Howl's Moving Castle

Howl’s Moving Castle

Sophie is a beautiful young girl who is drawn into an unexpected adventure.  When she accidentally crosses paths with the vile Witch of the Waste, Sophie is turned into an old woman and banished.  In a world where war is on the horizon and magic is the key to victory, Sophie’s only hope to undo her spell is in the last person she should turn to: the famed, handsome wizard known as Howl.  As it turns out, the growing bond between Sophie and this Wizard of Mystery may not just be the key to saving Sophie’s life but Howl’s soul as well.

I feel like this happens with several movies following a ground breaking success.  Spirited Away put Anime on the map big time following it’s big Academy Award victory.  That means the film that succeeded it needed to be just as good if not better.  I know I’m going to get a lot of flack for this.  However, if im really honest, I like Howl’s Moving Castle (at least better than when I first saw it) but it’s just not as good as Spirited Away.

Now let’s be clear, I don’t think this film is a horrible on.  Oh man no.  I think that this film still has all of Miyazaki’s trademark imagination and energy.  The titular Castle is a sight to behold.  It looks like a walking hunk of junk, all part of the charm, but that doesn’t stop one from thinking about the first structure they tried to build as a child and call it a castle.  The animation techniques used to bring this structure to life is one of the best ive seen in a Miyazaki film.  The characters living inside this moving masterwork are also a very likeable and strong cast.  They may all end up coming together under different circumstances, still you can feel the strong sense of family that grows as time goes by.  I love Marco’s old man disguise when he has to answer the door.  If I had to pick two MVPs (aside from Sophie but I’ll get to her) from this cast it would have to be two dialogue-less characters.  Turnip Head has a fun design and he feels like a fun friend to have, plus he gets some of the movies best moments.  Plus there’s Heen, the little wheezing dog who’s very much the R2D2 of this movie, the one with the surprising guiding solution while being totally adorable.

Sophie is the main focus and heart of this movie.  And while I do like her a lot, I cant help but feel she’s one of the main issues I have with this film.  The Aging Spell she is slapped with seems to come and go without much good explanation.  They say it’s because she has no confidence in her heart I think.  At the same time though, when she’s an old lady, Sophie’s got more spunk and spirit than she ever did.  Old Lady Sophie easily gets a lot of the films best lines and moments.  I just wish they had been a bit more consistent with her aging (giving her a hunchback at the start and then she looks able to stand up straight no prob a few scenes later.)  Is there even a true moment when it’s revealed her curse is broken?  Maybe I missed that.

Much like Sophie’s constantly shifting age, Howl’s Moving Castle seems to favor visual over story.  Not that it isn’t fun watching these characters interact with each other.  It just feels like this movie is so lost in it’s own style it forgets it needs to talk about some important elements.  I can sense a lot of plot holes as a result ranging from Sophie’s curse to the Witch of the Waste later on in the film.  Again, I know a lot of people like this movie a lot so I know I’m a minority here.  I would have just enjoyed a bit more consistency, even if this world is gorgeous.

Howl’s Moving Castle was better for me this time around.  It still doesn’t match Spirited Away but I found more to enjoy. The characters are a lot of fun, the animation is nigh flawless (especially when it comes to the castle), the waltz like score is the stuff you hear at a grand gala, the films production is there.  When it comes to the plot, I still think it could have used some work.  Mind you this was adapted from the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, so it’s only scripted by Miyazaki, not an original idea.  Something got lost in the transition maybe?  Who knows.  But I don’t detest this film just because it doesn’t live up to Spirited Away’s level.  Heck when I get around Sophie’s old age, I wouldn’t mind retiring to a junky looking castle wandering the countryside for a few years.

7/10

Next week we wrap up Miyazaki Month with the perfect Anime for children and one of Anime’s most memorable icons?  Havent seen him before?  Well look at the Studio Ghibli logo and you might recognize him.  See you next week for My Neighbor Totoro.