Dir.
Hayao Miyazaki, 2004, Japan, 119 mins
Cast:
(English) Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal
Next to Katsuhiro Ôtomo's Steamboy, Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle is one of the most highly anticipated anime features of recent years. While Miyazaki is among the most celebrated anime directors in Japan the international success of his Oscar-winning 2001 film Spirited Away made him a household name all over the world. Based on the novel of the same name by celebrated British author Diana Wynne Jones and boasting an impressive cast of Hollywood names on the English language dub Howl's Moving Castle already looks set to repeat Miyazaki 's previous success.
Set in an imaginary, war-torn world vaguely resembling England Howl's Moving Castle tells the story of a young girl, Sophie, who upon being cursed by the evil Witch of the Waste finds herself transformed into an old woman. In an effort to break the curse, the aging Sophie leaves her village and seeks the help of Howl, a mysterious young wizard who may well need Sophie's help more than she needs his.
Like Miyazaki 's earlier work, Howl's Moving Castle is a visual triumph brimming with lush, epic landscapes inhabited by a diverse array of characters ranging from the bizarre to the beautiful. While the sheer imagination and creativity at the heart of these characters is impressive, it is the attention to detail that separates Miyzaki's film from more mainstream animated features. As well as the fluctuating ages of Sophie, many of the supporting characters are also in a state of constant transformation, enabling Miyazaki to push his medium to its full potential. The subtle changes in Sophie's appearance, for example, often tell a lot more about her emotions than dialogue would. Transformation is also the central theme of the story, with many of the characters hoping to become something else and needing each others' help to do it. With its focus on magic the film will clearly tap into the never-ending Harry Potter craze, whilst also bearing a number of similarities to The Wizard of Oz - particularly with Sophie befriending a scarecrow at the start of her journey. At the same time however, Howl's Moving Castle feels very different to the children's fantasy stories we are used to.
By far the most intriguing character of the film is the wizard Howl, and the story benefits by keeping him at arms length from both his companions and the audience. Despite being the title character, Howl spends much of the film absent, pursuing a quest that seems to be destroying him with the audience sharing the relief of the characters each time he returns. Howl's struggle with the politics of a nation at war and with the monster he is becoming as a result of his attempts to intervene creates a character with impressive depth. However, while Miyazaki should be praised for presenting themes of war, violence and old age in a children's film, this also creates a conflict in tone. Although there is enough here to engage older audiences the lack of exposition and the straightforward fairy-tale morality at its heart often jars against its more adult themes. Similarly, the films darker moments as well as its occasionally ponderous pace may put off younger viewers.
Overall, Howl's Moving Castle is perhaps a little too innovative and alternative to repeat the commercial success of Spirited Away, while at the same time hindering its critical success by trying too hard to appeal to children. Despite this the sixty-three-year-old Miyazaki is still evolving and reinventing himself as a film-maker, managing to create a work that is similar enough to past successes to please fans and at the same time strives to push the limits of his imagination even further. Whether the film works as a whole or not there are moments of Miyazaki genius here that will touch, inspire and surprise even the most cynical film fan and as a result it is a strong addition to an impressive body of work.
Chris Regan
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