This is such a good review! I'm a Ghibliholic myself, and I completely understand that feeling of loss when Miyazaki said he was retiring. When I saw the trailer for this film I almost had a heart attack. The animation is nearly identical to Ponyo and Howl's Moving Castle.
To say that this movie rivals anything Ghibli has previously done is bold, so I'm even more excited to watch it. Thanks for a fun post, I'll recommend it in mine ^^
- The Cinema Twins
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