HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (2004)

Anime is often fascinating to watch - never more so than in the hands of the master, Hayao Miyazaki.  Spirited Away is one of the most brilliant, visually wondrous films ever made, and in Howl's Moving Castle Miyazaki's jaw-dropping style and strokes of color and imagination spring just as vividly to life.  The story - of a young girl named Sofi, cursed by a witch into the body of a 90-year-old woman to spite the demon Hauru (Howl), who'd previously helped Sofi out of trouble - is a great premise, as Sofi makes her way to the huge moving castle that Howl resides in, in the wilds, where she finds herself caught up in magic and in the beginning stages of a raging war, all while trying to break her curse as her fascination with the magical Howl grows.  Again, though beautiful and compelling in scope, the film's latter half gets bogged down in a convoluted storyline that proves frustrating to keep track of.  Try to see it in the original Japanese, if you can, as I did; the dubbed-English version, supposedly, doesn't do justice in matching the actors' voices to the characters. (rated PG)  C+

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE trailer (dubbed-English version)