A relatively obscure Welsh fantasy novel provides the material for this, Miyazaki's follow-up to _Spirited Away_. It's a lovely marriage; two visions meant for one another. _Howl_'s land of witches and wizards, steam-powered societies and shadowy machinations, calls back to several preceding chapters in the Studio Ghibli catalog, while still standing firm as its own original story.

The first hour is particularly good, setting the stage with the director’s usual doses of playful imagination and enchanting personality. We've got magic doorways, talking flames, witches' curses, fantastic flying machines, ticker-tape military parades and, of course, gigantic palaces propelled by mechanical chicken legs. Ghibli always profits from these long establishing shots, having mastered the art of breathing life into a world and watching it blossom, and the opening act is stuffed with so much of it that I couldn't have wiped the smile from my lips if I'd tried.

It falls into a bit of a rut after that, struggling to stretch an airy premise into something larger and more meaningful. There's depth to the story, but much of it remains unrevealed as the plot meanders and stumbles its way to a hazy finale. The animation is great, as expected, with colorful characters and alluring scenarios to spare, but _Howl_ grows lost after that initial sheen wears off.