Hayao Miyazaki is considered to be one of the world’s greatest animators (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) and even though he claimed The Wind Rises in 2014 was his last film (my review), he’s returned to create another fantasy. It revolves around a boy who goes on a mystical journey to reconcile the loss of his mother (supposedly semi-autobiographical). His rep attracted an English voice cast that includes Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh and Willem Dafoe. The film has some of the strange/cute characters and weird creatures that he’s known for, as well as attractive hand animation and surreal visuals. This is quieter and slower than Miyazaki’s previous films and many of the fantasy elements are familiar. As a result, it seems more like a mild career retrospective than anything new. 
(3 / 5)