Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) – 8.5/10 – Topnotch animation from a legendary studio
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE is an animated supernatural fantasy by Hayao Miyazaki of the legendary Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki has directed many marvelous works over his career. This is one of his most respected works, which he adapted from a novel by Welsch author Diana Wynne Jones. I have watched only a few Ghibli films, and I rank this after SPIRITED AWAY and MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. The masterful animation and art are hand drawn before digitally produced and are visually stunning. The meticulous detail, vibrant colors, and cinematics to support an entertaining story earned this an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film in 2006, but it didn’t win. They incorporate drama, action, adventure, love, and comedy to keep things light and interesting. They wove in the visuals and emotional depth with central themes such as self-acceptance, friendship, growth, love, change, and perseverance. Miyazaki did an excellent job weaving everything into the plot. The original voice-acting was in Japanese, but the English dub, which I watched, has a solid cast.
Sophie (Jean Simmons) makes hats for a living, and one day meets a wizard named Howl (Christian Bale) on the streets. The Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall), who is in ongoing conflict with Howl, becomes angered and puts a spell on Sophie, leaving her an old lady. In response, Sophie sets off across the countryside to have the spell removed. During her journey, she comes across Howl’s moving castle, where she meets Howl’s young apprentice, Markl (Josh Hutcherson), and a fire demon named Calcifer (Billy Crystal). She befriends Calcifer, who agrees to a deal to free her from the curse, and hires herself as a maid to clean up the filthy castle. A war breaks off between her nation and another neighboring country. Howl, Sophie, and the gang get drawn into the conflict, as Sophie’s feelings for Howl deepen.
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE exhibits many strengths and positives. It has wonderful animation, voice-acting, directing, breathtaking visuals (with rich locations), memorable characters, and a fitting musical score. The script, while not Miyazaki’s best, is fun and fast-paced. The main characters felt both genuine and likable. Initially, the film’s plot and world were confusing, but it improved as it progressed. However, the storyline doesn’t explain much about Howl’s past and the world’s history. The tale jumps directly into the action, and you follow along through the narrative with what they give you. We’re left with more questions than answers, and lots of issues get unanswered altogether. That could be puzzling, especially if you didn’t read the novel (I didn’t). Despite the remarkable animation and character development, I would have liked more focus on the story. It’s not a deal-breaker.
Would I recommend this? Yes, I suggest this film to anyone who likes animated movies and fantastic stories. It’s a magical, cinematic masterpiece by a creative genius, Miyazaki. I found one issue with the English dubbed version: the few subtitles I tried were for the Japanese edition, and the dub differs. I find subtitles crucial for films, so that threw me off a bit—probably my ADHD talking and it won’t be the case for everyone. Overall, it’s worth watching at least once. My rating is 8.5/10.
*Any trivia facts were obtained from IMDB’s trivia page and plot/name information from Wiki
