Miyazaki Month continues with a review
of one of Miyazaki’s most recent film Howl’s
Moving Castle.
Background
Howl’s Moving Castle
is Miyazaki’s 8th film and it is the first one not to be written by
him. The story is adapted from a novel
of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, which makes this film very unique for
Miyazaki. This film was also his first
after the success of Spirited Away,
which got him an Academy Award. Expectations for this film were high.
Plot
(Taken from IMDB)
“A love story between an 18-year-old
girl named Sophie, cursed by a witch into an old woman's body, and a magician
named Hauru. Under the curse, Sophie sets out to seek her fortune, which takes
her to Hauru's strange moving castle. In the castle, Sophie meets Hauru's fire
demon, named Karishifâ. Seeing that she is under a curse, the demon makes a
deal with Sophie--if she breaks the contract he is under with Hauru, then Karushifâ
will lift the curse that Sophie is under, and she will return to her
18-year-old shape.” Written by Sophie
Ball
Review
This film has sort of a different feel from Miyazaki’s other
work and this is probably because he did not write the story. You can tell it is not his story, but this
does not hurt it. A lot of Miyazaki’s
style shines through in this through the characters. The best part of this film
is the characters that are all brilliantly designed. You can tell that Miyazaki really connected
to Diana Wynne Jones’ story and decided to make his own adjustments and
creative touches to this film.
Like any other Miyazaki story the characters are very
unique, creative, and highly entertaining.
The Fire Demon is extremely likable and a source of many of the films
humor. The American Disney dub has Billy
Crystal as the voice and he does a fantastic job in the role bringing a sense
of comedy and likability to the role. The
other characters such as Hauru and Sophie we relate to and root for just as
much. Miyazaki is brilliant at creating
young, relatable female characters and this film is no exception. Since Sophie
is cursed most of the film she is an old woman, but her personality really
still shines through in an honest and intelligent way.
My last review was for Laputa:
Castle in the Sky, which was made many years before this and you can tell
the difference in the style of the animation and most obviously in the techniques
used to animate this film. The animation in this is very crisp and colorful and
quite beautiful. It has been said that in every one of Miyazaki’s film it takes
a moment to breathe and lets the audience soak in the animation. There are many
moments of quietness where the beauty of this animation really shines. I would love to see what it looks like on blu ray
but as of right now there is no blu ray release planned. You can still find it
on DVD though (here on Amazon).
Overall Thoughts
This is not my favorite of his work. I think since he did
not write the story it did not have as big of an impact on me. That being said
I still really adore this film. Saying I don’t like it as much is like saying I
don’t like Inglorious Basterds as
much as Pulp Fiction. This film is
still a brilliant example of his craft as a filmmaker and the work he pores out
onto the screen. I admire Miyazaki and this film is another example of his
brilliance, which in all honesty I am jealous of. I highly recommend this film
to anyone who loves some adventure, comedy, and beauty.
Score
4 ½ out of 5
Look out for a surprise review as Miyazaki Month comes to a
close this week. See you next time!
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