Spirited Away was born in a mountain cabin

Spirited Away is an animated film whose inspiration came to Hayao Miyazaki during a vacation spent with five young girls. Dissatisfied with the shōjo magazines left by the children which he deemed too focused on romance, he wished to create a story for pre-adolescent girls featuring an ordinary heroine. The final project was structured around an onsen, a Japanese thermal establishment that greatly intrigued the director.