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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #6 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View Spirited Away film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

Ten-year-old Chihiro enters a bathhouse for spirits after her parents are transformed, taking work from the witch Yubaba and receiving help from the mysterious Haku.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Ten-year-old Chihiro enters a spirit realm after her parents are transformed into pigs. To survive and help them, she accepts work in Yubaba's bathhouse, where Haku guides her through unfamiliar rules, creatures, and obligations.

Why it belongs

The bathhouse in Spirited Away teems with labor, appetite, and spirits, giving Chihiro's uncertain passage tactile form while joining courage and identity to environmental responsibility.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Miyazaki assembles the bathhouse as a functioning world of labor, appetite, ritual, and environmental consequence—Chihiro's growth emerges through observed choices and hand-drawn behavior rather than explanatory speeches.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards1 win2003 · official ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
FamilyFilm Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound75IMDb Top 25032AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.7
Engagement9.5
Ease9.3

Japanese · PG
Animated Feature
Mood: Imaginative & Accessible