Although it has a rich plot with developed characters, Spirited Away (2001) was not made with a script. Hayao Miyazaki's films never had scripts during their production. "I don't have the story finished and ready when we start work on a film," the filmmaker told Midnight Eye. "I usually don't have the time. So, the story develops when I start drawing storyboards. The production starts soon while the storyboards are still developing." Miyazaki does not know where the plot is going, and he lets it happen organically. "It's not me who makes the film. The film makes itself, and I have no choice but to follow."
The cleansing of the river spirit is based on a real-life incident in Hayao Miyazaki's life in which he participated in the cleaning of a river, removing, among other things, a bicycle.
Although Hayao Miyazaki had considered retiring after completing Princess Mononoke (1997), he was inspired to make this film after seeing a friend's sullen 10-year-old daughter.
This is the first film to earn US$200 million in grosses before opening in the U.S.
To do the voice of Chihiro's mother talking while eating, actress Yasuko Sawaguchi spoke the dialog (in the original Japanese-language version) while eating a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Actress Lauren Holly did the same thing in the English version with an apple.
Hayao Miyazaki: [pigs] Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs as a result of eating food intended for the gods.