If you heard the news that Japan would be getting a live, theatrical stage play version of Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaimed, Academy Award-winning film Spirited Away and burned with a longing to see it… well, I have mostly good news. The stageplay is finally coming to America, it just won’t be quite as live as if you had seen it in Japan.
Gkids will theatrically release not just one but two distinct performances of the Spirited Away stage show, featuring the play’s two different casts headed by Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi. They each play Chihiro, the young girl who must save her parents when they get transformed into pigs after wandering into a fantasy realm of witches, spirits, and bathhouses.
Saying that doesn’t describe the magic or the beauty of Spirited Away, but by all accounts, the stage play does, thanks to excellent performances, puppets, and special effects, as well as having been adapted and directed by Tony Award-winner John Caird.
Both productions of Spirited Away: Live on Stage are due to arrive in U.S. movie theaters this spring.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
