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Like a dream,Howl's Moving Castlecarries audiences to vistas beyond their imaginations where they experience excitement, adventure, terror, humor, and romance. With domestic box office receipts of over $210 million,Howlpassed Miyazaki'sPrincess Mononoketo become the #3 film in Japanese history, behind hisSpirited Awayand James Cameron'sTitanic. Based on a juvenile novel by Diana Wynne Jones,Howl's Moving Castlemarks the first time Miyazaki has adapted another writer's work sinceKiki's Delivery Service(1989). Sophie, a 19-year-old girl who believes she is plain, has resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop--until the Witch of the Waste transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. In her aged guise, Sophie searches for a way to break the Witch's spell and finds unexpected adventures. Like Chihiro, the heroine ofSpirited Away, Sophie discovers her hidden potential in a magical environment--the castle of the title. Using CG, Miyazaki creates a ramshackle structure that looks like it might disintegrate at any moment. Sophie's honesty and determination win her some valuable new friends: Markl, Howl's young apprentice; a jaunty scarecrow; Calcifer, a temperamental fire demon; and Heen, a hilarious, wheezing dog. She wins the heart of the dashing, irresponsible wizard Howl, and brings an end an unnecessary and destructive war. The film overflows with eclipsing visuals that range from frightening aerial battles to serene landscapes, and few recent features--animated or live action--offer as much magic asHowl's Moving Castle.--Charles Solomon
One of the greatest animated adventures ever I won't comment on the book adaptation or the structure of this highly-developed film, because so many others already have. But I do want to add a note about why this film is well worth purchasing on CD rather than just renting or seeing in a theatre.
Howl's Moving Castle ranks with early Disney masterpieces like Snow White as a landmark in the naturalistic animation of a fantasy world.
Where it differs from most other movies is in its incredibly rich texture. In almost every scene there are dozens of things going on, some of which you won't notice on a first viewing.
The magnificent set-pieces, like the scenes of bombing or the busy cityscapes, have dozens of separate elements. The moving castle itself, with its jiggling turrets, stomping claws and hissing steam-vents, is an astonishing creation. And the comic scenes -- as when Sophie, Heen, Markl and Turnip struggle to eject the crashed plane from the castle's gullet -- work on many hilarious levels.
There is not a wasted second or an inch of wasted space in this film; like a lovingly-created diorama under a glass dome, touched by a magician , it seethes with weird but utterly convincing life.
You will find yourself watching some of these scenes many times over, marvelling at the inventiveness of Miyazaki and his team, catching some new detail every time.
This is certainly among the best animated films ever made, and I highly recommend it!
Japanese Region 2 Howl DVD Lacks Detail and Sharpness Perhaps you should rent Region 1 release or wait for it to be reviewed before buying. The Japanese region 2 release is very softly focused, lacks clarity of detail and richness of color. On my 50 inch high definition LCD screen, the name of the author of the original novel as it appears beneath the title is so soft and blurred that it is difficult to decipher.
(The Japanese R2 release of "Spirited Away" had a red tint which outraged fans, but at least the image was sharp and clear, more so than on the barely satisfactory R1 DVD. In fact, I prefer to watch the R2 dvd as I am able to remove the red tint from the R2 DVD by adjusting the color levels on my screen.)
Additionally, some of the English subtitles on the R2 Howl's flash on the screen for only about a second, making it impossible for a non-Japanese speaker to watch it with the Japanese sound track.
The soft focus and washed out color, with a resultant lack of clarity and detail (resolution), detract considerably from one's ability to enjoy the film.
Although not Miyazaki's best, this is still a very superior animated film filled with beautiful images and depth of feeling. The carelessness of the dvd transfer is a disgrace. I have submitted this review in the hope that it will come to the attention of someone at Buena Vista, who will make certain that corrective steps are taken so that the R1 version will do Miyazaki's work justice.'Love Conquers All' is still not redundant Should Miyazaki be pleased or despairing that his handcrafted animations have reached their zenith just as their computer generated cousins threaten them with redundance? At age 64, he's probably beyond worrying. This is a celebration of the human touch, in a similar vein to Nic Park's whacky, Grommit. The care lavished on the subtle tonalities of colour and texture is one of their shared domains. Another, at least with,'Howl' is a predelection for an earlier, and now only a dimly familiar, period of the early C20th, where freeways were lanes, and cobblestones and woodgrain were yet to be superceeded by synthetics. And, inventor's magic reigns supreme. The parable in 'Howl' is about the transforming power of love, a power of the most potent magic. Witches cast spells and wizards are sought for counsel by kings. Wars churn along with machine-like inevitability, the consequential milieu of a bewildered populace. The animated heart, aflutter with infatuation, burdened by outward appearance, stretched by loyalty to compassion, promotes the narrative. Howl's Castle, an unlikely chunk of Boschlike junk on four legs(flashes of Frank Zappa's, 'Billy The Mountain', for me) is the resevoir of recouperation and regeneration for the wounded hearts, kept alive by a spirited flame. The narrative asserts that appearances deceive and that youthful ones in particular, can be an encumbrance. There are no such encumbrances with the appearance of Miyazaki's films, which are a liberating, elevating joy. His reach is considerable: from the aforementioned details out to superb panoramas, be they the incendiary glimmer of a distant city under nocturnal aerial seige, or a pellucid valley lake enthroned by ice-capped peaks. For me, the animator's artistry with halated colour and whimsical line is the fiat to the elusive powers of his characters. What facility! Together with 'Princess Mononoke' and 'Spirited Away', Miyazaki enters the pantheon of cinematic geniuses.
