Sento Chuhiro no Kamikakushi (Ghibli)
Date
Credits
Format
- Poster 2181
- Advertisement 256
- Illustration 369
- Advertising 602
Media
- paper 1918
Dimensions
Locations Made
- Japan 447
- Tokyo 60
- Tokyo Prefecture 56
This poster is from Studio Ghibli’s 2001 animated film Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し), directed and designed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film explores identity, memory, and the spiritual unknown through the eyes of a girl navigating a supernatural world. The poster, like much of Ghibli’s visual output, was produced internally by Studio Ghibli and Toho, with no external designer credited.
Visually, the poster fuses traditional Japanese design principles with modern cinematic storytelling. The top half features a close-up of Chihiro’s face submerged in water, her expression caught between shock and awe—capturing the emotional tone of the film without relying on action or exposition. Below, a minimalist seascape emphasizes negative space (ma 間), allowing the viewer’s eye to rest and absorb the surreal atmosphere.
The vertical title typography, 千と千尋の神隠し, uses a bold, hand-drawn style inspired by brush calligraphy, rendered in vivid red to contrast with the muted aquatic tones of the image. This reflects traditional Japanese aesthetics while also invoking urgency and emotion. The tagline to the right, written in delicate vertical Japanese text, reads:
「あらゆる世代に語りかける生と死の不思議。」("A mysterious tale of life and death that speaks to every generation.") — reinforcing the film’s thematic depth.
