Spirited Away tells the story of character Chihiro. Chihiro thinks she is on another boring trip with her parents. But when they stop at a village that is not all that it seems, her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, and Chihiro is whisked into a world of fantastic spirits, shape-shifting dragons and a witch who never wants to see her leave. She must call on the courage she never knew she had to free herself and return her family to the outside world. This film was released in the United States on August 31, 2001 and in Japan on July 20, 2001. This is the second biggest box office hit of all time in Japan.