Directed by:
Hayao MiyazakiScreenplay:
Hayao MiyazakiCinematography:
Atsushi OkuiCast:
Takuya Kimura, 倍賞千恵子, Akio Ōtsuka, Ryūnosuke Kamiki, 大泉洋, Shigeyuki Totsugi, 美輪明宏, 加藤治子, Makoto Yasumura, Mayuno Yasokawa, Seiji Sasaki, Keiko Tsukamoto (more)Plots(1)
Sophie, an average teenage girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. After this chance meeting she is turned into a 90-year old woman by the vain and conniving Witch of the Waste. Embarking on an incredible adventure to lift the curse, she finds refuge in Howl's magical moving castle where she becomes acquainted with Markl, Howls apprentice and a hot-headed fire demon named Calcifer. As the true power of Howls wizardry is revealed and his relationship with Sophie deepens, our young grey heroine finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world. (Madman Entertainment)
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Reviews (12)
Miyazaki's films usually present an original world and an original story, it is not the usual squeezing of classic fairy tale motifs that everyone knows by heart. Howl's Moving Castle is a geyser of visual fantasy, a peculiar kind of fairy tale fantasy with a distinctly anti-war message. Excellent drawings, obviously inspired by classical Japanese manga, careful animation, and above all a colorful plot where the world of magic, demons, and wizards comes to life. The first half is reliably worth five stars, but in the last third, the script becomes unnecessarily overcomplicated, and the adventurous story turns into a romance that dangerously plays with kitsch at the end with the arrival of the rescued prince, happy smiles, and kisses. The wizard's castle, as a strange combination of a hut on chicken legs and an industrial complex, which seems to have come out of Terry Gilliam's creative workshop, remains most vividly in my memory. Overall impression: 80%.
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Miyazaki's films grab you by the hand and take you on a magical walk through an incredible landscape. He is simply a sure thing. Once again I couldn't stop gawking at the sheer amount of boundless imagination and beautiful music. The story here was perhaps even more engaging than in Spirited Away, yet as a whole it falls a little short of it. I could still use another half a teaspoon of cuteness here. Even so, it's extremely real... almost 5 stars.
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It's been barely a few days since I complained while reviewing The Cassandra Crossing that it wasn't an ideal movie to watch with an elevated temperature. Howl’s Moving Castle is the exact opposite. It's hard to find a more ideal movie to spend time with during an illness. Overall, Miyazaki's imagination is a good one for delirious states of mind. One immediately understands him better. This is the most mature project to come out of the Ghibli studio so far (even though it’s an adaptation of a children's book). It lifts your mood, delights, surprises you with the untrodden plot paths it takes and, above all, completely disarms you with its ideas and originality. A genuine work of art, and not only in terms of the animation. Personally, I wonder if it is even possible to go further in the field of classic, hand-drawn animation. I sincerely doubt it.
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I can't help but like this movie the most from Miyazaki so far, where does a Princess Mononoke a.k.a. eco-agitator go? :-) No, but I just find this a beautiful story with music that suits it. My only regret is that he didn't dye his hair back in the end, he really liked the blonde one better :-)) Daisuki! I'm going to bed with a smile on my face, reassured. And I like it that way because I want to have a good night's sleep. But that doesn't belong here anymore. ;-)
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The most romantic creation from the Master of fantasy. Throw away the quality standards because here we fly over mountains, doors open into four different spaces, all the main characters change their appearance, and magic is not far away. And the world of animated film is once again richer by one little treasure, much to my immeasurable joy.
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Gallery (73)
Photo © Buena Vista International
![Howl's Moving Castle - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/162/123/162123601_e50edf.png)
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