History YMMV / SpiritedAway

* SpiritualSuccessor: The plot can be a Japanese successor to the first Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz novel as they both are about innocent young girls who get thrown into a magical world where they meet and helps all kinds of strange characters and both Dorthy and Chihiro at one point are forced to work for a wicked witch and have to look for a good witch with a group of misfits who need the good witch’s help.

* SpiritualSuccessor: The plot can be a Japanese successor to the first Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz navel as they both are about innocent young girls who get thrown into a magical world where they meet and helps all kinds of strange characters and both Dorthy and Chihiro at one point are forced to work for a wicked witch and have to look for a good witch with a group of misfits who need the good witch’s help.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Chihiro is meant to be written as a brat who doesn't appreciate what she has in the beginning until she loses it. Except... she's moving to a new place against her will, and the worst she does is whine about how she's gotten a goodbye bouquet from her best friend, whom she's leaving behind. Then when her father gets them lost in the middle of the woods, she senses something isn't right with the abandoned amusement park and yells at her family to leave. It turns out she's ProperlyParanoid about that given the food there turns her parents into pigs.
* ValuesDissonance: A more western audience might find Chihiro's behavior a bit more understandable, given that she's pretty young ''and'' her parents constantly downtalk and dismiss her even when her concerns are valid. Even in the scenes where she is in the "theme park" and is telling her parents she wants to leave, she comes off as the OnlySaneMan.

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkxR1TcG4n4 video]] analysis states that the film can be seen as a take that against hustle culture, capitalism and commercial greed which were issues plaguing Japan from the film's release to present day, if the widespread knowledge of Japan's poor working conditions combined with the need to conform are anything to go by.

* SignatureScene: The train ride is the most iconic scene in the movie as it's the most talked about scene. Many praising it for its serenity and soundtrack.

* SignatureScene:
** The train ride is the most iconic scene in the movie as it's the most talked about scene. Many praising it for its serenity and soundtrack.

* ValuesDissonance:
** A more western audience might find Chihiro's behavior a bit more understandable, given that she's pretty young ''and'' her parents constantly downtalk and dismiss her even when her concerns are valid. Even in the scenes where she is in the "theme park" and is telling her parents she wants to leave, she comes off as the OnlySaneMan.
** There is also the fact that Yubaba complains that Chihiro doesn't have a day of work under her belt. [[JerkassHasAPoint Despite technically being true,]] in an age with prominent child labor laws that Chihiro clearly doesn't match the age range for, it's easy to brush off Yubaba's words with the matter of the fact that [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Chihiro legally isn't allowed to work.]] Though considering she is working among presumably immortal {{Youkai}} and Kami, this could be a product of CultureClash and is thus DeliberateValuesDissonance. It could also imply Chihiro doesn't do any chores at home, which is a reasonable expectation for children in both eastern and western cultures for a girl her age.

** It's been suggested that the bathhouse parallels a child entering the work force for the first time. Chihiro is separated from her parents and must learn to get along without them, she must keep different hours than the ones she's used to, and her hard work is rewarded with gifts that help her out.

** another reminds people that breaking the law has consequences that can easily change people’s lives for the better or the worse.

*** children in both eastern and western societies are taught that stealing has consequences from an early age (usually first hand). As a result when presented with temptation Chihiro refuses and thus retains her human-self whereas her parents accept and are effectively turned into animals as punishment.

*** this is a CultureClash in of itself as children in western cultures are trained to be independent and productive members of society from an early age to prepare them for the challenges in the adult world (as many children had to “grow up” to provide for their families especially to make ends meet or the lack of adults in their lives) whereas in eastern societies such training is rather late or practically none existent. Then again in western societies when a child complains that something’s wrong thrice people tend to take notice especially if it’s unusual for said child to behave in said manner.
*** However, Yubaba's complaints about Chihiro's lack of work experience could be more of an in-character action rather than a message the film is trying to push as Yubaba herself is portrayed as a harsh businesswomen who [[BadBoss treats the bathhouse's workers harshly]] and views them as nothing more than useful slaves.

** Chihiro, too, the poor girl didn't ask to get cooped up in the spirit world with a bunch of strangers after her parents get turned into pigs!