SPIRITED AWAY: LIVE ON STAGE Joins Studio Ghibli Fest 2026 Lineup

Published by Fathom Entertainment on Sep 01, 2026 11:00 AM

SPIRITED AWAY: LIVE ON STAGE Joins Studio Ghibli Fest 2026 Lineup

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Beloved Animated Feature, the Stage Adaptation Comes to Theatres Nationwide

With Fathom Entertainment for Two Nights Only, October 1 & 8

Tickets Are On Sale Now

View Film Teaser

NEW YORK, NY (September 1, 2026) – GKIDS, the Academy Award^®-winning producer and distributor of acclaimed and artist-driven animation from around the world, announced SPIRITED AWAY: Live On Stage will join this year’s Ghibli Fest lineup. Tickets are now on sale,  coming to US theatres in its original Japanese language with English subtitles for two nights only on October 1 and 8.

Filmed during the hit production’s 2022 run presented by Toho Co., Ltd at the historic Imperial Theatre in Tokyo, Japan, the stage play is based on Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award^®-winning animated feature and is adapted and directed for the stage by Tony Award^®-winner John Caird, Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, who gained international acclaim for adapting and directing the world premiere of the landmark production Les Misérables.

GKIDS and Fathom Entertainment will release two separate filmed performances of the production, starring Kanna Hashimoto (October 1) and Mone Kamishiraishi (October 8), double-cast as the lead heroine Chihiro. Character actor Mari Natsuki, who voiced the sorceress Yubaba and her twin sister Zeniba in the original motion picture, returns to her original role, accompanied by voice actor Romi Park. They are accompanied by a star-studded cast of Japan’s finest actors.

The beloved animated feature, Spirited Away, marks its 25th anniversary this year and hits theatres for Ghibli Fest later this year October 17 to 21. Please visit GhibliFest.com and FathomEntertainment.com for additional details.

Synopsis
Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award^®-winning animated feature film comes to life in this first-ever stage adaptation, full of dazzling sets, captivating musical numbers, and wondrous puppets of beloved characters. Adapted and directed by Tony Award^®-winner John Caird (Les Misérables), two unique casts and performances were filmed during the show’s acclaimed 2022 run at Tokyo’s historic Imperial Theatre, featuring Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro.

About Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli is one of the most acclaimed and influential animation studios in the world, inspiring filmmakers and audiences alike for more than 40 years with beloved stories and breathtaking visuals. Under the brilliance of visionary animation directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and producer Toshio Suzuki, the studio’s films are known for timeless classics such as My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Ponyo; and have won countless international awards including two Academy Awards^® for Best Animated Feature for Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron, as well as five additional Oscar^® nominations for Howl’s Moving Castle, The Wind Rises, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There, and The Red Turtle. Director and studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki was separately given an Honorary Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards in 2014, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures paid tribute to his artwork with a special exhibit when the Museum opened in September 2021. The studio, in conjunction with the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka and Ghibli Park, received the Honorary Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

About GKIDS
GKIDS is the Academy Award-winning curator, producer, and distributor of artist-driven, globally inspired cinema dedicated to connecting North American audiences with distinctive stories from around the world. Widely celebrated for its leadership in the “animation is film” movement, the studio has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape for feature animation in the U.S. and internationally for nearly two decades. GKIDS represents the work of many of the world’s most acclaimed animation filmmakers, including Makoto Shinkai (Your Name., Weathering With You), Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress), Tomm Moore (Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers), Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai, Wolf Children), and serves as the North American home of Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli.

Upcoming theatrical releases include the highly anticipated Godzilla Minus Zero, the follow up to director Takashi Yamazaki’s Academy Award-winning Godzilla Minus One; and Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, the latest Aardman feature in the beloved Oscar-nominated film series. In addition to Oscar-nominated Kokuho and Little Amélie and the Character of Rain, recent theatrical releases are the box office hit Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, Mamoru Oshii’s cult classic Angel’s Egg, and the critically acclaimed All You Need Is Kill, alongside groundbreaking television series such as Dan Da Dan, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, and Arcane: League of Legends. @GKIDSFilms

About Toho
Based in Tokyo Japan, TOHO has been one of the premiere Japanese entertainment companies for theatre and film since its foundation in 1932, best known internationally for Godzilla movies as well as the Akira Kurosawa masterpieces. TOHO also plays a leading role in the Japanese theatre community, producing the highest quality shows for the past 85 years. TOHO’s production of My Fair Lady premiered in 1963 and was the first-ever production of a Broadway musical performed fully in Japanese. Since then, TOHO has been a pioneer of musical theater throughout Japan introducing musical masterpieces from Broadway, the West End and locations around the world, including: Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Fiddler on the Roof, Man of La Mancha, RENT, Jersey Boys, Elisabeth, Newsies, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Tootsie. TOHO also produces its own original shows which include: Roman Holiday, Marie Antoinette, Lady Bess, Knights’ Tale, KINGDOM, SPY x FAMILY, Your Lie in April, JOJO’s Bizarre Adventure, Kane and Abel, Itaewon Class, The Twelve Kingdoms and many others. For more information, please visit: https://www.toho.co.jp/stage/ (Japanese only)

About Fathom Entertainment
Fathom Entertainment is the leading global specialty distributor of content to movie theatres. For more than 20 years, Fathom Entertainment has pioneered theatrical distribution of events and special engagements across various genres and formats, including feature films, episodic content, documentaries, concerts, and live events. Fathom consistently ranks among the top 10 theatrical distributors in North America and distributes content to cinemas worldwide. Fathom Entertainment is owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), and Regal Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L). For more information, visit FathomEntertainment.com.

Press Contact & Materials:

42West for GKIDS | 310-477-4442 | [email protected]
www.gkids.com/press

Fathom Entertainment, Eric Becker | 303-638-3469 | [email protected]