howl’s moving castle:

pg: 10 and up

animation - 10, characters - 9, plot - 9, enjoyment - 9 - 9

plot: A plain young hatter named Sophie has her life changed when an evil witch transforms her into an old woman. Unable to face her family in such a condition, Sophie runs away in search of a way to become young again. Along the way, Sophie helps a turnip headed scarecrow, who repays her by leading her to the moving castle owned by the dreaded wizard Howl. There she befriends Howl’s apprentice Markl, Howl’s fire demon Calcifer, and eventually, Howl himself. Sophie then becomes the castle’s cleaning lady in an effort to not only find the solution to her problem but to save Howl from his own terrible secrets as well.

my review: a strong example of how miyazaki’s movies are beautifully done; great animation and a great story for all ages

why you wouldn’t like it:  the story is incomplete and largely uneventful. It seems to rely heavily on typical magical “Ghibli” atmosphere, which does NOT, in fact, carry the story. The perceived antagonist is not confronted (meeting her is not a confrontation). Just when one thinks the plot is building up, it ends. So saying this is horrible is not an exaggeration. One does not have to have a “Ghibli background” to recognize how poorly done this story is. <- a comment taken from anidb.net