This is an original B2 Japanese poster, printed in 2001, for the release of “Spirited Away” (千と千尋の神隠し) .

“Spirited Away” is a fantasy adventure with a ten year-old girl, which starts in everyday Japan but goes somewhere very different. For young Chihiro and her family, a mysterious tunnel and haunted town lead to the Land of Spirits, inhabited by gods and monsters and ruled by the greedy witch Yu-baba. Chihiro’s parents are transformed into pigs; to rescue them, she must surrender her name and serve in this world. Luckily she finds friends and allies, including the handsome but mysterious boy Haku. Initially sulky and listless, Chihiro (or Sen, as she’s now called) finds inner strengths and establishes an identity in this strange world. But can she win back her name and return home?

Three posters were created for the Japanese market, and with each sucessive poster, Chihiro’s expression changed, demonstrating her awakening and her burgeoning will to live.

In this poster, Chihiro’s expression gives the sense thar she has awakened to her own inner strength.

Studio Ghibli used this poster’s illustration as the cover for their Spirited Away DVD.