Someone on Tumblr once said the book is how Sophie tells the story of how they met and the movie is how Howl tells it.

Alex did such a good job giving butt pats to the cat

Princess Mononoke is another one I appreciate more and more as I get older. Without spoiling anything a lot of its themes start to hit me harder and I really appreciate how nuanced it approaches each character and competing interests. Diana Wynne Jones Howl's trilogy are absolutely fantastic and worth a read. Notably in the first book its clear that Howl knows about the curse and is regularly trying to break the spell. Its not actually all that powerful of a spell but Sophie's poor self image of herself gives it so much power that even Howl can't easily break it. Sophie so deeply feels unworthy of love that it feeds into the spell. I think that detail gives even more power to her personal journey. She breaks the spell, not anyone else, when she learns to love herself and accepts the idea that someone else can see the beauty and value within her.

This is loosely based on books by Diana Wynne Jones, who wrote a bunch of very good YA stuff you two might enjoy. I'd recommend Power of Three or Charmed Life.

The original novel Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is worth a read, the story is similar to the film but has notable divergences, and the whole plot with Turnip Head makes a lot more sense + the demons come off a lot more sinister.

26:27 The landscapes in this film are truly breathtaking. Great reaction you two!

Studio Ghibli recently produced their first fully CGI feature film also based on a Diana Wynne Jones novel called "Earwig and the Witch".

The Fairytale about the girl and the beast husband who turns back into a human when asleep. Is of i recall correctly the story of Psyche and Cupid from Greek Mythology. Or at least it is one of the variations of that archetype

As others have said, I hope you don't get a copyright strike. They don't lock, they aim to kill.

God I love this movie so much. It's in the top two or three of Miyazaki's films for me. Really enjoyed your conversation about the way the film works in different ways for different age groups. I probably haven't watched it all the way through since I was in my early 20s, and am excited to see what my thoughts will be the next time I do watch it in the near future.

Came for the Howl's Moving Castle reaction, stayed for the kitty cat butt slappin' attraction! 😂😂😂 I'm allergic to cats, but I do take care of the ferals and get them treated and fixed. Ohio is bad for ppl dropping off animals, looking to get cameras set up and ppl prosecuted. Leaving animals by the hwy puts tons of ppl in danger, ntm the animal itself. Okay, I digress, cute kitty, excellent pats, wonderful friends, good wine, 10/10, subscribed.

Loved the fairy tale angle on Howl's Moving Castle! :) I'll second (or third etc lol) the recommendation for the original book by Diana Wynne Jones. Also Edith Pattou wrote a great retelling of the East of the Sun, West of the Moon fairy tale called East, which I adore.

Really delightful reaction/review guys, and I'm glad you're back! I never contextualized this film using other fairy tales before, and in hindsight I feel stupid for that lol, especially as a big fan of Miyazaki. Princess Mononoke has always been my favorite though, so I hope Jessa continues the Ghibli journey there :D

Such a visually beautiful movie.

Awesome reaction of my favorite movie!!!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

i’ve always wondered why they went with that vocal choice Heen? His “wiff wiff” little bark I mean. I only know one reason for dogs to bark like that and it’s because of the barking surgery. I’ve known a couple dogs from rescues that had it done by previous owners because they were too loud. It just seems like an odd choice that I end up fixated on it.

My favorite Ghibli film hands down

Jessa, I want to hear everything you have to say about Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow!

YES!!!!

Good luck with this (sincerely). Ghibli is notoriously aggressive with their copyright enforcement. Lots of other reactors have gotten strikes for reacting to their movies.

I get it. You have to have a passion for it or you just don’t feel like doing it all the time me on the other hand I’m a janitor so I like to clean all the time it’s like my therapy. lol

I remember my partner, while admitting it is well animated, really disliked the way this film adapted the book.