Miyazaki’s Unknown Classic: Howl’s Moving Castle
Hello ladies and gentlemen! It’s that time again. And since it’s still September, today I will
be doing another one of my favorites.
However, this will be the last review that I will do for this special “event”-if
you could call it that. This week’s
review will delve into a Studio Ghibli film that I feel has kind of gotten
swept under the rug. So enough of the
stalling and let’s get to this review on my favorite Studio Ghibli film as well
as my favorite anime film, Howl’s Moving
Castle.
Howl’s
Moving Castle entails the adventure of a young girl named Sophie. After afflicted with a curse that turns her
into a ninety year-old woman, Sophie embarks on a journey to find a way to
break the curse. That’s when she comes
across an enchanted castle that is able to walk on its own. Sophie enters the castle to escape the elements. There she meets the residents of the
castle: a fire demon named Calcifer, a
wizard-in-training named Markl, and a young wizard named Howl. After making a deal with Calcifer to find a
way to break the curse, Sophie agrees to stay and work as the maid. After some time, she learns about Howl’s
situation which he has been summoned by the king to fight in a war that is in
effect throughout the film. Then, after
a dangerous encounter with the king’s sorceress Madame Suliman, Sophie and the
gang are forced to go into hiding in Sophie’s hometown-not a very good place to
hide personally. It is during this time
that Sophie realizes that she is in love with Howl, which ironically is the
cure for her curse. Suddenly, Sophie’s
hometown, as well as the castle, comes under attack by the enemy kingdom. In response to this, Howl tries to defend the
castle and the town to protect Sophie. On
the flip side, Sophie attempt to save Howl by destroying the castle in order to
sever the castle’s tie to Sophie’s home.
And in a series of events, Calcifer is nearly destroyed and the plan to
save Howl backfires. While Sophie
becomes upset over the fact that Howl may be dead, a portal from what is left
of the castle appears. This portal turns
out to be a time warp that shows how Howl met Calcifer and their relationship
with each other-that Calcifer is in fact Howl’s heart. Now knowing that the only way to save Howl is
to return his heart, Sophie escapes the portal where she runs into a
transformed Howl. Howl’s heart is
returned, Calcifer is set free, and coincidently, the war ends-off film at
least. Oh yes, I forgot to mention,
another major character in Howl’s Moving
Castle is the scarecrow Turnip Head.
The importance of this is that Turnip Head is actually the prince of the
warring kingdom, who’s disappearance is the whole reason there was a war in the
first place. Anyways, by the end of the
film, Calcifer returns, a new castle is built, and Sophie’s spell is broken and
she permanently stays with Howl and the gang.
Typical, but not a bad ending for the film.
As a fan of Howl’s Moving Castle, I love this film. Granted, this is aStudio Ghibli film, and
Ghibli films are relatively good. But,
and unlike last week, this film isn’t perfect.
In my overall opinion, Howl’s
Moving Castle get’s a rating of four out of five stars. Now, despite this, there are several good
things about this movie. Given Miyazaki’s
history, the animation is pretty good.
Then again, Studio Ghibli has a distinct anime style that no other
Japanese animation company has and is recognized worldwide. The story is also very well done. Though it has the usual happy ending that we
love to see at the end, the story does have some depth to it. And of course, what Miyazaki film would be
complete without the music of Joe Hisaishi? It’s a must in any of his films,
and Howl’s Moving Castle has the
Hisaishi soundtrack to please. But the one
thing that I think really makes this film is the all-star cast in the film-at
least in the English dub. It’s very
common in the English dubs of Miyazaki films to have the voices of the characters
done by very well known actors. Some of
these a-list stars include Liam Neeson, Minnie Driver, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate
Blanchett, and Jada Pinkett Smith. One
of the most notable actors in Howl’s
Moving Castle-at least for me-who is also a well-known in American acting
is Christian Bale, who voices Howl. For
those of you who don’t know, Christian Bale was famous for his role as Bruce
Wayne, aka Batman, in the new Batman films.
Another famous actor in Howl’s
Moving Castle is the legendary Billy Crystal, who voices Calcifer. Howl’s
Moving Castle also brought back Jean Simmons and Lauren Bacall-two very
well known older actresses from the forties.
And for otakus, one big name in voice acting is also in the film. Providing the voice for Turnip Head-at least
when he turns back into a prince-is the legendary Crispin Freeman. For those who aren’t familiar with Mr.
Freeman, many of his well-known anime roles include Jeremiah Gottwald from Code Geass, Itachi Uchiha from Naruto
Shippuden, and- my personal favorite- Alucard from Hellsing and Hellsing
Ultimate. Yeah, like I said, pretty
big line-up as far as acting is concerned.
Still, being that it is a Ghibli film created by the legendary Miyazaki,
it certainly meets all the standards.
Now, despite the fact that this is
a great film, there one bad aspect to it.
However, none of it has to do with its production. Many people may not be familiar with Howl’s Moving Castle because it does seem
to get over-shadowed by some other well-known Ghibli films Critics have praised this film, and even
Rotten Tomatoes gave it a “Fresh” rating.
It was even nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in
2006, much like Spirited Away-a big
Miyazaki classic- was nominated for the same award four years earlier- but
unlike Spirited Away, it didn’t win
the award. Despite that, it still gets
swept under the rug. So yes, though it
does have great characters, great animation, a great story, great acting, and
great music-should you expect any less from Studio Ghibli?-it seems to be less
noticed, and therefore less appreciated.
So overall, Howl’s Moving Castle is a magical Ghibli film with a lot of
greatness to offer, but get’s a bit ignored, and so it may not be as
popular. Still, despite that it’s not as
big or as popular as Studio Ghibli’s other films, it is certainly a treat to
watch! By far, the easiest way to watch
this film is to buy it. Though someone
out there has the full film streaming online, I feel it’s better just to buy it
in store or online. Well, I have to say
I said a lot this time around. So to end
this very, very long post, I have nothing else to say. So until next time, stay tuned for more!
-Hanime on Anime
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