Via Comic Natalie: one of Studio Ghibli’s finest and most acclaimed films “Spirited Away” will have a stage play version at the Tokyo Imperial Theater in 2022, commemorating the 90th anniversary of Japanese film company Toho’s founding.

Popular actresses Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi will both be playing the role of “Chihiro”. The play will also travel to Osaka, Aichi, Fukuoka, and Hokkaido after its Tokyo run.

“Spirited Away” was released in 2001 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film in 2003. The story begins when Chihiro gets lost in the world of gods, following a mysterious tunnel from the real world.

The adaptation and direction will be by John Caird, an honorary associate director of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the United Kingdom, who worked on the premiere of the musical “Les Miserables”. Caird was originally a big fan of “Spirited Away”, and came to Japan to talk with Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki and director Hayao Miyazaki, for permission to adapt their movie for the stage.