Everybody knows Alice in Wonderland—it’s a classic! The iconic Lewis Carroll story was popularized by Disney in 1951, and it’s since been remade and retold countless times. You’re probably familiar with modern remakes like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. What you might not know is how one of Studio Ghibli’s most famous films Spirited Away offers a fresh twist on this unforgettable tale.

Both stories share a lot more in common than you might think. Between venturing into a wondrous new world, finding friendship in wild characters and summoning the courage to face the odds and pave your own road home, these films bring two very different perspectives on the same concepts. Finding yourself curiouser and curiouser at such a notion? Here’s a comprehensive guide to Alice in Wonderland, Spirited Away and how both films are alike.

Related: HBO Max Gets U.S. Streaming Rights to Studio Ghibli Films

A Heroine For the Ages

Alice in Wonderland
Via: Walt Disney Productions

Naturally, Alice is the protagonist of Disney's Alice in Wonderland; she's a fun-loving little girl with an extremely curious personality and a low tolerance for 'boring' things. At the beginning of the film, she daydreams her way out of a history lesson with her sister, preferring instead to imagine a world full of wild creatures. She's a little mischievous and eager to dive right into the antics alongside the residents of Wonderland, even if she doesn't fully understand them. Easily overwhelmed when fun shenanigans take a wrong turn, Alice is very emotionally expressive and quick to get help and advice from her new friends. All-in-all, she's endearing and her inquisitive, enthusiastic nature draws viewers in.

Spirited Away gives us Chihiro, who's just a few years older than Alice. At first glance, Chihiro is a bit whiny and laments over everything. Her entry into the spirit world is a frightful experience, and she's far more resistant to immersing herself in a new reality than Alice. However, the story's progression gives way for Chihiro to experience major character growth, and she gradually warms up to her new friends and builds a newfound sense of bravery. By the end of the movie, she proves herself to be smart, hardworking and more confident than ever before. From a technical perspective, it makes sense for the two girls to be a little different: Spirited Away is nearly double the runtime of Alice in Wonderland, so Chihiro has more time to experience a character arc. Since Alice's story is much shorter, she should be more likable right from the start.

Going Down the Rabbit Hole

Spirited Away Spirit World Gate
Via: Studio Ghibli

Getting to Wonderland is different for each character, and the worlds themselves are based on completely different concepts. For Alice in England, she's bored with her history lesson and finds herself charmed by a white rabbit in a waistcoat, whom she eventually follows through the forest. She chases him through a burrow and ends up falling down a rabbit hole, where she finds herself in an impossibly warped world of floating furniture and rooms that don't seem to be the right size.

Chihiro's family lives in Japan, and her father takes a wrong turn while driving everybody to their new house. The family comes to a huge tunnel in a wall marked by a strange frog statue, and they eventually follow it to what they assume is an abandoned theme park. Making their way to an unusual little village with restaurants full of freshly cooked delights, Chihiro's parents gorge themselves while she decides to explore. Eventually, she runs into a young boy named Haku, who urges her to leave immediately. By the time she finds her way back to the village, it's too late — her parents have turned into pigs, spirits are riding in from a riverboat and the prairie is now completely flooded. She's trapped in the spirit world with no way out, so she takes Haku's advice to get a job at the iconic bathhouse.

Residents of Another World

Alice in Wonderland with her friends
Via: Walt Disney Productions

Both girls meet all sorts of wild characters in their alternate reality, and some are surprisingly similar! Alice enjoys a story with the goofy twins, Twiddledee and Twiddledum, and later finds herself in the company of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare at a tea party. Midway through the film, Absolem the Smoking Caterpillar chastises her for crying about her problems and gives her a mushroom that allows her to change sizes at will. The White Rabbit serves as a consistent anchor as she follows him further into Wonderland, and she later meets the mischievous and sometimes antagonistic Cheshire Cat, who ultimately leads her to the Queen of Hearts and attempts to frame her as a wicked prank.

Not everyone is a perfect mirror of a Wonderland resident, but Chihiro's world is alive with otherworldly characters. Her first and closest friend is Haku, a dragon spirit enslaved by Yubaba just like she is. He's a kind of White Rabbit to her, guiding her through the spirit world and constantly piquing her curiosity. Kamaji the Boiler Man is her Absolem, a crotchety old spider spirit who shuns her before standing up for her and aiding her on her journey home. Lin steps in as a sisterly caretaker, serving as a more grounded but still free-spirited and intense Mad Hatter. The Cheshire Cat of the spirit world is No-Face, whom Chihiro mistakes for a bathhouse guest—he brings chaos with him and serves as a secondary antagonist, but eventually becomes her ally. As far as Twiddledee and Twiddledum, these roles are filled by Boh (Yubaba's gigantic infant son) and Yubaba's harpy. Yubaba's twin sister, Zeniba, plays a role unique to Spirited Away: when Haku steals her golden seal on Yubaba's orders and becomes sick, Chihiro ventures to apologize on his behalf and find a cure. Fortunately, Zeniba is the kinder, more grandmotherly of the twins.

Related: Studio Ghibli Takes to Twitter to Answer Spirited Away Fan Questions

The Queens of Heart and Spirit

Yubaba Angry
Via: Studio Ghibli

Each version of Wonderland has its respective Queen, and both are equal parts intimidating and positively regal. The Queen of Hearts rules over Wonderland with an iron fist, quick to behead anyone who sets off her incredibly short temper. She first challenges Alice to a game of croquet, but races to execute Alice after she trips herself with her croquet flamingo. Even after a 'fair' trial, the Queen insists on beheading Alice, forcing her to run for her life. Like many of the characters in Alice in Wonderland, she's one-dimensional and doesn't see any growth.

The Queen of the bathhouse is Yubaba, an old woman more motivated by greed than almost anything else. Unlike the Red Queen, Yubaba doesn't want Chihiro in the bathhouse at all; she's content to tell the human girl to shove off, and Chihiro has to beg her for a job to avoid fading from existence. Over time, her newest hire proves to be a hard worker, and Yubaba takes advantage of this by giving her some of the grimiest work in the bathhouse. In the beginning, she claims ownership of Chihiro via her work contract but is willing to negotiate a bet with Haku over her freedom. Even after losing, Yubaba is true to her word and allows Chihiro to take her parents and leave. She's still a villain, but she's receptive to Chihiro and doesn't rig the system to win the bet.

Finding a Way Back Home

Alice in Wonderland Ending 1951
Via: Walt Disney Productions

In Alice in Wonderland, finding a way home is more of an action sequence rather than a pivotal point in the story. Following her disastrous trial, Alice tries to scare off her pursuers but is chased out of a crumbling Wonderland anyway. At the end of the road, she sees herself through a keyhole in the first tiny door she entered, and she's able to wake up and return to her sister. She believes her experience to have been nothing but a dream.

Chihiro has to fight to get back home, and she changes the spirit world in the process. Facing off with No-Face's monstrous form, rushing to save Haku from deadly Shikigami and volunteering to clear his name to Zeniba all arm Chihiro with the courage and wisdom she needs to handle Yubaba head-on. Her final trial is Yubaba's test, wherein she must determine which of the pigs in a pen are her parents. After correctly guessing the answer, her contract disappears, and she's finally allowed to return to her world. It brings Chihiro's character growth full circle, and this shows when she expresses confidence rather than anxiety over moving and starting a new school at the end of the film.