Howl's Moving Castle Review
Title: Howl's Moving Castle - Film, Studio Ghibli, 2004
Overall Score: 9.5/10
Word Count: 815
Date Written: 15th February 2009
Story: 9/10
From a world of wizards and war, talking fires and turnip heads, comes Howl’s Moving Castle, the ninth film from director Hayao Miyazaki. The story focuses on Sophie, a timid young woman who has a chance encounter with Howl, a powerful wizard with a reputation for eating the hearts of beautiful women. Following this meeting, the Witch of the Waste places a curse Sophie, transforming her into a ninety year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie stumbles upon Howl’s castle and begins working there as a housekeeper. With the help of her new friends, Calcifer, a fire demon; Markl, Howl’s young apprentice; and Turnip head, a cursed scarecrow; Sophie works to not only break the spell on herself, but also the one that plagues Howl.
From the opening scene, where the castle emerges from the mist, it becomes clear that Howl’s Moving Castle can provide a true sense of escapism that I have rarely found outside of the Studio Ghibli films. Howl also creates a good balance of light-hearted comedy with the more serious aspects of the plot, such as the hidden side of Howl and the ongoing war that looms ever closer. This allows Howl’s Moving Castle to be thought provoking while still thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable.
While the plot of the film deviates from that of the novel by Diana Wynne Jones on which it is based, Howl’s Moving Castle remains an incredibly gripping and entertaining story. Injected with his own brand of storytelling, Howl includes many of the standard themes expected from a Miyazaki film, such as flight, pacifism and redemption. In a sense by including these regular Miyazaki motifs, Howl’s Moving Castle feels like the best kind of comfort food, ideal viewing for a cold day while snuggled up under a nice blanket.
Animation: 10/10
Howl’s Moving Castle boasts some of the most beautiful animation that I have seen in anime. From the bright and lively Kingsbury to the baron and foggy wastes, the wonderfully detailed backgrounds provide an excellent backdrop for the entire film. Add to this some deliciously smooth movement that never falters, and the world of Howl springs to life.
Though still fairly easy to differentiate, the C.G. in Howl provides one of the best applications of computer-generated animation in an anime film. By remaining fairly subtle the C.G. manages to blend in fairly well with the rest of the animation. Particularly praiseworthy, the animation of Howl’s castle feels as if, for once, there was more of a reason to utilise C.G. other than to make life a little easier. Distinguished from the rest of the cast through the different style of animation, this bizarre and rickety abode has a personality all of its own and becomes just as much of a valid character as Sophie or Howl.
Sound: 9/10
Boasting another successful collaboration between Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi, the charming score of Howl’s Moving Castle provides a perfect partner to the stunning visuals. Serving to heighten the emotion and celebrate its magical fantasy, the music of Howl’s Moving Castle successfully captures the mood of the story and enriches it further.
The Japanese voice acting is well cast; in particular the quiet and meek voice of young Sophie fits her perfectly. However the English dub, though one of the better ones out there, at times feels somewhat awkward in comparison.
Characters: 9/10
As one of the central themes in Howl’s Moving Castle, the development of the two central protagonists, Howl and Sophie, is tackled well. One of the highlights of this character development comes in the form of Sophie’s appearance. During one scene we see Sophie’s curse weakening as she appears as youthful, but when her lack of self-confidence returns, she immediately reverts back to her ninety year-old state. By being able to physically see a change in her character, the battle between Sophie and her own demons becomes far more interesting, especially when executed with such subtlety.
Though Howl’s Moving Castle primarily focuses on the characters of Howl and Sophie, the supporting characters are neither ignored, nor pushed into the background. The Witch of the Waste for example, goes through her own development during the film; some of it forced by certain incidents, as well as naturally through her interaction with Sophie. With even the Witch of the Waste undergoing changes throughout the film (which goes so far as to encourage some empathy towards her), it becomes incredibly difficult to dislike any of the characters.
Overall: 9.5/10
Despite the numerous times I have watched this film, on my most recent viewing I still found myself falling in love with Howl’s Moving Castle all over again. As a true Miyazaki classic, Howl is certainly worth a look, especially for all Ghibli aficionados. Certainly watch it if you enjoy fantasy and magic, though die-hard fans of the novel may end up a little disappointed.
Overall Score: 9.5/10
Word Count: 815
Date Written: 15th February 2009
Story: 9/10
From a world of wizards and war, talking fires and turnip heads, comes Howl’s Moving Castle, the ninth film from director Hayao Miyazaki. The story focuses on Sophie, a timid young woman who has a chance encounter with Howl, a powerful wizard with a reputation for eating the hearts of beautiful women. Following this meeting, the Witch of the Waste places a curse Sophie, transforming her into a ninety year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie stumbles upon Howl’s castle and begins working there as a housekeeper. With the help of her new friends, Calcifer, a fire demon; Markl, Howl’s young apprentice; and Turnip head, a cursed scarecrow; Sophie works to not only break the spell on herself, but also the one that plagues Howl.
From the opening scene, where the castle emerges from the mist, it becomes clear that Howl’s Moving Castle can provide a true sense of escapism that I have rarely found outside of the Studio Ghibli films. Howl also creates a good balance of light-hearted comedy with the more serious aspects of the plot, such as the hidden side of Howl and the ongoing war that looms ever closer. This allows Howl’s Moving Castle to be thought provoking while still thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable.
While the plot of the film deviates from that of the novel by Diana Wynne Jones on which it is based, Howl’s Moving Castle remains an incredibly gripping and entertaining story. Injected with his own brand of storytelling, Howl includes many of the standard themes expected from a Miyazaki film, such as flight, pacifism and redemption. In a sense by including these regular Miyazaki motifs, Howl’s Moving Castle feels like the best kind of comfort food, ideal viewing for a cold day while snuggled up under a nice blanket.
Animation: 10/10
Howl’s Moving Castle boasts some of the most beautiful animation that I have seen in anime. From the bright and lively Kingsbury to the baron and foggy wastes, the wonderfully detailed backgrounds provide an excellent backdrop for the entire film. Add to this some deliciously smooth movement that never falters, and the world of Howl springs to life.
Though still fairly easy to differentiate, the C.G. in Howl provides one of the best applications of computer-generated animation in an anime film. By remaining fairly subtle the C.G. manages to blend in fairly well with the rest of the animation. Particularly praiseworthy, the animation of Howl’s castle feels as if, for once, there was more of a reason to utilise C.G. other than to make life a little easier. Distinguished from the rest of the cast through the different style of animation, this bizarre and rickety abode has a personality all of its own and becomes just as much of a valid character as Sophie or Howl.
Sound: 9/10
Boasting another successful collaboration between Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi, the charming score of Howl’s Moving Castle provides a perfect partner to the stunning visuals. Serving to heighten the emotion and celebrate its magical fantasy, the music of Howl’s Moving Castle successfully captures the mood of the story and enriches it further.
The Japanese voice acting is well cast; in particular the quiet and meek voice of young Sophie fits her perfectly. However the English dub, though one of the better ones out there, at times feels somewhat awkward in comparison.
Characters: 9/10
As one of the central themes in Howl’s Moving Castle, the development of the two central protagonists, Howl and Sophie, is tackled well. One of the highlights of this character development comes in the form of Sophie’s appearance. During one scene we see Sophie’s curse weakening as she appears as youthful, but when her lack of self-confidence returns, she immediately reverts back to her ninety year-old state. By being able to physically see a change in her character, the battle between Sophie and her own demons becomes far more interesting, especially when executed with such subtlety.
Though Howl’s Moving Castle primarily focuses on the characters of Howl and Sophie, the supporting characters are neither ignored, nor pushed into the background. The Witch of the Waste for example, goes through her own development during the film; some of it forced by certain incidents, as well as naturally through her interaction with Sophie. With even the Witch of the Waste undergoing changes throughout the film (which goes so far as to encourage some empathy towards her), it becomes incredibly difficult to dislike any of the characters.
Overall: 9.5/10
Despite the numerous times I have watched this film, on my most recent viewing I still found myself falling in love with Howl’s Moving Castle all over again. As a true Miyazaki classic, Howl is certainly worth a look, especially for all Ghibli aficionados. Certainly watch it if you enjoy fantasy and magic, though die-hard fans of the novel may end up a little disappointed.