1. Spirited Away (2002)

Spirited Away has all the elements that make Hayao Miyazaki’s films so unique, but with a darker, Grimms’-fairy-tale-esque edge. 10-year-old Chihiro gets swept away to a dreamlike fantasy world, but not one of excitement and adventure—one of uncertainty and danger. She must face numerous trials to rescue her parents who have been transformed into pigs.

While working at a spirit bathhouse, Chihiro meets surreal creatures that really show off the power of Miyazaki’s designs: evil twin witches, a giant baby, and No-Face, a masked spirit who grows larger with everything and anything he consumes. There’s also the repulsive Stink Spirit, a huge puddle of sludge, and the Susuwatari, small fuzzballs whose entire existence revolves around endlessly putting coal in the bathhouse boiler.

Spirited Away is Hayao Miyazaki’s most mesmerizing film, thanks to its inventive design, sensitive portrayal of childhood fears, and suspenseful story. It’s an absolute classic that transcends the genre.