Unintentionally Sympathetic: 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 Properly Paranoid about that given the food there turns her parents into pigs.
Values Dissonance: 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 Only Sane Man.
I don't think Chihiro is unintentionally sympathetic nor portrayed as a brat. She's whiny and frightened, but her parents are clearly being presented as oblivious and reckless, which is highlighted by Chihiro's valid warnings and alarm at their actions.
Removed:
I don't think Chihiro is unintentionally sympathetic nor portrayed as a brat. She's whiny and frightened, but her parents are clearly being presented as oblivious and reckless, which is highlighted by Chihiro's valid warnings and alarm at their actions.