Customer Reviews

Howl's Moving Castle

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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Ok, I'll start by saying that I love this movie, like all of the other Miyazaki movies that I've watched. But let's also say that this movie is unlike the rest of them.

The story follows Sophie, a quiet girl who works in a hat shop, when she's swept off her feet by a wizard named Howl (Who, by the way, is VERY cute). The Witch of the Waste, who's jealous about Sophie and Howl's friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. Sophie, completely distressed, sets out to break the curse.

This movie is breath taking and full of fantasy and reality all rolled into one great film. Enjoy!

Not a lot of directors would be brave enough to take on a love story between a girl-turned-old-lady and a wizard missing a vital organ.

But Oscar-winning director/writer Hayao Miyazaki tackles a new fantasy realm in in "Howl's Moving Castle." In this case, it's the world of fantasy dowager Diana Wynne Jones, and he wraps the storyline in humor, romance and genuine flair. No, it's not faithful. But it is fantastic.

Sophie (Emily Mortimer) is a plain, unhappy young woman working in a milliner's shop. But then the evil Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall) comes into the shop, and turns her into a hobbled old lady (Jean Simmons). Sophie ends up wandering into the Moving Castle, a chicken-legged chaos machine, and encountering the sexy, immature wizard Howl (Christian Bale), smart-aleck fire demon Calcifur (Billy Crystal), and preteen apprentice Markl (Josh Hutcherson).

Sophie appoints herself the cleaning lady and starts whipping the castle into shape, trying to deal with Howl's temper tantrums and the rapidly deepening war. And, of course, trying to de-curse herself. But when she runs an errand that Howl is too scared to deal with, she finds that her new boss has some sinister problems of his own -- including a missing heart.

Don't expect much fidelity to the humorous fantasy novel. Miyazaki takes plenty of liberties with the story, leaving out characters and adjusting others. As a result, it feels more like his story than Jones', with the earmarks of his style -- blobby monsters, colorful rural settings, intense anti-war messages, strange machines, and a Jules-Verne atmosphere of Victorian technology. But "Howl's Moving Castle" is very different from the others Miyazaki has done, since he kept the British flavour of the original book.

Moreover, it's a love story. Miyazaki has vaguely touched on romance in prior movies, but here it's full-blown, and surprisingly un-cheesy. In less skilled hands, having Howl say "I finally found something worth protecting. It's you" would seem inane. In Miyazaki's hands, it's not. And even though Sophie looks elderly through most of the movie, Miyazaki never falls into trite observations about inner beauty. He just lets the story show it.

Not that it's all lovey-doviness -- Sophie's housecleaning and Calcifur ("Sophie, help! I'm going out!") provide plenty of amusement. And the animation is as close to flawless as you can get, from the chaotic absurdity Castle to the breathtaking aerial battles that Howl swoops in on. Tiny details are everywhere, from painted ceiling beams to elaborate doorknobs. Calcifur is the one sore point -- he's not done badly, but he looks vaguely artificial.

There are a few flaws in that the story could have used a bit more fleshing out -- at times the relationships between the characters are sketchy. Not much detail, for example, is given about sorceress Suliman (Blythe Danner) and her relationship to Howl, why she's so peeved at him. And it's a bit hard to comprehend why Howl's condition would turn him into a monster bird.

And while there are the usual "howls" that the English dubbing is inferior to the original Japanese vocal work, the American voice actors did exceptional work. Christian Bale and Billy Crystal are the major standouts -- Crystal is funny and dry as usual, while Bale is sultry, sexy, soft-spoken and deep. Except, of course, when Howl runs around the house wailing that his hair is ruined.

"Howl's Moving Castle" moves on a little too fast in places, but it's still a breathtaking, romantic, colorful ride. A wonderful story, told by one of the few filmmakers who could do it justice.

I really did like Howl's moving castle, but I wasn't as thrilled with it as I thought I would be. Having watched many of Hayao Miyazaki's films and Spirited Away being one of my favorite movies of all time, I must admit that, although Howl was possibly one of the most gorgeous anime characters I've ever seen (I really liked Sophie too),I was a little disappointed with the plot. I like how characters like Chihiro and Sophie learn about themselves, how to make themselves better and their good qualities, and I love the characters and the animation, but it just didn't seem like Howl's Moving Castle had the same flair as his other movies, or the same plot. It seemed to drag on a little bit, but all in all, it was really great, and obviously a Hayao Miyazaki creation, and I have an immense appreciation for him and his works.

I love all of Mr. Miyazaki's movies, they're the only ones that make me cry every single time, no matter how many times I've seen them.
The animation, plot, characters and dubs are always rich and enchanting. Don't even ask yourself which Hayao movie to get -- get them all!

This movie is so amazingly original, it's an instant favourite just from the first 25 minutes! If you haven't seen it you have to, it's purely awesome!

This DVD comes in just as described. Fast shipping and well packaged. I am very pleased with this item and will buy again from this seller. Thanks !!

This movie is a real hit in my house. As far as I'm concerned, this is the culmination of many years of animation knowledge. There's action, humor, romance (in small doses) and no bad guys?? As always with Studio Ghibli, by the end of the film it's hard to put your finger on the antagonist. You find them being revealed as multi faceted, not quite what you would expect once you're given more than a glance at them. There are no "Cruella Deville's" in this film (thank God!). Billy Crystal makes a great fire demon (if you can call him a demon, as charming as he is). Sophie is the kind of girl next door we'd all like to get to know. This movie has heart, in more ways than one. Watch it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

To summarize, this movie is a little harder and perhaps a bit more expensive to acquire (I can't believe more people aren't raving about it!) ..but it's worth it. Just refer to the first three sentences above and gauge whether you can appreciate the things I mentioned.

Prior to this movie, I had seen Spirited Away and Totoro and those had completely made me fall in love with Miyazaki movies. Then I found this one and bought it without ever seeing it before and I of course also loved it! The magic that Miyazaki brings to his movies is what gets me. They are so unique and special and I feel like I can't get enough of them.
All the characters are developed so well that you get a real sense of who they are. The wizard was self absorbed but you could tell he had a heart. The little boy was wise beyond his years but also fun and insecure. The fire had a deeper sense of humour but was a softy at heart. Sophie was responsible and loving to everyone. The scarecrow was reliable, friendly and persistant, also funny to see him pop up randomly in the movie.
Overall this movie is wonderful for all ages and is well worth any price you pay for it.

Ce film di Hayao Miyazaki est mon favori! Je l'ai revue plusieur fois déjà et sur de le revoir plusieur fois dans le futur. L'animation est unique et très minitieuse dans son ensemble. Encore une fois c'est mon film préféré et je vous invite à le voir aussi. C'est un chef d'oeuvre dans les films animés.

Howl's Moving Castle is a heartwrenching and, ultimately, heartwarming tale of the awesome power of deepest jealousy and truest love. Jealousy begets the affliction of the main character and love heals this same ailment in the end. Character and plot are both as strong as the anime style, and the overall experience is enough to pacify the critical eye and satisfy an aching heart. Although situations might prove tragic, those who brought them about are, after all, human; and as such, they have the power to find solutions by looking no further than into the human heart.