Howl's Moving Castle

Very beautiful animation, we will all agree on that, but that story… At the beginning I was satisfied and surprised; I’ve never been a fan of Japanese anime, so I was caught off-guard with how much I was enjoying Howl's Moving Castle – a nice fairytale with magic, charm and likeable characters. But somewhere around the middle, things change completely and I didn’t understand anything; I have no idea what started to happen and why. The character that up to that point was supposed to be the main villain suddenly becomes the best friend. Really, what the fuck? I don’t quite get all that praise for Miyazaki’s films. Maybe it’s because my mentality is too anchored in the west, I don’t know. 60 % (12/24/2010)

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)

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)

The most romantic creation of Master's fantasy. Throw away the quality standards because here we fly over mountains, doors open into four different spaces, all the main characters change their appearance, and magic is not far away. And the world of animated film is once again richer by one little treasure, much to my immeasurable joy. (12/07/2008)

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)