Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared with you for of Aesop's Fables. The ones I shared were "The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller," "The Father and His Son," "The Boy Hunting Locusts" and "The Cock and the Jewel."
This week, my column will be a little different. Instead of sharing a public domain story with you and sharing my thoughts afterwards, I will be sharing my thoughts on the Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli film How's Moving Castle. I watched it for the first time over the weekend and I was very excited to finally get to watch it. I thought it it would be a good idea to share it with you all this week. So, without further ado, let's dive into Howl's Moving Castle. Enjoy!
Howl's Moving Castle
Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli
Synopsis: Sophie has an uneventful life at her late father's hat shop, but all that changes when she befriends wizard Howl, who lives in a magical flying castle. However, the evil Witch of the Waste takes issue with their budding relationship and casts a spell on young Sophie, which ages her prematurely. Now Howl must use all his magical talents to battle the jealous hag and return Sophie to her former youth and beauty.
According to the internet: Howl's Moving Castle is the 14th animated fantasy film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, produced by Toshio Suzuki and animated by Studio Ghibli. It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on September 5, 2004, and premiered in Toho cinemas in Japan on November 20, 2004.
It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name (translated in Japan as The Wizard's Howl and the Devil of Fire) by British writer Diana Wynne Jones and is about a young milliner named Sophie, who is transformed into an old woman by a witch, and the wizard Howl.
Howl's Moving Castle went on to gross ¥23.2 billion worldwide, making it one of the most financially successful Japanese films in history. The film received critical acclaim, particularly for its visuals and Miyazaki's presentation of the themes. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 78th Academy Awards, but lost to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, in 2006, and won several other awards, including four Tokyo Anime Awards and a Nebula Award for Best Script.
Character, Japanese voice actor, English dubbing actor: Sophie Hatter, Chieko Baisho, Emily Mortimer (young) and Jean Simmons (old); Howl, Takuya Kimura, Christian Bale; Witch of the Waste, Akihiro Miwa, Lauren Bacall; Calcifer, Tatsuya Gashuin, Billy Crystal; Markl, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Josh Hutcherson; Suliman, Haruko Kato, Blythe Danner; Lettie, Yayoi Kazuki, Jena Malone; Honey, Mayuno Yasokawa, Mari Devon; Prince Justin/Turnip Head, Yo Oizumi, Crispin Greeman; King of Ingary, Akio Otsuka, Mark Silverman; Heen, Daijiro Harada, Dee Bradley Baker.
Before anything, I have to point out that I watched the English dubbed version, rather than the original Japanese version with English subtitles. I loved Billy Crystal as Calcifer. It's hard not to love Billy Crystal. Also, I've never read the novel this movie was based on. Perhaps in the future I will?
I'm a little puzzled by the synopsis of this film because it's not fully true. First, I wouldn't call what Sophie and Howl had before the Witch of the Waste cursed her a friendship. They happened upon each other, and didn't even exchange names. Not what I would call a friendship. Second, the big bad in this movie isn't the Witch of Waste. She certainly starts the conflict by cursing Sophie in the beginning, but after that she doesn't do much. So for the synopsis to say that Howl battles her to return Sophie to her original youth, is completely wrong.
In fact, the Witch of Waste continues to state throughout the movie that she can't lift curses, only place them. rather than having an easy-peasy antidote, the adventure along the way teaches Sophie and the other characters. Though this, Sophie manages to break the curse on her own. I don't want to spoil too much, so I won't go into detail.
I really enjoyed this movie! I've been waiting so long to watch a Studio Ghibli film. And now, I can say I've seen one. And I can't wait to watch more!
As is expected of Studio Ghibli films, the animation and art was beautifully breathtaking. You know I'm a sucker for good animation! The score was also a gift for the ears. The story was unique and interesting, if not a bit confusing. The pacing was also tricky. Sometimes it seemed like the plot was dragging on, and others when it went by too fast without much explanation. But I loved the characters that drove the story!
Sophie was kind to a fault and always pushed through anything that came her way. I really connected with her. Howl was kind of an enigma, but I think that was the point of his whole character. I also really like the side characters. My favorite character, hands down, is Calcifer. He was funny. I also found it super cook that he controlled the castle. P.S. he's the fire demon. He was powerful, but not intimidating.
They don't mention it in the synopsis, which again is a bit puzzling, but a big part of this movie was the war that was going on in the background. The entire conflict for Howl's character is the war and his reluctance to join the war effort. Really, once the whole band is together, they try to help end the war, so it's odd that it's not even mentioned in the synopsis.
I would highly recommend this movie! Like I said before, I really enjoyed it. And I'm sure I'll watch it over and over again for years to come. I can't wait to watch more Studio Ghibli films! I hoped I've piqued your interest as well!
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
