Miyazaki’s somewhat convoluted anti-war and pro-elderly piece doesn’t quite reach the heights of some of his greatest works, but as a fantasy about love, magic and curses, it can be spellbinding at times.
Review #2,604
Dir. Hayao Miyazki
2004 | Japan | Animation/Fantasy/Adventure | 119 min | 1.85:1 | Japanese
PG (passed clean) for frightening images and brief mild language
Cast: Chieko Baisho Takuya Kimura Akihiro Miwa
Plot: When an hesitant 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.
Awards: Won Golden Osella & Nom. for Golden Lion (Venice); Nom. for Best Animated Feature (Oscars)
Distributor: Studio Ghibli
Accessibility Index
Subject Matter: Moderate – Spells & Curses; Wizards & Witches; Courage & Love
Narrative Style: Slightly Complex
Pace: Normal
Audience Type: Mainstream
Viewed: Netflix
Spoilers: No
There are fans who love Howl’s Moving Castle dearly and it is not so difficult to see why. There’s ample magic, idiosyncratic characters, a wonderful waltz-like main theme from Joe Hisaishi, and it contains some of Hayao Miyazaki’s most elaborate animation work.
Just the animation of the titular ‘moving castle’ alone is worth the price of the admission ticket, with its numerous moving parts and considerable presence.
I’m a huge Miyazaki fan and writing this brief review based on my second viewing more than 15 years since I first saw it. I remembered I wasn’t particularly enamored by the film, and this second watch confirms it. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of some of Miyazaki’s greatest works, and in my opinion, I still find it somewhat convoluted.
“A heart’s a heavy burden.”
It is also more difficult than usual to care for his characters here as Sophie, a young woman is cursed with an old body by a malicious witch. An encounter with Howl, a young wizard might be the only chance for her to break the spell, though he has problems of his own, some of which are related to the broader sociopolitical context of the narrative.
The setting is decidedly European with war impending between kingdoms. Miyazaki is, of course, anti-war—his opposition to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 led him to respond with this film.
In addition, the film is also pro-elderly, though there are a number of scenes that poke fun at being old, most notably an absolutely hilarious sequence involving two old ladies climbing up a steep, neverending flight of stairs.
At its core, Miyazaki’s work is still a fantasy at heart—it can be spellbinding at times though the central relationship between Sophie and Howl, while carefully developed, doesn’t quite stick as memorably as that of other protagonists in Miyazaki’s world.
Grade: B+
Trailer:
Music:
Eternality Tan 
[…] as it is called, won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in a year with Corpse Bride and Howl’s Moving Castle and gave its creator Nick Park his fourth […]
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