The Ending Of Spirited Away Explained

One thing about Ghibli movies is that there's never really one unifying moral or theme to take from the story. Not everything lines up perfectly to share a concise message. This is not to call it unfocused, but rather more concerned with causing a certain feeling in viewers. In "Spirited Away," that feeling is what it's like to be a young child in a strange, foreign, and ultimately adult world characterized by excess and greed.

For instance, upon their entry into the Spirit World, Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs after overindulging at a nearby food stand. Chihiro is subsequently forced to take on adult roles, landing a job at the nearby bathhouse at the cost of her full name. Now known as Sen, she is employed to cater to the needs of the bathhouse's insatiable guests. It is the farthest thing from a child-friendly environment there is.

Sen only escapes the Spirit World and regains her name by conquering her fear of the adult world. When she journeys to return a special golden seal to the witch Zeniba, she discovers something unexpected. Rather than another bitter old hag like Yubaba (Zeniba's twin who runs the bathhouse), Zeniba is more of a kindly grandmother, offering insight to the frightened Sen that shatters the conception that adulthood is just materialism. With newfound resolve and optimism, Sen is able to pass Yubaba's final test and return home with her parents.