Beauty and genius...

Rating: 9/10 (19 April 2008)

This film is magical. It's the Wizard of Oz with ten times more creativity.
The animation is spectacular, as is the musical score. The thing that sells this film to me more than anything, however, is the fact that I had never seen anything like it before. Characters in this film could not have been conjured up by anyone other than Miyazaki, in my opinion.
Another thing I love about this film is the fact that it is completely unpredictable. Watch a Disney film, and you'll probably be able to figure out the outcome yourself. Watching this movie, I had no idea what was going to happen next. Things happen in the movie, that are unexplained, and you're left wondering what function something or someone serves. Everything you question along the course of the film gets answered in the end, to my relief.
Overall, this is a beautiful film, and one that should have a major impact on you, if you're unfamiliar with Miyazaki's style.