This is an amazing movie that seems to get better with repeated viewings. Both my kids loved it so much, that we watched it many times, but oddly I didn't become tired of this cheery and unusual full-length cartoon.
When the film began, one of the first things I noticed was the strange parallel world style of the artwork. It was if it was some OTHER planet Earth, where many of our towns are somehow merged into a mythical land that looks like Earth yet isn't. While there were many Japanese references, the towns looked rather European as well--like Denmark perhaps. Plus, in this parallel world, inventions of the early 20th century like zeppelins live on and people are NOT that amazed or scared at the prospect of a witch moving into town! As for the quality of this film, the animation, voices and story are terrific and exciting. While I have heard many refer to director Miyazaki as "the Japanese Disney", this isn't very accurate, as the style of his films is so very different from American animation--not better, not worse--just different.
So overall, this is about as good as you'll get for an anime movie and it should appeal to all ages provided they are open-minded enough to give a foreign film a try.
When the film began, one of the first things I noticed was the strange parallel world style of the artwork. It was if it was some OTHER planet Earth, where many of our towns are somehow merged into a mythical land that looks like Earth yet isn't. While there were many Japanese references, the towns looked rather European as well--like Denmark perhaps. Plus, in this parallel world, inventions of the early 20th century like zeppelins live on and people are NOT that amazed or scared at the prospect of a witch moving into town! As for the quality of this film, the animation, voices and story are terrific and exciting. While I have heard many refer to director Miyazaki as "the Japanese Disney", this isn't very accurate, as the style of his films is so very different from American animation--not better, not worse--just different.
So overall, this is about as good as you'll get for an anime movie and it should appeal to all ages provided they are open-minded enough to give a foreign film a try.