"The film has been compared to Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" as the stories have some elements in common such as being set in a fantasy world, the plots including a disturbance in logic and stability, and there being motifs such as food having metamorphic qualities; though developments and themes are not shared.Among other stories compared to "Spirited Away", "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is seen to be more closely linked thematically.