previous tweet.
I’m so happy people are liking our interpretations of such well loved characters ?https://t.co/rLGZRBzamN#千と千尋の神隠し pic.twitter.com/GjDdeSvCWL
— Toby Olié (@TobyOlie) March 4, 2022
3/2より帝国劇場にて舞台『千と千尋の神隠し』が開幕❗#橋本環奈、#上白石萌音、#夏木マリ、#朴璐美、#おばたのお兄さん が登壇した初日記念会見の様子をレポート✨
舞台写真も??記事はこちらhttps://t.co/0rTLlBEESm#千と千尋の神隠し #舞台千尋 pic.twitter.com/B8HK1LgoLB
— THEATER GIRL（シアターガール） (@theatergirl_jp) March 3, 2022
【✍️Report✍️】
舞台『千と千尋の神隠し』開幕！橋本環奈・上白石萌音らを鈴木敏夫P「原作リスペクト感じた」 https://t.co/FswHHatgTE
▶回転する湯屋！ジョン・ケアードの丁寧な仕事が光る
▶#橋本環奈& #上白石萌音、鈴木Pの言葉に喜び
▶舞台写真10枚掲載#千と千尋の神隠し舞台 pic.twitter.com/vMcJS9rimz— エンタステージ (@enterstage_jp) March 3, 2022
The “Spirited Away” stage play is directed and written by Tony Award-winning director John Caird with Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi starring as heroine Chihiro in alternating performances. It is currently being shown at TOHO’s Imperial Theatre and will be touring around the country, namely Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo, and Nagoya, throughout Spring and Summer.
The film “Spirited Away” premiered in 2001 and was directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki. It follows the story of a young girl who moves into a new neighborhood and accidentally stumbles into the world of Japanese spirits. After her parents are turned into pigs by a witch named Yubaba, Chihiro gets employed in Yubaba’s bathhouse and embarks on a mission to help save her parents and return to the human world with the help of the bathhouse’s boilerman Kamaji, bathhouse worker Lin, and a boy who turns into a dragon named Haku.
(ALSO READ: Studio Ghibli Theme Park Is Officially Opening This Year! Here’s When)
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