This is a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half. It's a breath of fresh, flower garden, air amidst the loud, noisy, violent, A.D.D.-edited films often crowding up theatre houses. Disney's done a fine job of voicing for English-speaking audiences this classic Studio Ghibli Japanese-created anime.

These filmmakers are far more interested in nurturing a certain emotional connection between characters and between the film and its audiences, than they are concerned with keeping you attentive with bells and whistles. They're also willing to let the story meander if need be, in order to obtain that goal. And they do, btw, both. The film connects mightily. It brings you back to a rural, simpler, greener time. And it kindles a purer, innocent kind of love.

Though always engaging, the pace is quite relaxed. That said, the two young kids behind us weren't fidgeting.

If you likewise enjoy this film, here's a couple of other Studio Ghibli films I've reviewed:
Spirited Away & Howl's Moving Castle.