@SeanoTheNerd I haven't seen it in a while, but from what I can recall, the ending was pretty underwhelming. Not gonna spoil a lot for those who haven't seen you (like you), but they build up something only to reveal something less than what we expect.

Havent seen it but love you comment😍😎👍✨

@ASkidda92 I’m looking forward to How Do You Live? ! (not that it’s relevant to the original post)

@ColawithIce Me too, it’s gonna be made by Hayao so there’s already a more than good chance it will be amazing.

Yesyes that’s what I think too! 😂

This isn't a thought out review or anything, but here are my initial thoughts:

A lot of people are turned off/don't like the movie simply based on the fact that it is mostly CGI animated, but personally I didn't really mind. Even though Ghibli has always been known for it's high standard of hand-drawn animation, I do have to applaud Goro for making the brave decision to branch out from what Ghibli is known for. Recently, Ghibli hasn't been doing too well with it's newer movies, and so I see this film as an attempt to reach out to a broader and younger audience.

As for the movie itself, it was one of those movies where I had fun watching it, but the more I look back the more I see the outstanding issues. I completely agree with you on the pacing issues. For an almost 1 1/2 hour movie, i feel it really could've been paced a lot better, and maybe fit in some more desperately needed character development.

I personally loved Erica and her bratty attitude up until the end, because instead of learning a lesson and becoming more humble like I thought she would, she only became more manipulative and spoiled.

If the film cut down on the some of the unneeded scenes in the beginning, or maybe extended the film by a bit more, I would've loved to see some scenes involving her mother. Throughout the film, they built up this sense of wonder and mystique about her mother, and yet we never actually learn anything about her besides that she was in a band and kind of a disco queen.

My favorite character was definitely the Mandrake, though that might just be my love for father-like characters speaking. Again, I loved him up until the end, where he gets manipulated by Erica and spoils her too much. Throughout the film he has this very stern-yet-loving, father-like personality going, and yet at the end he turns into an absolute doormat.

Despite whether you are a fan of the CGI, you have to admit that it was at least done well (sans some minor scenes), the soundtrack was catchy (especially the music from the band, i would buy that on vinyl), and the humor was okay. However, from a Ghibli-lover's point of view, it was one of the weaker films that have come out recently. If it was hand animated like other Ghibli movies, I could see myself and many others enjoying it much more than the experience we got. Hand drawn Ghibli animation contains magic that other animation studios have yet to capture, and this film just doesn't quite have it.

In the end, the film was at least a little enjoyable, and I could see my little siblings enjoying it as well. If you're looking for a more recent Ghibli film that you'll more likely enjoy, I suggest When Marnie Was There.

This is Ghibli and one of their main selling points is their beautiful 2D animation and since that's been thrown out the window. I can now see why Hayao Miyazaki and his son didn't get along. (Hayao Miyazaki's son directed this movie.) Also, I kept seeing ads for this movie (without knowing it was a Ghibli movie) and thinking the main character looked the most annoying little girl ever but that's just a nitpick.

I haven't watched this movie, but after seeing the animation style, I don't think I would want to watch it. I guess just the new animation style alone makes me not want to watch it. I feel like Ghibli has a very unique 2D animation style (especially in those really iconic and awesome films like Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, etc.) and is kind of Ghibli's icon, or brand, if you know what I mean.

The new 3D animation style just doesn't feel Ghibli at all. The characters aren't that expressive (from the clips I've seen from it) and it just lacks so much emotion. The characters just feel like dolls with a very limited field of expression.

In comparison to the original 2D style, the characters have much more emotion to them, which makes the film more lively. It also has more of that authentic, almost nostalgic vibe to it.

It's not a bad thing that they're trying out a new art style, but I do prefer the old authentic style much more.

No! Definately not! Maybe it's less like Ghibli, right, but I felt the part of the studio there. I felt that if anyone in the world made such a film, it would be Studio Ghibli. The soundtrack is amazing, the characters are amazing, the story is amazing. I do not understand what the problem is.

@Percy.loves.you did you watch this movie without the visuals? Because if you took a good look at the animation, then you'll understand what the problem is.