Howl's Moving Castle

Miyazaki, the director of 'Spirited Away' returns with a version of Diana Wynne Jones' children's book 'Howl's Moving Castle'. The result is a strange hybrid that starts out as a cheery kids adventure then changes direction halfway through to envisage the hell of a dystopian futureworld ruled by war. Despite Miyazaki's undoubted gifts for story, character and cute animation, the diverse cultural agendas jar badly. East meets West so awkwardly here.