Review of Howl's Moving Castle

Hayao Miyazaki is my favourite director - and responsible for some of my favourite Anime.. this movie is amazing!! And competes with Princess Mononoke as my favourite of his movies. Visually it is gorgeous, surreal, entrancing. Terrific plot that keeps you thinking. Magic and love to keep your romantic involvement and mystery to keep you engaged. I have to say, firstly, I am a snob, and I watch it in Japanese - I hate dubbed versions of anything, and i think the japanese is more beautiful and poetic. but for the peons out there, Howl is voiced by Christian Bale, and Sophie is voiced by Jean Simmons and Emily Mortimer, Calcifer the fire spirit is voiced by Billy Crystal etc. The basic plot is Sophie is a quiet studious girl, running the hat shop while her mother is off galavanting. Howl is an "evil magician" with a rep for running off with girls hearts. One day Sophie is walking home and is accosted by soldiers and saved by a mysterious (hot) guy. Next thing you know, she is cursed by the evil witch, and is stuck in the body of an old crone.. she realises she wont fit in her world, and walks into the waste. Picks up a stray (in a sense) and he helps her find somewhere to stay - which happens to be Howl's moving castle, which is powered by Calcifer, the fire spirit. She starts keeping house, in the all bachelor household, and works her own magic - that is her personaility.. anyway, definately worth watching~ for all ages...

10/10