Movies like Spirited Away

A feature-film shortlist from the cached Film Atlas engine. The interactive map may include more titles or newer results. These are similarity matches, not a guarantee of age suitability.

1. 

   01

   My Neighbor Totoro

   Same director

   1988 · 86 min · Animation · Family · Fantasy

   Read synopsis

   Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

   Explore movies like My Neighbor Totoro
2. 

   02

   Howl's Moving Castle

   Same director

   2004 · 119 min · Adventure · Animation · Fantasy

   Read synopsis

   Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • several principal cast members

   Explore movies like Howl's Moving Castle
3. 

   03

   Princess Mononoke

   Same director

   1997 · 134 min · Adventure · Animation · Fantasy

   Read synopsis

   Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • shared themes: anime and spirit

   Explore movies like Princess Mononoke
4. 

   04

   Kiki's Delivery Service

   Same director

   1989 · 103 min · Animation · Family · Fantasy

   Read synopsis

   A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • strong shared themes: anime and magic

   Explore movies like Kiki's Delivery Service
5. 

   05

   Castle in the Sky

   Same director

   1986 · 125 min · Action · Adventure · Animation · Family · Fantasy

   Read synopsis

   A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • shared themes: anime and magic

   Explore movies like Castle in the Sky
6. 

   06

   Brave Story

   Shared cast

   2006 · 112 min · Adventure · Animation · Fantasy · Mystery

   Read synopsis

   Jr. High School Student Wataru and his friends like playing in an abandond building and looking for ghosts. However it seems he is not the only one. Another mysterious student Mitsuru shows Wataru that there is a magical door to another world where one can go and get the Goddess of Fortune to grant one wish! When tragedy strikes Wataru's family he decides to open the door for himself.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • shared genre DNA
   • a principal cast member

   Explore movies like Brave Story
7. 

   07

   Wolf Children

   Strong story similarity

   2012 · 117 min · Animation · Drama · Family · Fantasy

   Read synopsis

   After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • similar audience response

   Explore movies like Wolf Children
8. 

   08

   The Boy and the Beast

   Strong story similarity

   2015 · 119 min · Action · Adventure · Animation · Drama · Family · Fantasy

   Read synopsis

   Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • shared themes: anime and parent child relationship
   • substantial genre overlap

   Explore movies like The Boy and the Beast
9. 

   09

   When Marnie Was There

   Strong story similarity

   2014 · 103 min · Animation · Drama · Family

   Read synopsis

   Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • substantial genre overlap
   • similar audience response

   Explore movies like When Marnie Was There
10. 

    10

    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    Strong story similarity

    2013 · 137 min · Animation · Drama · Fantasy

    Read synopsis

    Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • substantial genre overlap
    • similar audience response

    Explore movies like The Tale of The Princess Kaguya