I often catch myself thinking if Hayao Miyazaki realized that this line would stay with millions of people long after Spirited Away ended. Every time I hear it, I don’t just recall the dialogue, I still carry the ghost of that emotion.

Out of nowhere, I am standing beside Chihiro at the mouth of that mysterious tunnel, watching her hesitate before sinking into a world she never dreamed existed. I hear the mellow rhythm of the train sliding across an endless ocean. I see Haku floating through the night sky. And somehow, twenty-five years later, Spirited Away still has that effect on me. I think many Studio Ghibli fans will know exactly how this feels.

The first time I watched it, I thought I was entering a fantasy world filled with witches, spirits, and strange creatures. I expected magic. What I didn’t totally expect was how intimately human the story would feel. Far below every spell and every mysterious spirit was a tale about fear, courage, kindness, identity, and growing up.

I truly believe that’s what separates Hayao Miyazaki from other filmmakers. He doesn’t just create fantasy simply to help us slip away from reality. He creates fantasy to help us understand reality. Each and every magical creature, every spellbound location, and every impossible event reflects something soulfully human. His stories don’t just shout their messages, they whisper them, trusting the audience to perceive their meaning on their own.

No other phenomenon proves that better than the iconic train scene.

Whenever I rewatch Spirited Away, I find myself waiting for that moment. Chihiro and No-Face, the black spirit, sit silently as the train glides across a limitless stretch of water. No dramatic speeches, no emotional soundtrack,taxing that I cried when I watched it for the first time. It reminds me that the most meaningful journeys of life often happen in silence.

Another character who starts to mesmerize me is No-Face (Kaonashi).

As a child, I thought he was frightening. But now, as an adult, I realise that he wasn’t scary, he was lonely. His character was made to represent loneliness and abandonment. When he becomes consumed by the toxic, greedy environment of the bathhouse, he becomes a destructive monster, but he returns to his gentle self when shown kindness and removed from corruption.

I think that’s why Chihiro’s kindness feels so powerful and unstoppable. She never tries to defeat No-Face.

Then there’s Haku.

The second he remembers his real name and suddenly turns from the white dragon, Nigihayami Kohakunushi, to Haku still gives me goosebumps. How easy it is to lose ourselves in the weight of the expectations of the world, and how attractive it feels when we finally recall who we truly and genuinely are. It is one of those moments that becomes more meaningful with age.

And, of course, Chihiro herself.

She starts her journey with fear, stubbornness, and is completely overwhelmed. She doesn’t become exceptional and outstanding because she earns magical powers. She becomes exceptional because she chooses kindness when courage feels impossible. She learns resilience one step after another. Watching her grow has always reminded me that being brave doesn’t mean you’re fearless, it means you keep going beyond your fear.

Cinematically, Spirited Away remains spectacular even after twenty-five years.

Every scene feels handcrafted with patience and love. The crowded bathhouse, the shiny lanterns, the dense forest, the mysterious spirits, and the endless blue ocean during the train journey don’t simply create a magical world, they create a place I genuinely wish I could experience for myself.

Winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and becoming one of Studio Ghibli’s most celebrated films established Spirited Away as a breakthrough in animation history.

It still makes me smile at the grime sprites carrying pieces of coal bigger than themselves.

It still reminds me that kindness can change people,  and growing up doesn’t mean letting go of our curiosity along the way.

Twenty-five years have passed, yet Spirited Away continues to enchant and warmly welcome new viewers while giving long-time fans like me another reason to return.