17 out of 21 people found the following review helpful:

A rare and splendid triumph

Jack Sewell from Midlands, UK, 13th July, 2006

Hayao Miyazaki's new venture into his wondrous world of myth and magic is quite simply amazing. I was always adamant that his 1986 feature 'Laputa: The Flying Island', recently re-released as 'Castle In The Sky' was the most superior animated movie of all time and would never be beaten. I have been proved wrong. Howl's Moving Castle is a visual feast, combining a fantastic story by Diana Wynne Jones and Miyazaki's superb imagination. His portrayal of a world in style to the harshness of Industrial Revolution is overcome by the courage and love of its characters. There is so much to enjoy here, it’s a fun filled fantasy journey of excitement and adventure for all ages. Who says animation is only for children? Hop on to the moving castle with Sophie, Howl, Markl, Calcifer and Turnip Head for a truly remarkable cinematic experience.

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16 out of 19 people found the following review helpful:

Brilliant!!!

Becky from Norwich, Norfolk, 17th March, 2006

Me and my 7 year old daughter loved this film. We both loved Spirited Away and this has the same surreal feeling. Maybe not quite as good as Spirited Away but still worth watching. But be prepared it's nearly 2 hours long.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review helpful:

Your stereotypical Japanese animation.

Mickey Mouse from Dorset, England, 28th December, 2008

I've not seen many of these Japanese animation films really, but I have to be honest what I have seen, I'm not that keen on. This was no exception. Initially, I was only really interested because I discovered Christian Bale and Billy Crystal were voicing two of the characters in it - which I totally didn't expect. Yes the animation is great - often superb. And there's so many imaginative ideas and creativity to it, really the only thing that kept me watching. But like all of these Japanese animations, it's really obscure, sometimes a bit naff and on a whole never seems to make any sense. There isn't nearly enough explained to the audience of what the hell the story is about, and new characters just seem to pop up all the time without any real idea of who on earth they are. It's as though the creators just make it all up as they go. I do sort of understand why so many people love these movies, they are unlike anything else I've ever seen, the characters and onscreen visuals are certainly unusual and therefore quite interesting and entertaining to watch, but I think it's certainly an aquired taste and I for one am not impressed. Instead, I find them pretty boring, there's really nothing to keep you keenly watching. And I couldn't really get close to any of the characters either. I expect this will be the last one I will bother with for some time.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review helpful:

Close to perfection

James Witt from London, SE16, 21st April, 2006

Not quite as stunning and captivating as 'Spirited Away' and 'Princess Mononoke', two of director/writer Miyazaki's previous films, but still an epic masterpiece. To fully appreciate the brilliance of these films you should watch them with the original Japanese soundtrack and read the english subtitles. I noticed that the Hollywood actors tend to paraphrase, improvise and generally simplify a lot of their lines - which in my opinon detracts from the magic of the film. Also the out of sinc dubbing is more distracting than subtitles. The animation was drawn after the Japanese vocals were laid down, so there is a more organic and naturalistic effect when watching in the intended language. Also Billy Crystal grates somewhat as Calcifer, Tatsuya Gashuin does a much better job of the fire demon. That said Chrstian Bale, Jean Simmons and Lauren Bacall all turn in typically excellent performances as Howl, Grandma Sophie and The Witch of the Waste. This is a timeless film for all ages it has a feel of 'The Return to Oz' especially with the mute character of Turnip Head, a beautifully animated scarecrow - who despite never saying anthing has a wonderfully loveable and magical quality. I highly recommend this to anyone with a penchant for Fantasy, Roamnce, Adventure and Comedy - it incorporates all of these genres and more besides. Watch this!

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simply good

xido from , 8th March, 2010

When you rent an Hayao Miyazaki movie always expect a great animation and something original. Well In Nowl's moving castle he delivered both, plus Billy Cristal in the voice of the fire is simply brilliant.

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Fantastic

A Customer from wiltshire, 5th March, 2010

One of my favourite ghibli films breathtaking scenery and endering characters this is the film that converted the whole family from Disney to Ghibli.

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Touching

A Customer from London, 12th February, 2010

It is a lovely movie, the sentiment behind it is truly moving. I much prefer this film to Spirited Away. I would recommend that anyone watch it, but it is a very good one to watch with the family.

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Great!

jason100111 from from Sale, England, 8th February, 2010

For anyone who has seen a few films from the Studio Gibli collection and thought they were enjoyable, this is probably a great one to see next, if not a must. The film still has its usualities that make is recognizable from other films by Hayao Miyazaki. The story definatly has its twists and turns and leaves the specator emotionaly tied to what the main character is going though and her struggle to help herself, while meeting new and excitingly crazy characters. The animation itself is good and very detailed at times making it a joy to the eye when certain events occur, and everything is realistic enough. Overall extremly enjoyable and well worth a watch if your into the anime styled films like these.

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