Chihiro recovers her parents and escapes, but nastiness lingers in the bath-house world, just as it does in the real world.

ECONOMIST: A Japanese cartoon heads for Europe

Other films in the shortlist included Chan-wook Park's "Oldboy" from South Korea and Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki's animated film "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" ("Spirited Away").

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In the end, it is Chihiro who changes, not Yubaba.

ECONOMIST: A Japanese cartoon heads for Europe