HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
Rating: PG
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Run time: 1 Hr 59 Mins
Review by Emily Coates
Hayao Miyazaki has done it again in his Beauty and the Beast-esque interpretation of Diana Wynne Jones’ novel, “Howl’s Moving Castle”. Set in the world of Ingary, we are taken to a town that sends off their young men to war with a neighboring country over the disappearance of the prince. Soldiers and magicians alike are fighting and while the countryside seems unaffected, one magician is deeply saddened, the mysterious Howl. Said to have powers over young girls who he then kidnaps in order to steal their hearts, our main character Sophie is warned to remain safe by her stepsister Lettie. They are workers in their late father’s hat shop; Lettie is pretty and popular with the young soldiers while Sophie is down to earth and hardworking. Everything changes when a witch obsessed with Howl puts a spell on Sophie, changing her to an old woman. Seeing her life has changed, Sophie is determined to seek out Howl in order to lift her curse. Along the way she meets Calcifer; a fire demon, Howl’s apprentice Markl and even Howl’s old teacher, Madame Sullivan.
The film has good pacing for character development, as much of the middle section of the film is day to day experiences. Sophie becomes Howl’s housekeeper, as most of his time is spent watching the progress of the war. He specifically chooses not to take a side, despite many summons from both kings. The music is very fitting for the action, and the main theme, “Merry-go round of Life” gives a whimsical feeling with an edge of something more ominous on the horizon. I feel like that is one of the biggest parts of the movie. Miyazaki is known for his anti-war/ natural world approach to films and it is easy to see that those are some themes that are very important to him. Trouble brews, however, as the war comes closer to the home front, and Howl is forced to move his castle with a door that leads to several different doorways in other countries.
The third act of the movie focuses on Howl’s origin story and his descent into madness as the power to stop the war burns inside him, but at a terrible cost. As he grows closer to Sophie however, the price to end the war increases as he plans to end it at the cost of his own life and humanity. As you might guess, there is a happy ending. The original curse set on Howl and his house are released and happily ever after is achieved with the return of the prince to his family.
I love this movie. I have watched it many times and will always do so. The art is gorgeous, the animation crisp, and the voice work absolutely spellbinding. (No, I’m not sorry. Puns are magic.) The story is paced well, and there isn’t a hard connection to make with your sense of suspension of disbelief. Miyazaki does a very good job at making his characters memorable and giving them believable motivations and personalities. I also like that Sophie doesn’t change to some princess who is demure and submissive. While you don’t get to see much of Howl and Sophie’s future relationship in the movie, it doesn’t seem that she will ever be that kind of girl. I would recommend this movie to anyone.
Before I go, I want to make a note about the book. Yes, there are differences. While the book characterizes Howl to be quite more rowdy and a bit more disagreeable and Sophie to be more motivated by her sisters that don’t make too much of an appearance in the movie, I think this is a wonderful adaptation. Diana Wynne Jones herself said that she understood it would be different and was still pleased with the end result. Both the book and the movie are great for differing reasons. I would also recommend the book to anyone, as it is well-written and Howl is hilarious in the fourth installment of the novels. They each have a different story to tell with differing angles and outcomes, but both have a lot of heart and wit.
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