When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions ... Read allWhen an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 14 wins & 20 nominations total
Chieko Baishô
- Sofî
- (voice)
Takuya Kimura
- Hauru
- (voice)
Tatsuya Gashûin
- Karushifâ
- (voice)
Akihiro Miwa
- Arechi no Majo
- (voice)
Ryunosuke Kamiki
- Marukuru
- (voice)
- (as Ryûnosuke Kamiki)
Mitsunori Isaki
- Koshô
- (voice)
Yô Ôizumi
- Kakashi no Kabu
- (voice)
Akio Ôtsuka
- Kokuô
- (voice)
Daijirô Harada
- Hin
- (voice)
Haruko Katô
- Sariman
- (voice)
Jean Simmons
- Grandma Sophie
- (English version)
- (voice)
Christian Bale
- Howl
- (English version)
- (voice)
Lauren Bacall
- Witch of the Waste
- (English version)
- (voice)
Blythe Danner
- Madame Suliman
- (English version)
- (voice)
Emily Mortimer
- Young Sophie
- (English version)
- (voice)
Josh Hutcherson
- Markl
- (English version)
- (voice)
Billy Crystal
- Calcifer
- (English version)
- (voice)
Jena Malone
- Lettie
- (English version)
- (voice)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaUpon seeing Spirited Away (2001), Christian Bale immediately agreed to play any role in this film. He didn't expect to get the titular role.
- GoofsSophie's top ribbon doesn't always reappear when she transforms back into her younger self.
- Quotes
Howl: I feel terrible, like there's a weight on my chest.
Young Sophie: A heart's a heavy burden.
- ConnectionsEdited into Miyazaki Dreams of Flying (2017)
Featured review
A wild and surreal trip into the mind of a master.
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.
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.
helpful•41155
- surenm
- Mar 20, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Lâu Đài Di Động Của Howl
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $24,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,789,268
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $427,987
- Jun 12, 2005
- Gross worldwide
- $237,728,734
- Runtime1 hour 59 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content