It was almost totally incomprehensable. I was pretty much hoping they would finally fall over a cliff and get it over with.... a huge dissapointment given the glowing ratings from most sources.

It was super! it's soooo beautiful!! and fun to watch and wonderful characters. I loved Sofie and I loved Howel and I loved Calcifer! and just everybody! and the surroundings were sooo beautiful! Miyazaki is a genius, as we all know, and Ghibli's films are always very well drawn, and Diana Wynne Jones isn't famous without reasons, so it's no wonder that the film is so great! I want to see it again, and again, and again, and own it. this is gonna be my precious.... ^_^… Expand

I loved this film. I did not find it hard to follow at all, though the ending feels rushed.

I never grow tired of watching this show...charming, beautiful, classic...better than the book to me.

With thrills, heart, love, visual beauty and humor and the great original score Hayao Miyazaki has directed another fantastic and beautiful adeventure. I give this move 95%.

Complete mess, aswell as weakest Ghibli movie so far.

Though beautiful as usual with an excellent first half, the second half of Howl is a narrative mess. Way below the standard Miyazaki has set for himself with his past films.

One of the best movies ive seen so far! It was better than Spirited away!

I loved it!

The best movie ever¡¡¡

Most enjoyable fantasy-land with humour, romance and much pontification thrown in. Loved it.

Not the best Studio Ghibli film, but very good nonetheless :)

Miyazaki has become one of my favorite directors of all-time, the man is genuis, every film I've seen from him I've either liked or loved. Howl's Moving Castle is his latest film and I have to say is a Masterpiece, a great work of art, a great achivement in it's genre, I don't know if its his best work but is definitely up there with Spirited Away, Castle In The Sky, & Princess Mononokee. As of right now Howl's Moving Castle is the best film of the year, by far, and it's going to be very hard for any other film coming out this year to top this.… Expand

As of right now, Howl's Moving Castle is the best film of the year. Another Masterpiece from Miyazaki. Go see this movie right now it's easily worth your time.

A completely inventive and imaginative masterpiece from the greatest Animation filmmaker of all-time. Ties with Spirited Away as the master's best film yet. Miyazaki is God.

An astonishingly enchanting film. I sincerely hope Miyazaki continues to make films like this one.

The beas cartoon movie yet, i loved it!

Omg i love this movie! i cant wait to got it on dvd. besides inuyasha this is top one on my list. the movie was venturus and exciting and romantic. i wish there was a sequel.

What a magical ride! The animation reminded me of 'The Triplets of Bellville'. Original and beautiful to look at. While the story line kept shifting it didn't matter because the characters were the thing. They were complex enough for adult enjoyment and quirky enough for children to giggle at.

Visually stunning fairytale. Animation with organic qualities. Better than any of the American animated movies in terms of vision. Miyazaki creates a world that stands on its own without popculture references or the annoying minority sidekick. A muted Billy Crystal voices a sidekick character, but does not annoy. Highly recommended for both adults and children.

A big disappointment. It was beautiful, of course, as all Miyazaki movies are, but the story Made No Sense At All. I'm sorry, but it's inexcusable that the plot was so incomprehensible. It was impossible to be transported into a fantasy mood when you're wondering what the hell is going on. Roger Ebert nailed it in his review.

By far one of my favorite movies of all time. Very uplifting.

Best Dang Movie I Ever Saw.

A very nice, warm and funny film where an aimless girl, who is placed under a spell meets a "heartless" wizard and each help each other through various obstacles... The animation and scenes are breathtaking as usual. Double thumbs up! Great heart-warming film.

This was the best movie that Disney has put its name on in ten years.

The best moovie when i ever seen.

This movie is...amazing. See it, I'm begging you. Perhaps you aren't really into Japanese Animation. You tbink..."it's just cartoons, kid stuff..." Some is. But Miyazaki's movies are "for those who are ten, for those who will be ten, and for those who used to be ten." So please, immerse yourself in the fantastical world of Miyazaki, see it like a child, see it as an adult. You will see something different in each viewing, and this will only make you enjoy it more.… Expand

this is a wonderful movie and the sountrack is wonderful.

I love the idea of witches and wizards in a story and Hayao Miyazaki has made Howl's moving castle my favourite movie ever. The storyline is great and the animation is amazing. I loved it!

One of the best movies I've ever seen in my entire life. Watch it right now if you like magic, anime, or complex stories. The animation is fantastic (probably the best I've ever seen), and so are the characters, locations, and adventures. Too bad I didn't get the chance to see this in theaters. This is a movie experience I will never forget, and I hope it will be the same for you too.… Expand

Look quietly and deeply and you will understand that hope must prevail lest we are doomed. I am enthralled by the beauty of this film I watch it and admire its masterpiece. See it for yourself and fall in love again.

This movie is beautiful. it's like a strange fairy tale. i like the strangeness of the plot and how howl is not what he seems to be at first, you do alot of thinking after watching the movie, i recommend it to anyone.

I loved this moving . the cast and the characters . i wish they would make a howls moving castle 2 . like the book castle in the air but more by the book not peoples ideas very one should read castle in the sky after this moving and howls moving castle the book . howl and Sophie just might have a kid and her sister read both books to find out !!!!

I personally loved the movie. It was one of the best movies I've ever seen. I keep thinking back and can't find any flaws! Those critics out there.. yap yap. I guess I'm just one of those people with a childish heart and big imagination to the point that the movie did not bore me! I recommend watching it!!

im a your #1 fan also it was the best movie from miyazaki i ever seen i hope he keeps making more movies like this on or Spirtted Away also i was wondering if you were the one who made Princess Monokay bye the way do you have a myspace?

Howl's Moving Castle by Miyazaki Hayao A Review Written for Friends by Kazuki Anno, Translators United for Peace Like a vivid dream, Miyazaki's film presents an alternate world for children of all ages. For more mature viewers, however, his works represent the complex realities we face here and now in this cruel, yet beautiful world. Howl's Moving Castle will take us on a journey of moral quest to confront unnecessary and destructive wars that make us victims of, and collaborators with, terror at one and the same time. If our children can handle such serious subjects as war, justice and humanity, so must we. Miyazaki tells us that we are not what we seem to be. Howl is a handsome young man who looks like a dashing rock star and behaves like a flamboyant prince. Nevertheless, he is a wizard. Yet, unlike other wizards, he no longer works for the Palace, and when night falls, he turns into a black monster bird, flying across the sky to intercept a massive bomber formation over defenseless cities burning in flames. Howl spreads his wings and tries to catch bombs in the air, but all he can do is to neutralize a few bombs out of thousands. Thus, he goes to war each day, knowing in advance that he will fail. Which one of his multiple characters is truer than the other ones? Is any one aspect of his as true as any other? Sophie, a 19-year-old girl, is turned into a 90-year-old woman by the Witch of the Waste Land because she attracts the attention of Howl whom the Witch desires for herself, secretly envious of his youth and beauty. Is this a curse by a jealous witch, or does it merely mirror the lost heart of Sophie who does not know what she is to become, having resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop? If the latter is the case, what can she do to break the spell? So, she sets off on an adventure to discover herself. Not even the Witch, an elaborately dressed dowager, is immune to power. When she is called to the Palace, she kowtows to authority and transforms herself into a helpless old woman, going up a flight of steep stairs that lead to a majestic chamber. It has been a long time since the ancient oral traditions she represents were annihilated and subjugated by nation-states in the age of modernization. Calcifer, a cantankerous fire demon, is supposed to be a free being in the universe, but he is under a contract to Howl, so he is kept in a small fireplace to generate energy for the moving castle. When more energy is needed for the castle in crisis, Sophie offers a lock of her hair to Calcifer who then says, "If you give me your soul, I will be able to produce unimaginable amounts of energy." Perhaps, the wizards at the Palace who are in charge of inventing all the machines, warplanes, tanks, bombs, and missiles, have given up their souls to Calcifer to develop nuclear weapons. As citizens of nations with industrial democracies which uphold a single economic model, namely extreme capitalism unleashed by neo-liberal shock treatments in the era of corporate globalization, we have no faces, no voices, and no names. Here we have Miyazaki's invitation to take off on a magical journey, together with Sophie and Howl, to search for the infinite possibilities that dwell in each one of us. It will be as hard an adventure as anyone can undertake in the mysterious frontier of the human mind, as valuable an experience as dreams that would not cease to inspire us, and as easy a task as remembering once again our own names. Peace, Kazuki… Expand

While this isn't as good as Spirited Away I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I am a big fan of Miyazaki and all of his films and consider this a pretty good effort by him. My only complant is that they did not completely explain how the curse is lifted (has something to do with expressing her love of Howl), and I'm not sure if the curse is completely lifted in the end.

Another masterpiece. Stunning visuals, sophisticated plot, intriguing characters— I'd rank it just below Spirited Away, and that's no small feat.

Critics are so very very dumb, those who rate any of miyazaki's stuff under 80, so dumb, they should go watch pokemon if they think this is bad, what idiots.

Astonishing thematically, visually, in the subtlety and skill of developing fascinating, complex, multi-layered characters and a never-ending series of unpredictable adventures. Works as fantasy, mythology, fairy tale and sci-fi. Simultaneously dazzling to the eyes and the imagination and touching and transformaive to the heart. A supreme master at work here!!!!!!Blessings, Miyazaki!!!!

I enjoyed “Sprited Away" and was looking forward to this movie. I think Roger Ebert got it right but was generous in rating. It was fun to watch on big screen Miyazaki “work” but film plot is incoherent and film completely lost its way. The beauty was sublime at times but overall long film that was meandering to nothing. Not recommended. I do think children or adult will enjoy it.

The plot was spinning out of control, with not much sense (seemingly) underpinning it. It's not so much that it was hard to follow as that the purpose of different episodes was incomprehensible. BUT. The film looked good and there were so many individual sequences that really evoked characters uniquely, and that made the film for me. I really enjoyed it. But Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke it ain't. I think it could've kept all of its visual ideas and playfullness while paring down the plot to make it more sensicle. But nobody's perfect, god knows what convoluted process a film like this goes through in the making.... oh, and, I hope Miyazaki makes a movie dedicated to blob-ish oozing creatures, cos he does them amazingly and the ones in the film were AWESOME.… Expand

I'm a big fan of Miyazaki, but this movie was a bit of a let down. The story is vague and the characters aren't very original, however, the animation is very beautiful.

Miyazaki managed to bring some of his best work together in this. There were pieces of his previous movies mixed into it and something totally new. He worked more on closer relationships this time (Howl/Sophie) and showed how people in power can manipulate things like war (Sulliman). I'm also a fan of the book Howl's Moving Castle but the book and the movie are completely different. Miyazaki didn't make a film version of the book. He borrowed the characters and then created a new world for them to inhabit. This movie was a treat for all the senses with the story, the animation, and the music (Joe Hisachi's music is addictive and magical, get the soundtrack). One of the best movies in a while.… Expand

My 4-year-old said, "This moviie is beautiful, Dad!" Wonderful story, amazing scenes. Does My Totoro one better. Exceptional on the big screen. It is nice to have a film the whole family can enjoy without the intensity and volumn of some.

'It's like dreaming....' says Sophie half way through the film. I couldn't have put it better myself. Watching Miyazaki movies is like having a brilliant dream: this is the best of his movies that I have seen. It's tighter, with a stronger narrative thread, and avoids going too far along the surreal, blob-lined tangents that Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away linger on. As always, the visuals are exceptionally beautiful, breathtaking in a way that non-animation landscapes can never hope to match. We watched it exhausted after a day of packing before a house move, and yet were gripped and enchanted for the full two hours of the movie, with idiot grins fixed on our faces both during it and for at least an hour afterwards. Wonderful.… Expand

Very nice movie realy touch our heart.

One of those movies I could watch over and over again. Yes, it is hard to understand at some points. Yes the plot can be a tad hard to follow. But once you watch it a few times and once you start paying attention to what the crowd says (like the scene where the two men are talking in the background just before Sophie meets Howl) you can truly understand this masterpiece. I can't say that I've read the book because I haven't, but I love this story anyway.… Expand

other than inuyasha and fruits basket it was the best anime movie.

Absolutely outstanding - my favorite Miyazaki movie so far. Awesome plot, glorious, imaginative art, and beautiful soundtrack. I was absolutely enchanted.

Visually beautiful. The witch of the waste character was both darkly compelling and good comic relief. The set up of the story is good but the payoff at the end really shortchanges the viewer.

Top rate animation, spirited story, but if you have read the book by diana jones you end up a little disappointed. It lacks a little of the magic that all other Miyazaki films have abundantly.

i've seen all of miyazaki's work and this is my new favorite! i can't seem to stop watching it. it's so well done!

If only the last five minutes of this film didn't happen, it would be a seven, maybe an eight, but come on, has anyone actually SEEN the ending? It compromises the whole story and insults the viewer's intelligence. His other movies are much better.

Even it's quite late for me to watch this movie but it was spectacular and womderful. I love Miyazaki creation. And I'm simple fall in love with Howl and all character in Miyazaki masterpieces.

Yet another classic from Miyazaki. His animation is so much more dazzling (to me) than any computer animated movie, and I really hope he continues to make animated movies even as he enters "old age." It's hard to really explain why this movie is so great. A girl is transformed into an old woman by a witch and boards a moving castle, (controlled by a kind-hearted wizard and his awesome fire sidekick named Calcifer, dubbed by Billy Crystal)with doorways that open into different places. It's pretty incredible stuff. Japanese animation just has creativity and inventiveness that American animation just doesn't have (with the possible exception of Pixar.) It seems almost like it's from another world. Really cool movie and I actually liked it better than Miyazaki's (good, but overrated) Spirited Away. Some problems with Japanese anime in general are present here. It's too long by about a half hour and it starts to make less and less sense as it nears its conclusion. Also, the actions of a particular character towards the end of the movie become frustrating. Still, it doesn't take much away from what can best be described as (yeah, I know it's corny as hell,) "movie magic."… Expand

There is something deeply wrong with the reviewers who could not follow the plot, and thought that this film has no heart. I am in my twenties and love all Miyazaki films; these films have more heart than any Disney film has in its little finger. The morality of these films is deep and complex; there is not true good or evil, and children are put in places of responsibility where they must take responsibility for their actions. Howl's is no different. Spirited Away is my favorite Miyazaki film, but this comes in close second. The film never gets old; it's like a favorite song.… Expand

THISis one of my ALL time FAVORITE movies!!! I talk about it any chance that i get !! i also love Howl! :)

One of the best animated movies of this year!! Bravo!! Move over Disney!!

While the story wanders almost as much as the castle does, there are still scenes that make you breathe in a little and think to yourself "just awesome!" Quiet moments and subtle beauty are richly depicted with a clarity usually missing from much cinema, much less animated movies.

Another great one from Miyazaki....not quite the achievement that Spirited Away was. However, this film is extremely, inventive?, creative to say the least, and easily worth anyone's time.

The characters weren't appealing, and their behaviour wasn't consistent throughout the film. The story just didn't make much sense. It felt an awful lot like they started with a reasonably good idea, but the "hollyweird experts on what kids like" got in involved and ruined it. Doesn't come close to the quality of entertainment I expect from Ghibli studios.

Very sorry to say, but i was astounded by the high reviews given here. I am a very long term fan of Miyazaki and was expecting to be thrilled by this film. Instead, i found myself completely bored stiff. Maybe it would make more sense if translated differently, but damn...that movie had absolutely no logic or sense or structure of plot to allow the viewer even the remotest sense of experiencing any kind of coherant narrative. In response this this, i imagine people will say 'yeah but what the about the art, what about the art', and yes, of course the art was good. Anything that Miyazaki touches will be pretty. However, he has done nothing here that we havent already seen, failing instead to come close even to the beauty AND coherence of say...Castle in the Sky. I saw this film last night with 5 friends of mine who are all die hard Miyazaki fans and by the end 3 of them were fast asleep in their theatre seats. Boo.… Expand

No, this is not the Masterpiece that was Spirited Away, but nevertheless, it still holds as a fairly good, entertaining and fairly original film.

Awesome and ridiculously trippy on a psychological and visual level seen it twice so far.

Wonderfully magical. You'll get caught up in the movie and not notice the time passing.

Miyazaki has managed the impossible with Howl's Moving Castle-- he's equalled his previous masterpiece, Spirited Away, and in some respects even surpassed it (though Spirited Away will always be my favorite). The visual beauty of Howl is extraordinary, full of Miyazaki's meticulous attention to detail; and the story is as deeply moving and enjoyable as anything he's done before. As with Spirited Away, the English language dub is excellent, and while I was doubtful about how Billy Crystal would sound as Calcifer, he does a fine job and doesn't descend into cutesiness. If only Disney would give this magnificent film a wider release.… Expand

Very impressive piece. Was it Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away? No, but those are classics. This one will go down as very good but not quite perfect piece from the master himself.

Definitely the best from his works by far. The art work and background are beautifully married to give as much visual input to the story it's self.

It could have used some more explanation of why things are as they are, but the characters are adorable and the story is fascinating. I liked it, my 8 year old girl liked it and my 16 year old son liked it!

A true bonafide classic from a legend.

This Movie Is The Best Anime Movie I Have Ever Seen In My Life! It seems to me that im obessed of it but who cares.

I absolutely loved this movie! It has so much heart, and I was enthralled all the way through. The storyline differs from the book a bit, but that only makes it more original. The artwork is beautiful, and the music is among the best soundtracks I've heard. Bravo!

This movie stinks!

A thoroughly bizarre story, but thoroughly worth watching. Miyazaki's story lines are always a bit on the odd side, but this atypical approach to writing is what makes his movies so fascinating and captivating.

Japanese Animation still lives on in this super brilliant movie Howl's Moving Castle. the animation was beautiful, the characters were amazing, and the visuals kick a**.

I loved this movie! It's definitely in my top 3 favorite movies! Yes some parts i didn't get the FIRST time watching but i still loved it. It's perfect for someone who still finds hope in things also if you have a young heart and big imagination!

This is a spectacular show. I read the book and Love the Movie. The animation was amazing, and i just could not believed that this did not win the academy award for best animation.

Absolutely wonderful film. I usually get bored with long films because they lose my interest at some point, but this one stayed consistently entertaining throughout. It's a heartwarming film I think any age could appreciate.

This is, in my opinion, Miyazaki's best movie to date. It's an emotionally powerful, humorous, magical, beautifully made and scripted animated masterpiece. Don't listen to all the trolls posting bad reviews; watch this movie now. You won't be disappointed.

Miyazaki's usual dazzling animation and engaging characters don't always support its lack of Western charm and cohesion. However, Howl's Moving Castle still manages to capture the heart and the mind with its wit and charm.

One of Ghibli's best works. Howls Moving Castle is possibly the most mature Ghibli feature with a story, Character depth and wit made to make one think. I love the range of characters in the film and the way the plot unravels and the antagonist isn't quite who you believe it to be from the offset. Once again Studio Ghibli prove that they are animation kings and masters of story telling.

Another fantastic 'Studio Ghibli' production, well deserving to be in the collection of movies from this amazing production studio. Incorporating features from both the Japanese 'Anime' as well as the American animation cultures, this film combines an amazing story together with smooth animations as well as excellent voice acting. Thoroughly recommended to audiences of all ages and i guaranteed it will be thoroughly enjoyable. From old to young it will rekindle the fires of your imagination and encompass you in its wild and colorful world.… Expand