So, I was rewatching Howl's Moving Castle today with my brother. I've fallen in love with it all over again...
Howl's Moving Castle is Hayao Miyazaki's latest film. It was released last year and was nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar (with the excellent Corpse Bride and winner Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-rabbit being the others). Those who take an interest in animation and Japanese films will recognize Miyazaki as the creator of such glorious masterpieces as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. And while those two films are technically (in terms of screenplay) much better than this one, Howl's is closest to my heart.
Based on a book by Welsh author Dianna Wynne Jones, Howl's is about a young girl, Sophie, it turned into a 90 year old woman. The film immediately enchants, and you know this is much much better than the stock animation pervading the genre these days - witness the profusion of animal-zoo type animated cinema: from Open Season to Ant Bully. When Sophie is turned into an old woman, she tell herself "There now, that's not so bad. You're in good shape and you clothes finally suit you". This is the brand of humour and whimsy Miyazaki brings to cinema.
The film is set in a staple Miyazaki vaguely-19th century Europe (Sophie's hometown looks like Bavaria). Sophie is rescued from the attentions of some soldiers by the young, enigmatic wizard Howl, who is himself being chased by low-grade monsters from the Wicked Witch of Waste. Needless to say, she immediately falls in love with him, and being seen with him enrages the Witch to turn her into an old woman. In a way, this is Miyazaki's masterstroke. Sophie is different in that being old gives her the freedom to be whoever she wants to be. Throughout the film, Sophie's physical appearance changes with her emotional state. She embraces the change as a release from fear and self-consciousness, and in a way it inspires her to adventure.
After being turned into a woman of pensionable age, Sophie leaves home, and recues an enchanted scarecrow (Turnip Head) who leads her to the movie's titular castle. The castle is a wonderful thing - you have never seen anything quite like this before. It is awesome, not in the way that a royal palace is awesome, but in the literal sense of the word. Clearly hand drawn, the castle is a series of tacked on towers and turrets, as mysterious as its owner, moving around on giant chicken legs. On first viewing, one can't help but share Sophie's wonder.
Sophie proceeds to move into the castle as a cleaning lady, along with Howl and his aide Markl. The Castle is powered by a fire-sprite named Calcifer, who is witty and charming and totally vain, just like Howl. Indeed, Howl is a beautiful and talented wizard - and arrogant and immature with it. (He's laso animated, but I'm choosing to ignore that - I'm as much in love with him as Sophie. I know I need help.) There is a deep bond, stretching to childhood, between Howl and Calcifer. Their magic is inextricably linked.
Omnipresent through the film is war. Miyazaki leaves the details obscure - we're never quite certain who is at war with whom, or indeed why. It is treated as inconsequential, and is representative of Miyazaki's disgust at human barbarity. There is a scene where Sophie and Howl are enjoying a quiet moment in a beautiful meadow-like space, when there serenity is interrupted by zeppelins. Sophie asks Howl if they're enemy ships, and Howl responds: "It doesn't matter. They're both going to kill people".
A lot more happens, of course, before we get our happy ending. But its such a joyful ride to get there, that even the increasing incomprehensibility of the plot doesn't detract from the almost adolescent enjoyment that an adult can come away with - all you need is a open heart. At its whimsical best, Howl's is a romance, in the traditional, epic sense. The author of the book of which the film is based, Dianna Wynne Jones, said after watching the film "I had grown used to young ladies regularly writing to me to say that they wanted to marry Howl. Now, Howl in the film is so plain stunning and sexy that I think I have joined them."
So have I, Dianna, so have I.
Howl's Moving Castle is Hayao Miyazaki's latest film. It was released last year and was nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar (with the excellent Corpse Bride and winner Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-rabbit being the others). Those who take an interest in animation and Japanese films will recognize Miyazaki as the creator of such glorious masterpieces as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. And while those two films are technically (in terms of screenplay) much better than this one, Howl's is closest to my heart.
Based on a book by Welsh author Dianna Wynne Jones, Howl's is about a young girl, Sophie, it turned into a 90 year old woman. The film immediately enchants, and you know this is much much better than the stock animation pervading the genre these days - witness the profusion of animal-zoo type animated cinema: from Open Season to Ant Bully. When Sophie is turned into an old woman, she tell herself "There now, that's not so bad. You're in good shape and you clothes finally suit you". This is the brand of humour and whimsy Miyazaki brings to cinema.
The film is set in a staple Miyazaki vaguely-19th century Europe (Sophie's hometown looks like Bavaria). Sophie is rescued from the attentions of some soldiers by the young, enigmatic wizard Howl, who is himself being chased by low-grade monsters from the Wicked Witch of Waste. Needless to say, she immediately falls in love with him, and being seen with him enrages the Witch to turn her into an old woman. In a way, this is Miyazaki's masterstroke. Sophie is different in that being old gives her the freedom to be whoever she wants to be. Throughout the film, Sophie's physical appearance changes with her emotional state. She embraces the change as a release from fear and self-consciousness, and in a way it inspires her to adventure.
After being turned into a woman of pensionable age, Sophie leaves home, and recues an enchanted scarecrow (Turnip Head) who leads her to the movie's titular castle. The castle is a wonderful thing - you have never seen anything quite like this before. It is awesome, not in the way that a royal palace is awesome, but in the literal sense of the word. Clearly hand drawn, the castle is a series of tacked on towers and turrets, as mysterious as its owner, moving around on giant chicken legs. On first viewing, one can't help but share Sophie's wonder.
Sophie proceeds to move into the castle as a cleaning lady, along with Howl and his aide Markl. The Castle is powered by a fire-sprite named Calcifer, who is witty and charming and totally vain, just like Howl. Indeed, Howl is a beautiful and talented wizard - and arrogant and immature with it. (He's laso animated, but I'm choosing to ignore that - I'm as much in love with him as Sophie. I know I need help.) There is a deep bond, stretching to childhood, between Howl and Calcifer. Their magic is inextricably linked.
Omnipresent through the film is war. Miyazaki leaves the details obscure - we're never quite certain who is at war with whom, or indeed why. It is treated as inconsequential, and is representative of Miyazaki's disgust at human barbarity. There is a scene where Sophie and Howl are enjoying a quiet moment in a beautiful meadow-like space, when there serenity is interrupted by zeppelins. Sophie asks Howl if they're enemy ships, and Howl responds: "It doesn't matter. They're both going to kill people".
A lot more happens, of course, before we get our happy ending. But its such a joyful ride to get there, that even the increasing incomprehensibility of the plot doesn't detract from the almost adolescent enjoyment that an adult can come away with - all you need is a open heart. At its whimsical best, Howl's is a romance, in the traditional, epic sense. The author of the book of which the film is based, Dianna Wynne Jones, said after watching the film "I had grown used to young ladies regularly writing to me to say that they wanted to marry Howl. Now, Howl in the film is so plain stunning and sexy that I think I have joined them."
So have I, Dianna, so have I.
2 comments:
Great Movie
i admired it totally although i have " manga " drawing ..
thank you for the nice post
found your blog by chance while searching on "Howl's moving castle" on Google :)
not my last visit surely
Greetings
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