Palaces and shimmering lakes, warplanes and fire sprites all come to life at the breath of Miyazaki's graphic genius.
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09/07/08
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Howl's Moving Castle (2005)
86
%
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Reviews Counted:35
Fresh:30
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Exquisitely illustrated by master animator Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle will delight children with its fantastical story and touch the hearts and minds of older viewers as well.
Theatrical Release:Jun 10, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $4,520,887
Synopsis: Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away") takes moviegoers on an amazing new animated adventure that celebrates the power of love to transform and the resiliency of the human... [More]
Starring: Emily Mortimer, Christian Bale, Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
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Reviews for Howl's Moving Castle
Top CriticThere is giggling, belly-laughing, and gasping to be done watching Howl's Moving Castle.
12/09/05
Top CriticSo richly detailed and colorful that one almost aches from the beauty.
06/17/05
Top CriticIf you've yet to take the anime plunge, this is a fine place to start; if you're an old hand, you will not be disappointed.
06/17/05
Top CriticThe world it gives us to live in, for a couple of hours, is pure magic. It is one of those places we might wish never to leave.
06/16/05
Top CriticChoppy story lines and threadbare characterization often hamper live-action adventures, and Mr. Miyazaki's newest anime endeavor suffers from similar handicaps.
06/16/05
Top CriticThe whole thing has the heavenly whimsy of Ludwig Bemelmans' illustrations from the classic French children's books.
06/16/05
Top CriticAn insanely creative work.
06/13/05
Top CriticThe procession of enchanting and spectacular images is intoxicating.
06/12/05
Top CriticA feast of images and ideas for those who still cling to the idea that animation ought to be every bit as expressive as anything that begins with a blank page, a sharp pencil and an unharnessed imagination.
06/11/05
Top CriticMiyazaki, now in his mid-60s, has a refreshing and persuasive way of relating youth to old age and callowness to wisdom. Rather than presenting them succeeding each other and fighting for supremacy, he shows them coexisting peacefully.
06/11/05
Top CriticMeanders so listlessly that its details become less and less charming. Miyazaki's storytelling style resembles that of a breathless young tot who's fearlessly exercising his newfound powers of expression.
06/11/05
Top CriticMiyazaki may not have achieved the level of Spirited Away, but he's still ahead of the curve.
06/11/05
Top CriticSpeaking of enchantment, that's the ultimate thing missing from Howl's Moving Castle. That and soul.
06/10/05
Top CriticThere is no story, or rather, there's no force to the story, which meanders almost casually this way and that for no apparent reason.
06/10/05
Top CriticA wise and wonderful parable of the passing moments of life, and dealing with both the advantages and burdens that make us individuals.
06/10/05
Top CriticThere's a word for the kind of comic, dramatic, romantic, transporting visions Miyazaki achieves in Howl's: bliss.
06/10/05
Top CriticAnother stunningly beautiful and beguiling work of animation from Japan's Hayao Miyazaki.
06/10/05
Top CriticWith its bold screen-filling imagery, this is definitely a movie to be relished on the big screen.
06/10/05
Top CriticThose who appreciate Miyazaki's artistry will find much to savor, even in a work that may not rank among the director's best.
06/10/05
Top CriticLatest News for Howl's Moving Castle
August 21, 2008:
Japanese Audiences Flocking to Miyazaki's Latest 
He delighted audiences with Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle -- and now director Hayao Miyazaki is doing it all over again with his latest film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the... More...
March 20, 2007:
Will Miyazaki's Next Film Be His Last?
It's been speculated that legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki will retire after the release of his next film, "Ponyo on a Cliff," but now it looks like we'll have at... More...
October 19, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Flags" Flies High; "The Prestige" Is Magic; "Flicka" Is A Pretty Good Ride; "Marie Antoinette" Spared Critical Guillotine
This week at the movies, we've got a complex tale of heroism (Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers," starring Ryan Phillippe), a story of dueling magicians... More...
October 03, 2006:
Miyazaki Prepares Next Animation Classic
Let's face it: When the director of "Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoke," and a whole bunch of other brilliant pieces of animation announces that he's about... More...
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