Howl's Moving Castle

That was indeed a cinematic fairy tale for me, one that I won't forget. Hayao Miyazaki obviously has a surplus of imagination, because otherwise, he couldn't have created such a captivating world as in the anime Howl's Moving Castle. Even now I am still intoxicated by the visually imaginative film imbued with a romantic atmosphere and brimming with sympathetic characters. Calcifer, the demon trapped in the fireplace, is really great. The pleasant music and gentle, non-intrusive humor that the story possesses are certainly worth mentioning. (90%) (04/15/2021)

As with Miyazaki's other films, what captivated the most was the main idea around which the story unfolds. However, while Spirited Away added something extra to the wonderfully imaginative story, something that forced me to devour every image and watch every scene with joyful anticipation, Howl's Moving Castle, with its strange but literally unprecedented in animation concept and perfect sophistication, did not allow me to appreciate all its beauty with anything more than "my eyes and ears". But that doesn't change the fact that Miyazaki is probably the best animator of our time and that Howl's Moving Castle is a most beautiful and impressive film. (08/12/2012)

What I appreciate about this film is its unpredictability. Miyazaki completely breaks the stereotype of fairy tales or fantasy stories – you have no chance to guess what will happen in the next few minutes, you are constantly surprised, the differences between bad and good characters are blurred (the one who is the embodiment of evil at the beginning can become a good friend) and all this happens without any stumbles in logic. Moreover, Miyazaki is like a small child, blessed with a vivid imagination, throwing one obscure idea after another in front of him. The film combines the classic fairy tale world with the industrial age of steam, the classic world of magic with crazy war mechanisms. The viewer's senses are so overwhelmed that the final impression sometimes teeters on the verge of being cluttered (which is my only complaint). (02/16/2012)

Miyazaki's films grab you by the hand and take you on a magical walk through an incredible landscape. He is simply a sure thing. Once again I couldn't stop gawking at the sheer amount of boundless imagination and beautiful music. The story here was perhaps even more engaging than in Spirited Away, yet as a whole it falls a little short of it. I could still use another half a teaspoon of cuteness here. Even so, it's extremely real... almost 5 stars. (09/05/2011)

I can't help but like this movie the most from Miyazaki so far, where does a Princess Mononoke a.k.a. eco-agitator go? :-) No, but I just find this a beautiful story with music that suits it. My only regret is that he didn't dye his hair back in the end, he really liked the blonde one better :-)) Daisuki! I'm going to bed with a smile on my face, reassured. And I like it that way because I want to have a good night's sleep. But that doesn't belong here anymore. ;-) (05/06/2009)