An Irresistible Delight

Rating: 9/10 (27 September 2008)

Im a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki, i think he is the best living animator in the whole world, and Howl's Moving Castle is one of my all time favorite films.
Wow, just wow! Miyazaki stole my heart once again with a delightful and charming film, this film has effected me on so many levels, because it's dark, funny and crackling with magic, it's unlike anything i've ever seen before, it's amazing. The animation is so wonderful i can't even describe it well enough, the colors, the open landscapes, this movie is so rich and imaginative, it's just stunning and it's a feast for the eyes, i doubt that anyone won't be impressed by it, i was completely drawn to this movie by the charming characters and the beautiful atmosphere that cannot be matched by any other Miyazaki film, even by Spirited Away, which i consider Miyazaki's best work yet.
I was very impressed by this movie however i can accept and understand why people sometimes criticize it, it is indeed weak in terms of character and story devolopments, i sensed that at the beginning of the end it felt a little bit rushed, i wanted more, it felt like the magic was fading away so quickly, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment i kept on watching it until the end and i loved it, i loved Howl's character he is my favorite of Miyazaki's characters, he is very different from the other cliché male white knight type characters and yet he was very cute and charming character, even as a monster! even if the story grew a little weaker in the middle it still kept my interest, the movie had extremely creative characters and i know that if they were developed just a little bit more the movie would of been a masterpiece.