Howl's Moving Castle (Steelbook)

I am new to Miyazaki and to anime, and don't usually watch many animated films, although I have enjoyed some titles like Persepolis, Waltz with Bashir, and Secret of Kells in the last couple of years. I had heard some great recommendations for Miyazaki, so thought I would start with Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, as both are recent titles that I knew had been strong at the UK Box Office and had been an Oscar winner/nominee. They were both great films, but for me HMC has the edge. I think it's a good choice if you are new to Miyazaki and Japanese films, as it has a British/European feel to it, particularly in terms of the character Sophie and the locations. (Also while HMC does feature a few bizarre language-less blobby monsters and creatures, there are fewer of these than in Spirited Away, perhaps this is what makes it seem like it has a better flow and sharper pacing) Visually this film is very beautiful and very striking - both when it is portraying the fantastical (Howl as a bird, the ramshackle moving castle) and when it is portraying the more mundane (the elderly drooping face of Sophie, or the rolling fat of the obese Witch of the Waste). The colours are vibrant and the sense of movement in the film feels very strong. At the centre of the story is the young girl Sophie who is transformed into a 90-year-old by an evil curse, and in the English-dubbed version Sophie is voiced by two actresses - Emily Mortimer as young Sophie and Jean Simmons as elderly Sophie (I think it's a lovely detail explained in the Extras on the DVD, that the producers listened to the voice of Jean Simmons as a young woman, and then chose Emily Mortimer because her voice matched the young Jean). One thing in the film that I found especially imaginative and striking was the moments (particularly towards the end of the film) when the images and voice of Sophie moved between young/old. For example, a frame in which Sophie feels hope and love for Howl might show Sophie as visually old but with the young Sophie's voice. There were also several times that visually she was at some in-between stage moving between young and old (indicated by variations in the greyness of hair, length of hair and posture which were all subtly altered). Very imaginatively done. There are some dark themes in the film (war planes in the night sky, Howl's depression/difficulty adjusting when coming back from the dark side to 'normal' life, the threat of death). However there is also a great deal of humour - for example the character of Calcifer (voiced by the always-funny Billy Crystal, although perhaps a little under-used), and there's a particularly funny scene where the obese Witch of the Waste and the elderly Sophie (carrying a dog) are struggling to climb an extremely long flight of stairs while trying to maintain some dignity! ***** One thing to note: I wish I had know before purchasing from Amazon, that this product was the English dubbed version, as I usually prefer to watch foreign language films in their original language with sub-titles. However I found that it really wasn't distracting (in the way it can be on a 'live action' movie), and it didn't jar with the context of the film (British/European style settings). Apparently in the original Japanese version they only used one voice for Sophie throughout, and as I noted above I felt that the use of two voices for the young/elderly Sophie added to the strengths of the film, so there are advantages to getting the English dubbed version after all!

I watched this film before reading the original book, and now that I have done both i must say I much preferred the film. Although the book is wonderful, the way the world of 'Howls Moving Castle' is portrayed in this beautiful animation is so much better. in a way I find anime films comforting as they have the perfect amount of beauty, fantasy, childlike imagination, intriguing story and of course breathtaking artwork and music. I definitely found that 'Howl's Moving Castle' had this in abundance. The main character is Sophie, a lovely girl who gets taken for granted by her step mother. One day Sophie unintentionally annoys a witch and a curse is put on her which turns her into an old woman. Sophie is thrust into a world she has never known, and with her new found age comes a certain level of confidence. She no longer cares what people think of her so much, and forgets to be scared of the wizard Howl who lives in a moving castle. In fact she pushes her way into his household like only an old nosey woman can. With entrance into his magic home Sophie meets new people and finds she is pulled into Howls magical battles. My favourite character in this film apart from Sophie who i think is best when she's an old woman and very funny. Is Calcifer, the magical flame that resides in Howls castle, he's very funny and endearing, and I must say when i watched the English dubbed version of the film Billy crystal who plays Calcifer makes the character even better. All in all a must watch for anyone who just loves to be swept up in a magical tale.

This film is perhaps the most beautiful, most amazingly scripted Studio Ghibli film yet but still we are getting people complaining that it "isnt like the book". I ask you, since when has ANY film been exactly like a book?!! How can you pick on this film when it has been made so amazingly and when its storylines are so intricate anyway that it does not matter that its not the same. How can you take 2 artforms and expect them to give you the same overview or feeling even if one is based on the other. Secondly people who are saying they didnt understand the storyline have to watch it a few more times. Its not a film where everything becomes clear on the first viewing, therefore making it amazing to watch over and over! Its not a film you watch once and then put it in the case, never to be opened again. And please dont complain that you dont understand why things happen, its well known that anyone with a bit of common sense would realise that it is the most beautiful thing to do by leaving some parts open to interpretation and letting your mind roam free over the subjects that this film is portraying to you. It is the beauty of so many of these films that it lets you do this without ruining your viewing and by giving you small clues as to what is actually happening each time you see it. This film is a MUST BUY for any lover of studio ghibli animated films. And will not let you down as long as you can think a little beyond having to have all the information spoonfed to you like a disney would do.

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Molto originale la storia, bellissimi i disegni, stupendi i fondali ed i colori brillanti. Un’opera che vale la pena possedere e conservare per sempre. Un autentico gioiello d’animazione del grande regista giapponese Hayao Miyazaki.

Je suis un très grand fan de Hayao Miyazaki. Celui-ci est mon préféré. L'animation et la musique sont juste magnifiques, comme d'habitude. Destiné à un public de tout âge. On retrouve les thèmes habituels chers à Miyazaki. Seul reproche : le studio Ghibli ayant été racheté par Disney, on est obligé d'endurer leurs bandes-annonces, et c'est valable pour tous les BD Ghibli. A 15 euros le disque, la pilule a un peu de mal à passer. Je mets 6 étoiles pour le film, j'en enlève une pour la cupidité de l'éditeur.

Gran producción y muy bonita. Otra espectacular película de Studio Ghibli, así que con estas dos palabras digo todo lo necesario para saber que vale la pena.

何度も見ます。何度見ても感動します。