Can we stop saying "this is for kids"
Loads of people on this board keep saying this is average because this is "directed at children". First off, that doesn't make a movie average. Second of all that's always surprising to me coming from a person who is into animation because I assume they would understand that when it comes to the imagination....nothing is only for kids. Maybe you just watch movies biasedly. This is a pretty big problem in the modern world. We split things in to childish and adult and adults have no imagination. What's so different from this and most other Studio Ghibli films? In the US most adults think it is childish to watch any animation whatsoever and what these people are saying is just a step above that. I personally love delving into an imaginative animation regardless of whether the active themes seem geared towards a mature audience. So just because you think it's geared towards children you say it's average? Why have you lost your ability to enjoy a "childish" movie simply by becoming older? Is your imagination not as big as it once was? I see no difference between this film (except in quality) and spirited away or totoro. It's imaginative and artistic. Any form of art can be appreciated by anyone who has an open mind.
Zen-mind