Combined with one of the best casting decisions for English language dub ever: Billy Crystal as Calcifer stole the show whenever he was on screen.
Oh and flying things, lots and lots of flying things.
In truth there were some negatives in terms of it being an adaptation from the novel but I didn't stop to think about those until after I left.
Apparently the indie cinema here will be getting a subtitled print later so I guess I'll just have to go see it again. Its a hard life.
If you cannot see the causal relationship between "I have chocolate" and "Life is Good", you simply aren't trying hard enough. Pirates of the Burley Griffin
Leece, Steveg, Maureen, Richard and myself saw it subbed last night at Luna.
I'd like to second John's very quick review. Very good - and the adaptation from the novel is (according to Leece, who remembers it better than I) quite worthy.
The sub is quite good, and I am looking forward to hearing the dub - Miyazaki himself actually prefers it! At least according to The Guardian. It seems that he was not entirely happy with the Japanese voice actress for Sophie.
Calicfer is well characterised, and Sophie's plight is very well handled.
Dianne Wynne Jones is one of my favourite authors, and I was naturally aprehensive about Howl's Moving Castle being adapted by an animator, even one so skillful as Mr Miyazaki, but I'm glad to so I needn't have worried.
The story hasn't suffered, the sub was pretty good. (looking forward to the dub)
If you've read the book, then you'll understand completely everything that's going on, I'm just a little worried that without that knowlege, some of the plot points might be a little obscure for some audiences.
But, hey, they should have read it in the first place, it's a ripping read.
Some lovely scenes and characterisation.
Now, I'd like to see him do The Magicians of Caprona!
9/10 and having your fresh bread delivered personally by a young witch and her black cat, on the Sid and Nancy scale.
I've only read the book once but it wasn't so much the plot points as the character changes that stood out.
In some respects the Witch of the Waste and Madam Suliman swapped places which seemed odd.
If you cannot see the causal relationship between "I have chocolate" and "Life is Good", you simply aren't trying hard enough. Pirates of the Burley Griffin
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