Spirited Away’s Chihiro and Yubaba Prove the Strength of their Friendship
Spirited Away’s Chihiro and Yubaba reunite after more than 10 years — thanks to Subaru.
Who knew that it would be a car commercial that would bring about a Spirited Away reunion?
Jan. 5 marked a number of occasions: Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki’s birthday and the first Kinyo Roadshow of 2024. The roadshow broadcasted Spirited Away, which premiered in 2001 and remains as the only non-English animated film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and during one of the commercial breaks for Subaru, viewers were caught by delighted surprise when Chihiro, the intrepid protagonist, and Yubaba, the witch and boss of the bathhouse, began talking about the car’s function.
In SoraNews24‘s translation, Chihiro’s voice actor Rumi Hiiragi explained the Eyesight function of the Subaru car where it has three cameras to give a wider field of vision. Yubaba’s voice actor Mari Natsuki is understandably awed and correctly deduces that, thanks to Eyesight, there will be less accidents. The commercial showcased how Yubaba and Chihiro remained friends even after almost 13 years had passed. Although the commercial aired as a one-off, Subaru uploaded the commercial on their YouTube channel.
After her starring role in Spirited Away, Hiiragi has gone on to voice other characters in two other Studio Ghibli films, Ponyo and From Up on Poppy Hill. Her most recent acting credit was in the 2022 film Life in Bloom. Natsuki has continued acting, with roles in Yudo: The Way of the Bath, Over the Sky, and Girl in the Sunny Place.
Spirited Away released in Japan on July 20, 2001 and grossed over $395.8 million at the box office internationally, marking it as the highest-grossing film in Japanese history until Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train broke its record in 2020. The fantasy film about a girl trying to save her parents after they’re turned into pigs garnered universal acclaim and has won numerous awards, including Best Animated Feature at the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Oscars, and the Tokyo Anime Award.
Spirited Away is available to watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Source: SoraNews24, via YouTube
