Fifty Game of Thrones characters, matched with their favorite movies

Samwell Tarly: Spirited Away

Samwell Tarly might be ridiculed at Castle Black for his bookishness, but today, he’d be revered. Being nerdy is cool; just ask the writers behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actors on The Big Bang Theory or anyone with a ticket to Comic-Con.

With cinema and TV pumping out all the nerdy jams, Sam’s geeky impulses would be easy to satisfy. He’d probably be  a fan of superhero movies, cerebral dramas and even the occasional documentary. Above all, he’d be a Hayao Miyazaki fan, and this award-winning 2001 animated film his favorite flick.

Sam would appreciate the incredible detail in Spirited Away. He’d pour over animation stills, analyze the plot in his spare time and research the production history. He’d be the kind of Miyazaki fan that would keep telling everyone who will listen to check out his work.

And more than any of this, Sam would enjoy the escape from reality that Spirited Away offers. Despite his successes in later seasons of Game of Thrones, Sam didn’t have a happy childhood. He would crave an escape from his sad life under his domineering father’s thumb at Horn Hill, and Spirited Away would provide him the kind of complex, magical world he craved. It’s a story reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, only more fitting for Sam personally. There’s no doubt that he’d watch this iconic movie in both English and Japanese. He’s just that devoted of a fan.