Wow. Just...wow

Rating: 10/10 (20 September 2002)

I can't come up with sufficient superlatives for this movie.
The animation was excellent, as you might expect from a Miyazki movie. But what put it over the top was the art direction. The screen is filled to bursting with little details, even in the painted backgrounds.
It's funny in parts, and even cute at times, but it never detracts from the story. Again, the details do it. And the voice acting was excellent, better than it was on Miyazaki's Mononoke, IMO. The main characters are all well-drawn and interesting, each one animated with enough personality to make them all very different.
While the story follows some of the elements of the Hero's Journey, it's a lot more about a young girl overcoming her fears and doing what she feels is right. The girl is no superhero, just a regular person who finds a lot more courage inside her than she would have ever guessed was there.
It's superb filmmaking, and if it is playing in a theater within an hour's drive of you, I promise you that it is worth the trip. If you don't leave with a smile on your face, feeling a fair bit better than you did when you sat down, I'd be stunned.