Howl's Moving Castle (2004) User Reviews (600)

They tried to save each other ...

[chsorley · 9/10 · 27 September 2005]

I saw this twice, because there was no way I could understand the plot (especially in the second half) after only seeing it once. The first time around I got too carried away watching the animation, but the second viewing helped me understand the story a lot better, as I managed to pay more attention to all the dialogues.

Honestly though I still don't know exactly what happened in the last half an hour or so. I'm going to read the book, and I'm sure I will enjoy it but don't know how useful it's going to be. The film's said to be wildly different from the original setting.

It really doesn't matter, because I don't seem to mind seeing the film once again (& again). The animation is so beautiful & I find the characters cute gorgeous, funny & very heart-warming.

*SPOILERS*

I figure that the face of the old Sophie changes & she instantly looks younger when she feels excited / happy / alive, even as a very old woman (she looks young when asleep, but I wonder if it's only in Howl's vision).

It breaks my heart that she looks sad & immediately turns back into the old Sophie when Howl tries to tell her sincerely "you are beautiful". But then both Howl & Sophie must fight the war to save each other & the rest of their newly-formed family incl. their old enemy & the dog. The curse is already gone by the time Sophie comes back to present from the past through the door, finds the wounded Bird Howl & kisses him. She won't look old any more.

Still, I also like the fact that earlier in the film, after the initial shock, Sophie was clearly able to enjoy herself being old. Think she was already in love with Howl when he came back to the Castle & found her, but she didn't have to be nervous or anything because she knew she was no longer a shy 18-year-old.

And Sophie's first encounter with Howl in the back street ... did he say "There you are, SWEETHEART"? Has he actually been looking for Sophie ever since he (as a still very young boy) saw her & heard her cry FIND ME IN THE FUTURE. That's clever, and most romantic.

Beautiful

[kbowes-23399 · 8/10 · 23 September 2018]

A very cinematically beautiful film with characters you just fall in love with. I won't lie, the plot is very hard to follow. If you've read the book, you can tell that miyazaki focused less on following the plot, more on making the film beautiful to watch, and as a result we are left with a story that has huge chunks missing and frankly doesn't make a lot of sense in places. But I'm not mad, because it is very, very beautiful to watch.

Terrific Miyazaki, although not his best

[life_on_screen · 7/10 · 12 January 2005]

"Howl's Moving Castle" opened here in France on Jan. 12th (as "Le Château Ambulant," natch), and I saw it at an avant-première. As a raving fan of Miyazaki and of Diana Wynne Jones, I feel lucky to be an American living in France -- I see there's no release date announced yet for the U.S. Sorry, folks, and blame Disney!

I understand the feelings of viewers who have criticized the movie as trite. I find it's less imaginative, in terms of character development and emotional profundity, than Miyazaki's best masterpieces. However, even a pedestrian Miyazaki movie is infinitely more rich, frightening, imaginative and humane than any six Disney films put together, and there's a lot to love in "Howl's Moving Castle."

I am glad I didn't reread Jones' book before seeing the film; even going on my six-year-old memory of the novel, I can see the movie's a very loose adaptation, and I think Jones fans would do best to try to take the movie on its own merits instead of looking for a faithful adaptation. That said, Miyazaki is surprisingly successful, at moments, in capturing the richness of the novel's characters: the peculiar co-habitation of charm and terror in Howl the sorcerer and his demon companion Calcifer, and the pragmatic strength of will that makes us love Sophie, the protagonist, who embodies both the fairy-tale archetypes of the young girl and the old woman at once.

Miyazaki's directorial trademarks are here in spades. Most of them lend strength and power to the film: his passion for open landscapes, his vision of the power and horror of war, the uncompromised way his movies work to empower children, and especially girls. A few of them are just Miyazaki quirks that fans will recognize with amusement (walrus mustaches, cobbled European squares, and flying machines for everyone!) Richer and stranger, though, are the very successful integration of two things that Disney animation never even approaches: the way even a children's story can blur lines between an enemy and a friend, and the cohabitation of the monstrous and the sublime. Enemy, ally, monster, beloved: Miyazaki gives both visual and moral weight to these disturbing contradictions, and certain scenes in "Howl's Moving Castle" evoke a frightening sublimity I have never seen elsewhere than in "Princess Mononoke."

I think the film suffers from a slightly hurried pace, especially with respect to the protagonists' character development, and the result is a loss of the subtlety that makes Jones' book such a gripping fairy tale. Her Howl is more ambivalent, and her story is a more complex investigation of adolescent heartlessness and the growth of the heart. The ending, which falls back too much on clichéd imagery and deus-ex-machina, also could have been better handled. All that said, "Howl's Moving Castle" contains lots of treasures and will, I think, stand up to repeated viewings. Miyazaki fans will be delighted, and kids around the world should be given the chance to taste this latest rich, respectful children's tale. (Be warned, though: there are moments as terrifying as those in "Princess Mononoke," and younger kids will need their parents with them.)

On a final note, as few hardcore fans of Japanese anime will need to be reminded, the movie is doubtless best seen in its original version with subtitles. The Japanese voice acting is terrific -- although the voice of "young Sophie" doesn't strike me as anything special, the actors playing the aged Sophie, Howl, and especially Calcifer are fantastic. Calcifer is a magnificent creation and should delight even the most conservative fan of the novel. I have serious doubts that the inevitable English-language dub will do the nuances justice.

Try to decode the story ...

[kengoogloo · 10/10 · 5 February 2006]

Probably many people find the story confusing. I felt the same way when I saw it in the theater for the first time! The story seemed arbitrary and I couldn't connect the pieces together (much like I saw "Ashes of Time" for the first time). But when I watch it again on the DVD, I realize the movie is probably about one thing: personal freedom.

Howl is a free person. He doesn't has a heart and even his home (which is usually characterized as a stable point in one's life) can move :-) He is disguised as different wizards in different counties, and when Sophie asks him how many identities he has, he said "Enough to guarantee my freedom". When Sophie confronts Suliman, she comments Howl as "selfish and cowardly and unpredictable, but he's straight as an arrow. He only wants to be free." But in Miyazaki's world, nothing is black and white. According to Suliman, Howl's power is too great for a person without heart, and he will eventually becomes a monster (some political figures come to my mind).

Sophie, on the other hand, is bounded by responsibilities. She is young, but her heart is old. She refuses the invitation from her friends and keep working at the hat shop. When her sister asks her "Are you going to spend your life in that shop?" She replies "It meant so much to papa. Besides, I'm the eldest.". Even her sister asks her to "look out for yourself". When Sophie is turned to an old lady, it actually set her free because the good thing of being old is that one has "so little to lose" She becomes more adventurous and takes control of her life. She is very assertive as being the cleaning lady in Howl's castle and even tames Calcifer to cook her food. For Howl, his turning point comes when he refuses to move his castle anymore (I'll leave it to the reader as why he does that) By the end of movie, he regains his heart. He feels terrible because it is like "trapped under a stone". And Sophie says, "Yes, a heart is a heavy burden".

There are other wonderful things in the movie. For example, this is probably one of the few movies that tell me what it is really like to be old. But I do want to highlight the thread about personal freedom as it will help you to tie up the pieces of the story.

Since there are 1000 words limit in the comment system, I'll write more in by blog: http://web.mac.com/kenlaw/iWeb/Site/Blog/Blog.html

A wild and surreal trip into the mind of a master.

[surenm · 10/10 · 20 March 2005]

I think this is possibly Miyazaki's most intriguing movie. All of his other films are very linear and even though their highly varied worlds may be visually stunning and highly creative, I feel the dreamy world of Howls Moving Castle is by far the most captivating, bizarre, and imaginative of all the worlds Miyazaki has ever envisioned.

What I love about this movie is that it's highly emotional without a great deal of logic or plot or story to get in the way. In this way the film is simple, pure, and extremely beautiful. It is as if the characters go from one emotion to the next, in a world that is as random as one's own dreams. Some people have complained about the lack of plot or story or serious character development, but even though the characters are fairly static, their emotions and the physical changes they undergo as they go through these emotions brings out a higher truth that is seldom given such artistic and natural freedom.

I think this is a very smart movie in many subtle ways and it's one that I look forward to watching again on the big screen and then on DVD. Although it flirts from theme to theme to theme with a kind of animated attention deficit disorder, the landscapes and utter unabated surrealism left me stunned and never bored.

Also, from a quizzical character design perspective, Howl is certainly one of if not the most beautiful characters that Miyazaki has ever created. Howl is an interesting departure from Miyazaki's more classical wabi-sabi anime style that most of his heroes and heroines are drawn in as Howl is definitely a very contemporary bishonen.

If you're looking for quaint settings, dynamic characters and a very involving character or plot driven story, you're not going to necessarily find them here, but you will find an equally stunning and pleasing movie if you let yourself go and enjoy this passionate, heartfelt and surreal Miyazaki dream.

This is art

[soanim8ed · 10/10 · 6 June 2005]

Howl's Moving Castle is as marvelous and magical as Miyazaki's other great work. Something in Disney's advertising or the description I read gave the false impression that it was going to be sub-standard work meaning it was still going to be better than anything DreamWorks Animation was doing (Madagascar was sooo pedestrian).

While not as awe-inspiring as Spirited Away or action-packed as Mononoke, it does work on the level of Kiki's Delivery Service as a girl is forced to be better than she thinks she can be (well, that's not a big surprise, that's all his films). And as with all Miyazaki stories, the story teaches without being preachy. And the lessons learned are represented in character changes and in the character's physical appearance as well. It's that same attention to detail that has made Pixar so great.

The animation is wonderful. The castle is itself is a mesh-mash of so many haphazardly arranged pieces that an engineer would have an aneurysm just sorting them all out and yet it works. Through magic, of course. The magic being Howl's and the authoritative hand of Miyazaki's direction. The airships (wow, airships in a Miyazaki film? Who would have thunk?) are great variations of one's he's used before and there are some rather dark and beautiful scenes of a world at war.

Most of the voice work was very strong including Christian Bale (Howl) and Emily Mortimer (as the young version of the heroine, Sophie). The voice that surprised me was Billy Crystal as Calcifer, the little flame that could. He's the heart of the castle and only annoyed at his first few scenes then becomes a very likable character.

There a few clunky moments in the plot line where transitions between story points weren't very strong, but overall it's another outstanding film from Studio Ghibli. Even my 40 year old partner, who had spent the day mountain biking, was dead tired and had never seen a Miyazaki film stayed awake for the entire 2 hours. When we left at 3:30 in the morning still jabbering away about all the imagery and meaning, we realized we had seen true art.

For those who love the book – or wondered about it

[cornishogre-1 · 10/10 · 10 July 2005]

When I read some four years ago that Diana Wynne Jones had sold the rights for Howl's Moving Castle to a Japanese animator, I wondered. The book (one of my very favorites, which I re-read at least once a year) takes several fairy-tale conventions and merrily turns them upside down. Ms Jones refuses to allow her imagination be neatly pigeonholed as hard sci-fi or straight fantasy, juvenile or adult. This story (as all of her stories) revels in word play. I really wondered how it would all come out translated into Japanese.

I'd never heard of Miyazaki. Then I saw Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, The Cat Returns, and Kiki's Delivery Service. Wow. I think Ms Jones and Mr. Miyazaki must be kindred souls. His movies share a lot with her novels – a whimsical sense of humor, impossible to pigeonhole into a category, magic and mischief, and a firm respect for the audience's intelligence. I began to pace the floor in anticipation of the movie.

I saw the movie today. I was not disappointed. The soul of the story is intact, Sophie and Howl and Calcifer are nearly as I imagined them. Yes, there are some plot adjustments. Think of it as the Series 12C version (for those who have read Ms Jones' Chrestomanci books.) The main elements are there, some re-arranged, some changed, yet with a full understanding of the original. Much like the 2004 version of Peter Pan – much was changed, but the soul is the same.

For those who wonder, here are the differences between the movie and the novel. I've tried to phrase them carefully to avoid spoilers for either fans of Ms Jones's work who have yet to see the movie, and those who have seen the movie and have yet to read the book:

• Why the witch bespells Sophie

• Where the door opens when the dial points to black

•Sophie's sister Martha, and the plot line involving sister Lettie are not in the movie • Mrs. Pentstemmon, Miss Angorian, Mrs. Fairfax are also missing, but elements of each are woven into other characters in the movie • Michael (Markl) is a different age • The battles – magical and military – are quite different (but equally spectacular) • The dog appears at a different time, with a different, yet just as mysterious, agenda • The scarecrow's relationship with Sophie is different • Thelevel of technology is different. (I did miss the 7-league boots)

My advice: go see the movie. It's magical and beautiful and funny. Then, if you are a Diana Wynne Jones fan, check out the rest of Miyazaki's films. Now is a great time, as many of his films are available on home DVD. If you are a Miyazaki fan, hie thee to a library or bookstore try Ms Jones' books. (There is a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle – Castle in the Air.)

And enjoy!

My favourite Miyazaki!

[WritelySo · 10/10 · 23 February 2005]

What an amazing achievement! This is by far the best example I have ever seen of animated characterization. The expressions and the nuances and the emotion captured in this film are truly breathtaking. I love all of Miyazaki's work, but in Howl's Moving Castle he has managed to take it to a level that to me sets the standard.

It has all of the classic stunning Miyazaki panoramas, rich settings, exciting and unusual machinery, and brilliantly conceived creatures that are often humorous and fanciful. The characters are all very expertly crafted and developed, but what really enchanted me were their expressions and the subtle but powerful ways that he chose to elaborate on their connections and emotions. It is very difficult to describe, but they come to life in such a powerful way as to seem entirely real and unique.

He achieves this within the medium - not by really imitating or parroting film or live action, but by artfully exploiting the medium to enhance and capture the subtle interactions that make up relationships. He shows his audience what his characters are thinking and feeling by carefully chosen gestures and facial expressions, rather than relying always on dialog, etc. I was completely swept away by this skillful use of animation - I have never anywhere else seen anything that begins to come close to it.

The story is fantastic - I haven't read the novel, but it had all of the elements I have come to enjoy in Miyazaki's work - there is the humour, the lighthearted moments, the strong, insightful, loyal, and honourable characters, the lyrical drama and action sequences. The pace is perfect - it flows nicely and is always exciting, suspenseful - I got very caught up in the characters and their struggles and hopes. The themes were expertly handled with Miyazaki flair - and always richly meaningful and perceptive.

I can hardly wait to see what this brilliant artist creates next!

Another wonderful movie from Miyazaki

[whitetigah · 9/10 · 6 September 2004]

(first of all: sorry if my English is not the best out there, but it's not my native language)

I was lucky enough to see the world premiere (at Venice Film Festival, September 5, 2004).

Not only the art and animation is breathtaking (with almost no CGI), but the story is also above Miyazaki standards.

The characters are wonderful, each one with his (or her) own personality. Among them the best is for sure Calcifer, the Fire Demon, who is actually an almost all-powerful being, but is often underestimated by the other characters ("If you don't obey, I'll pour water on you!").

The music is one of the best parts of the movie. Even if you don't notice it, it is always there, always conveying the right feeling.

Bottom line: this is an excellent movie. If you liked other movies by Miyazaki (such as Mononoke Hime, Spirited Away, Laputa Castle in the Sky...) you cannot miss it.

Confusing as Hell

[robertrutledge · 6/10 · 4 September 2021]

I tried liking this movie. I don't get what all the hype is about. It is very hard to follow. Basically, this old witch turns this little girl who works at a hat shop into an old woman. The girl doesn't mind too much, because she's always been sort of an "old soul" anyways. She runs away from home because she doesn't want anyone seeing her as an old woman. She then runs into this random-ass scarecrow. Finally, she comes across the titular moving castle, although at this point in the story she has already had a run-in with the owner, Howl.

The moving castle is so confusing. There are so many weird and awkward aspects of it, such as a spinning color wheel by the door. I respect the creative animation, but it just doesn't spark my imagination the way that other films by Miyazaki do. Halfway through the movie, the old witch who turns the protagonist into an old woman suddenly becomes one of the "good guys" for no apparent reason. Howl is supposed to be mysterious and heroic, but he comes off more as arrogant and annoying. He is overall not a very likable character. He's a cliché animé pretty boy.

I understand that this movie is a criticism of war. I can respect that. But it's just kind of all over the place. There is no real continuity. Maybe I'm too dumb to grasp how good it really is. I'll give it another shot, but I must say, I was a little underwhelmed and very confused by this movie.

Thank you so much for this movie Mr. Miyazaki

[Andrea_R · 10/10 · 1 October 2004]

I Don't get words to express what I felt when coming out of the cinema, Howl's Moving Castle is an absolutely fantastic film and has even out Laputa and Totoro as my favourite Miyazaki film.

The story is amazing and the characters and creatures are as excellently crafted and fun to watch as ever. The voice actors and music are perfect Joe Hisaishi in my opinion is the best contemporary composer.

My only criticism (very little) is maybe the ending (last minutes) that rises suddenly, far from the habitual perfection of the catharsis final of the Miyazaki's films but nothing important

The movie has a really bad thing of the film: THE LONG WAITING TO SEE IT AGAIN!

ESSENTIAL

...huh?

[jessup-86446 · 6/10 · 25 June 2020]

Maybe the only way to enjoy this movie is to think of it more as a visual symphony than a cohesive narrative? Like fantasia or something? I had soooo many questions I needed answers for, and while I got some of them from the ending, for the most part I'm just left scratching my head and wondering what the heck I just watched. Seriously, not even plot holes, just missing pieces of plot; so much information is never given and its absence is felt. Is the war somehow Howl's fault? Where the heck did Sophie's mom come from? Who was the witch? Who was the other witch? Is Sophie a witch? Why did the first witch curse Sophie? Why was the second witch so mad? Was she mad or am I projecting? On and on it goes. Sigh. 6/10 Stars. All in all I think that it's a very pretty movie, with decent animation, but there are better Ghibli films for both animation and story.

Criminally overrated

[theodoramd · 4/10 · 2 March 2023]

Make it make sense!

The art and the animation were marvellous, but that's about the only good thing about this film.

Many people pointed out that the plot is very confusing, and I wholeheartedly agree. I think the main problem is that we only get bits and pieces of information about everything. There is not a single plot point that is carried from start to finish.

First, an evil witch casts a spell on Sophie, which causes her to have an old body. It is pointed out that a mere human cannot break that spell, and that is literally the only information we get about the spell for the entirety of the film. Sophie becomes younger or less young throughout the film for no apparent reason, but the spell is never actually broken. At the end, Sophie is young, and she seems to stay that way, but her hair is still grey just like when she was old, so the spell is not broken, even at the end of the film.

Next, the evil witch is only evil at the beginning, because then the king's witch takes her powers away and leaves her as a helpless old woman. This point is, again, very confusing, because WHY would the king's witch wait until now? And then, for some reason, Sophie takes the evil witch to live with Howl and Michael in the moving castle. After that, the witch's behaviour is so confusing: is she good? Is she bad? Is she senile? We will never know.

Next, there's the king's witch. The film wants us to be sort of against her because she wants Howl to obey the king and go to war. But then, Howl's squad takes her dog to live with them??? Even thought they absolutely do NOT want her to find them???

Then, there's this plot point that is introduced, where it is said that if Howl turns into a sort of bird demon too often or for too long, he won't be able to come back to his human form. Of course, it is not explained why or how, and it's actually never a real problem in this story. Howl always comes back to his real form with no difficulty.

Finally, there's this war plot happening in the background, but we never get to know why, or against who or whatnot. It gets even more confusing because many of the war aircraft that bomb the cities in here actually seem to come from the king's witch, so the king is literally bombing his own country? And that could, of course, be a purposeful aspect, but then it should be discussed more, or it should have consequences. Here, it just seems nonsensical.

Oh, and worst plot twist of them all: the scarecrow turns into the prince of the enemy country??? Throughout the film, there is this scarecrow that helps Sophie because she got it out of a bush it was stuck in. At the end of the film, Sophie kisses it for some reason, and it truly turns into a prince???!!! And apparently, it's because he had to be kissed by someone he loved to break his curse??? Yet again, we know nothing about this person, about his curse or about why he loves Sophie.

All in all, we just don't know anything about anything. Who is Howl? What is his goal? Who is the king's witch? Why does she decide at the end of the film to put an end to the war? Why not before? What exactly is the link between Howl and Calcifer because I didn't get that either?

I would not watch this again.

Great provided you are not a huge Diana Wynne Jones fan or watch the film with one!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 11 June 2007]

I went to see this film with my anime and Diana Wynne Jones-loving teenage daughter. And while I enjoyed the film immensely due to its excellent animation, story and overall sense of fun, it was also interesting to see how much my daughter hated it! It was as if we saw two entirely different films. Why? Well, she is a huge Diana Wynne Jones fan and has read and re-read just about everything she ever wrote. And, according to her, the story was so different and so inferior to the book that she disliked the film and said some very nasty things about director Miyazaki. However, my advice is DON'T read the book and just go and see the movie. Then, after enjoying it, read the book ONLY if you are 100% sure you can do this without freaking out because they are so different!! I didn't know the difference and had a great time seeing the film!

hauru no ugoku shiro

[auuwws · 9/10 · 25 February 2021]

The most beautiful anime film I have ever seen, Studio Ghibli proved to me that it is the undisputed best anime studio, the story of the film was very beautiful and the projections of the film were excellent, the characters of the film were beautifully written, especially the character of Hauru, it started narcissistic and ended completely differently, I liked the romantic relationship between Sophie and Hauru were awesome, and the film ending was so beautiful, I highly recommend watching it

A poetic anti-war cartoon.

[chiarasf · 9/10 · 14 September 2004]

In a time of war and falsity here it is a dancing poetry from Japan against all the cruelty and pain. The moving castle leads us to a magic place where life has a strong value and elderly people have an important role to play. Also in an apparent hostility or in a scarecrow, Hayao Miyazaki gives us the chance of finding a friend and not letting the dream go down. The perfect technique and the emotional stream are in complete harmony. If the jury of the Venice Film Festival had been more far-seeing, it would have given a more prestigious prize to this masterpiece.

I really enjoyed this film!

[deegola · 8/10 · 23 February 2005]

It's hard to make any movie that follow after 'Spirited Away' So, when you watch, you have to try and keep an open mind....which is hard to do since the characters, and the whole feel of the film seems so much like his previous works.

But what fun this film is! And interestingly beautiful. I could watch most any of his movies, just to look at the beautiful scenery. I love some of the incredible imagination that goes into his works.

I could easily recommend this film. No, it's not the better than the rest, but I feel it's definitely worth your time.

I look forward to seeing the film again, maybe I will understand some things a bit better.

Fire, Magic and a boy's heart

[thinker1691 · 8/10 · 3 May 2007]

From the Island of Japan comes this incredible story of an enchanted and magical castle. A young girl, named Sophi is bewitched and accidentally encapsulated into a traveling fortress. Unaware her brief meeting with a handsome and powerful wizard prince, will enrage the Witch of the Waste, Sophie is thus drawn into the struggle to find a lasting peace to a ongoing war. The story is interesting to be sure, but the animation and picturesque scenery add more than enough action and drama to offset traditional venues. Within the film are the talented voices of Jean Simmons and Emily Mortimer as the voice of Sophie, Christian Bale as Howl, the Bird Prince, Lauren Bacall as the Witch of the Waste, Blythe Danner as Madame Suliman, the Sourceress. Josh Hutcherson as Markl and of course Billy Crystal is terrific as Calcifer, the Fire Demon. This fine cast adds resilience to the inspirational tale as does the colorful and touching film. To anyone who enjoys children's stories which endure the test of time and mesmerize modern audiences, this is one for the complete library. A classic in the making. ****

Look in an another view point

[ngchiho · 10/10 · 30 July 2005]

Since 1984, that 20 years ago, I have watch every movie Miyazaki make and mostly on cinema. Howl's is a long wait for me since the Spirit Away. After I seen this movie, it is still very enjoyable to me but there is something in my mind still questioning. Miyazaki want to tell us a love story, that we are sure but may be there is some more. After i read a local film review, the question is entirely clear now I seen this movie into another perspective.

Yea, Sofi is the main character and the story are spin around her adventure. However, Miyazaki seem want to look into the aspects of modern Japanese man through Sofi view point. Howl is a powerful wizard; however his life is not as happy as other thinks. Every success had a price. He was chased by 2 waring parties who want to own his power, he living in a mess inside a moving castle which was keep hiding from one place to another place. Only thing that keep him going is his great style of hair and the believe that he is looking handsome. That why Miyazaki choose Takuya Kimura as Howl casting, in fact, Kimura is a top idol star in Japan which is share a similar burden as Howl, he is handsome, he is popular but he is not free, all the decisions are subject to his manager company, he could not date a girl openly. Yet Kimura married Kudo Shizuka despite all the opposition from his manager company. That strike the similarity that love shall triumph all. Even the war could be stop and the teacher of Howl would not stop him at the end.

Ghibli's messiest, most nonsensical movie is pretty good

[mahmus · 6/10 · 27 July 2020]

This is a very good movie, but I have a lot of issues with it.

This movie, espcially its messy third act, feels like sensory overload. Everything is happening so fast and so loud and the quiet moments of rest (which are always the best parts of every Ghibli film) are very few and far between compared to other Ghibli films. It feels very rushed and overwhelming and it gives me a headache.

Also, the exact nature of Sophie's curse (and the movie's world in general) is never really explained. I like how her age changes, but it would be good to know what exactly triggers those changes. A lot in this film is unexplained and it's very frustrating. This is probably Ghibli's most nonsensical movie.

With that said, I do like it. While I think that the second half is kind of a mess, the first half is really good. It's a lot slower and more focused. There are less characters and there's actual moments to rest and contemplate the beautiful scenery. The ending is also really nice.

The best things about this movie are the visuals (obviously) and Howl, especially when he's being a total drama queen. I want more dramatic Howl please.

Overall, this is far from being one of my favorite Ghibli movies, but I think the good outweighs the bad just enough. I know it's really beloved, but I will still take Spirited Away or Whisper of the Heart over this anytime.

Howl's Moving Castle is an imaginative and delightful Miyazaki film

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 3 April 2010]

I love anime, and when I noticed that Howl's Moving Castle was showing today, I knew I had to see it. And you know what, I wasn't disappointed. I admit I haven't read the book by Diana Wynne Jones, but this film is so imaginative and delightful I doubt I would have cared if it was unfaithful to the book or not. The animation here is amazing, the backgrounds are gorgeous and the colours so bright. Plus the castle itself was a wonder to behold. The visual style here also has a certain elegance about it, and the atmosphere the visuals create is somewhat meticulous. I also have to mention the score, it was absolutely stunning. Beautiful, magical and poignant themes that caressed my ears, like a Mozart opera would. The characters are engaging and are beautifully voiced by a terrific voice cast. Christian Bale's(not a stranger to voice work, he voiced Thomas in Disney's Pocahontas as well) seductive and silky voice brings vain wizard Howl to vivid life, and Sophie is a very lovable and beautiful character, whether in her younger form or her older form. Her younger form is sensitively voiced by Emily Mortimer and her older self is voiced by the late Jean Simmons with real sincerity. The Witch of the Waste is a character consumed by jealousy, so much so it results in Sophie's transformation from a young 18 year old girl to a pensioner. This character is perfectly voiced by screen legend Lauren Bacall. Billy Crystal is a joy to behold as Calcifer, one of my favourite characters in the film, and Turniphead was very intriguing as well. The story is a sweet, timeless imaginative one, not the best written one by all means, but it did touch me a lot. Did I notice anything wrong? Yes, but these flaws are minor compared to the overall beauty of the film. The final third is a little too rushed, and the ending is a little over-surreal. But overall, Howl's Moving Castle is an enchanting and delightful work from Miyazaki. 9/10 Bethany Cox

interesting world

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 31 October 2016]

Sophie is a young shy hat maker working for her mother in an alternate-world turn-of-the-century European town. A wizard named Howl rescues her from a couple of lascivious soldiers only to be chased by a horde of waste demons. They escape to her sister Lettie's place. She is later visited by the Witch of the Waste and turned into an old woman. She runs away and encounters scarecrow Turnip-Head. After helping it, it leads her to Howl's Moving Castle. There she encounters the fire demon Calcifer who Howl uses to power the castle. Calcifer offers to break her curse if she could end his servitude. Sophie pretends to be new cleaning lady Grandma Sophie. The Mayor arrives at the Great Wizard Jenkins with a request from the King to fight in the war. Howl's apprentice Markl is able to switch between various exits and with various disguises. Then the other king invites Great Wizard Pendragon to join in the war. Howl is known as both wizards and unwilling to help either side. Madame Suliman threatens to take away his powers before he is lost after losing his heart.

This is an interesting world. The start sets up an easy fantasy with an evil witch and a haunted hero. The twist is the heroine gets turned into an old hag. About midway, the movie takes an odd turn that deviates from that easy formula. The evil witch becomes powerless. There is a new villain but she's not really a villain. This is an anti-war movie but it isn't so straight forward. Even the simple love story gets a last-minute true love detour. While the world is amazing, the story seems to delight in odd diversions from the formula.

Beautiful and incredibly imaginative but confusing and scattered.

[ripperdoc · 5/10 · 23 October 2021]

Beautiful and incredibly imaginative but confusing and scattered, I found it hard to stay focused and to care for the characters.

(And by the way, the Netflix edition has terrible subtitles)

Outstanding! One of Miyazaki's Best.

[digadigado · 9/10 · 15 July 2005]

WritelySo's review has said it better than I ever could. So I'll put my two cents worth in anyway.

Of the three big name and one independent feature films I've seen in the past six weeks, this is the best. The first thing that catches your eye (ahem!) is Miyazaki's wonderful animation. His scenes are to film what Hal Foster did to the Sunday comics. They are colorful, lifelike, have great attention to detail and are... well, just beautiful.

A late 19th European setting done to a fare-thee-well by a Japanese artist? You bet. He did it in Porco Rosso and he's done it at least as well here. That's another recommended Miyazaki masterpiece after this one charms you.

I was quickly caught up in the film. The characters are believable and the voices, well it's a shame to call it dubbing. I doubt it was easy to match English dialog to a Japanese film but they did a superb job. What this means to you is that you never, ever notice. The voices are appropriate to the characters and, I think, really enrich the character's personalities.

While kids will appreciate the animation and action, Howl's Moving Castle is really for adults. Take your kids to see it. When they see it again in ten years, they'll see an entirely new film all over again.

If there's any justice in the Academy Awards, this should get Miyazaki another one - I think it's even better than Spirited Away.

When they're worth it (rarely) I pay attention to film scores, and Joe Hisaishi has written one well matched to this fine film.

Did I make the point that I LOVED this film? I hope you do too.

Totally Engrossing: If you liked Sprited Away, you'll love this!

[BriarRos · 9/10 · 21 June 2005]

I drove for three hours to reach a theater that was playing this film, and it was worth it! The English cast was amazing, and I normally shun all dubbed films. It really seemed like they were the original voices. I never once wished I could hear the Japanese like I usually do, even on Spirited Away. Now that is settled!

This film deals mostly with the character of Sophie. I won't sum up the plot, you've seen that already. The heart of the film is at Sophie accepting herself, and accepting the affection of other people. That's pretty much the moral. The most winning character by far is Howl himself, at least for a girl like me. He is a really complex character, beautiful drawn, and voiced with precision by Christian Bale. He sounds really similar to his Batman voice in this, so get ready for that. Billy Crystal's Calcifer is refreshingly muted. I had worried about him being too flamboyant, but he is really a charming character. The entire cast of characters are so real, as is the world they inhabit, that it just draws you in. I smiled through the first half of the movie!

I saw the film with friends in their mid-twenties, one of which is not into anime, and we all enjoyed it. Many of the folks at the theatre brought children, but it seemed like the adults enjoyed it far more than the children. It is probably too dark for kids under 8, in my opinion. There is a lot of bombing in the second half, and it can be startling.

I all this is a really good film. The plot gets a little complicated in the second half, where it starts to greatly deviate from the book and become more Miyazaki, but there is plenty of action, comedy, romance, and fun to please every age group. I plan on taking my grandma to see it; I think older people would really get a kick out of "Grandma Sophie." Best Animated Film of the year, for sure!