Courtesy of Johan Persson.

Recently awarded an Academy Award for his critically acclaimed animated work The Boy and the Heron, legendary founder of animation studio Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki’s cult classic Spirited Away transforms the London Coliseum auditorium with clusters of cherry blossoms dotted around the venue. The tale of Chiriro (Kanna Hashimoto) unpredictably transitioning into the realm of the Kami – spirits significant within the Japanese Shinto religion with the aim of finding her parents (Fu Hinami and Kenya Osumi) who she’d split away from accidentally and uplifting a curse that has turned them into pigs that threatens to bound them forever. A tale of bravery, resilience, family and of course spirit, John Caird and Maoko Imai co-adapt a colourful, thoughtful and sustained watch, Caird directing an international work that clearly resonates with fans globally.

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A lifeless block of wood turns into a living being – A talking cricket acts as a conscious – A wishing star doubles as a beautiful fairy – And a monstrous whale swallows half of the company. This could only be a Disney story. But it’s not your traditional fairy tale that often occupies the family-centred company’s creations. There’s no princess that needs saving from a fire breathing monster; no, this story is instead based on a puppet who longs to be a real boy – whose nose grows longer each time a new lie is told.

Courtesy of Manuel Harlan

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Transferring from the National Theatre to the New London Theatre, The Elephantom is the stage adaptation of Ross Collins’ children’s book about a blue ghost Elephant that arrives into a little girl’s uneventful daily life. As I waited for the play to start I already felt at home: the cozy environment created on stage by Samyel Wyer’s design, the welcoming music and the children’s happiness all around me made my excitement grow.

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