Review of Howl's Moving Castle

Maybe the only way to enjoy this movie is to think of it more as a visual symphony than a cohesive narrative? Like fantasia or something? I had soooo many questions I needed answers for, and while I got some of them from the ending, for the most part I'm just left scratching my head and wondering what the heck I just watched. Seriously, not even plot holes, just missing pieces of plot; so much information is never given and its absence is felt. Is the war somehow Howl's fault? Where the heck did Sophie's mom come from? Who was the witch? Who was the other witch? Is Sophie a witch? Why did the first witch curse Sophie? Why was the second witch so mad? Was she mad or am I projecting? On and on it goes. Sigh. 6/10 Stars. All in all I think that it's a very pretty movie, with decent animation, but there are better Ghibli films for both animation and story.