Fine animated movie, though not perfect

Rating: Null/10 (24 July 2009)

I'm not sure why it took me so long to finally sit down and watch "Howl's Moving Castle". Maybe the almost two hour running time discouraged me. Maybe also for the fact that Roger Ebert gave it a negative review. But I'm glad I finally watched it. There is stuff in this movie I have NEVER seen before. And the storyline kept giving new twists so that I was never sure where the movie was going.
I will admit the movie is not perfect. The almost two hour running time, and the fact that there is a substantial amount of stuff that could be called "padding" are liabilities. I think the movie would have been better if it were shorter, with scenes tightened. Another problem I had was that some of the questions that came up in the movie were never answered.
Still, overall, this is a movie worth seeing for adult viewers. What about children? Well, I think they could like it, but I recommend that they first see Miyazaki's KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE and MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO first to warm them up to Miyazaki's style. Then afterwards, when they sit down to watch this, plan the occasional break when you press pause on your remote. If you don't do this, your kids may get overwhelmed as well as impatient.