I just saw this movie last night with friends and I absolutely loved it. I won't go into what its about really, you can easily find plot summaries and descriptions on the internet about it. Although not my favorite Miyazaki film ever (I like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke better) I still thought this movie was beautiful, charming and enchanting.

It was a little different than other Miyazaki movies, I think, in part because it was based on a book, and not an original story from Miyazaki himself. But I love books and movies that really transport you to their world, and this movie definitely delievers there. Its kinda like a fantasy book like Harry Potter in that although its not the best thing you've ever read, you love the characters and the story and it does a wonderful job of creating a total world that it sweeps you into.

As a rule I usually prefer subtitles, but I saw this dubbed and I have to admit that they did a wonderful job with it. I still look forward to hearing the Japanese voices when the DVD comes out, but I ultimately was not dissapointed that the only version playing in my state was dubbed because they did such a wonderful job. My friends that I went with (all anime enthusiasts) and I all agreed that Billy Crystal the voice of Calcifer (a little fire demon who powers the moving castle) did an excellent job voicing the character, which was no easy task because if the comedy has been overdone the depth and importance of this character would have been lost. It reminded me of the great dub Billy Bob Thorton did in Princess Mononoke, handling a very important and complex character in a very effective way by balancing comedic moments and lines with seriouis and reflective ones.

Bottom line: this is a great movie, classic Miyazaki. But don't go into it expecting it to top Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, rather see it as a wonderful edition to Miyazaki's fantastic legacy of beautiful and enchanting films.

I saw this some time ago with the japanese audio. I liked it. Interesting story line. Deff worth watching. I think it could have bee like a 6-10 ep OVA tho and go more indepth about Howl. I like the animation style they use. Like when the castle changes forms. And im glad they didnt overuse CG.

all i have is a vcd of the film and it is not that good so i am going to wait till it comes out on dvd

I saw that movie as well... I thought that the characters were better than the storyline. I agree, it's probably because it came from a book. (the book is resting near me now)

Even if the storyline was not done by Miyzaki, he always has the ability to pull it all together by the characters he portrays.