Howl's Moving Castle (**)

I don't get what the big deal is with Miyazaki animated films. His Spirited Away won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature a few years back, and his current film, Howl's Moving Castle, is drawing equal acclaim. I don't see why. The animation is done in that annoying wide-eyed anime style, and, aside from the moving castle, it's not even fun to look at. The vocal work by Billy Crystal, as the talking fire Calcifer, is distracting, and the story is just not that involving. Clocking in at just over two hours, you may be checking your watch often with this one.