Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Howl’s Moving Castle
Call No: TEMP 1686

I’ve always been a fan of cartoons. I spent countless hours of my childhood with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Animaniacs gang. As I grew older, I still enjoyed cartoons and their longer relatives, the feature-length animated film. Soon I began to recognize a difference between the types of animation, and such a type is “anime”. As many Japanese animation fans will testify (as will Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory), anime is not a cartoon. Anime is the term used to refer to Japanese animation, be it shows or films. One of, if not the, most influential animator in Japan is Hayao Miyazaki.   Considered to be the Walt Disney of Japan, Hayao Miyazaki has enriched and perfected the art of storytelling in his films by combining heartfelt drama, comic relief, dynamic characters and stunning animation. Howl’s Moving Castle is no different.

For those who have never been exposed to anime before, this is an excellent place to start. While some fans of anime might recommend the classic Academy-Award winning Spirited Away instead (which I will review in the New Year), it would be better to start with Howl’s Moving Castle. It has a more linear approach to the story than other anime films and, as someone pointed out to me, can be considered more Westernized and universal in terms of content. A large part of that comes from the fact that it’s based on the British novel of the same name, written by Diana Wynne Jones.

The story is about a young woman named Sophie who is the victim of a spell that makes her appear old and prevents her from talking about the curse. Her only hope in reversing it comes in the form of a talented but irresponsible young wizard named Howl, who rather than fight or defend anything instead prefers to run using his magical moving castle, powered by an ancient fire demon named Calcifer. Throw in a witch after Howl’s heart, a ruthless wizard instructor and a war-torn kingdom where wizards are used as soldiers. Add in the fact that Howl might not be all he appears to be and you have an intriguing story full of fantasy and adventure.

One of the more fascinating aspects of the film is the use of magic. The film is set during a war in which two countries are fighting using magic, and wizards are on the front line as a result. Howl, who is trying to hide by using two different identities, is called in to fight. His castle, which he uses to run away, is an amazing example of animating ingenuity and detail. While the castle is in one location, safe and away from any city, the primary door can be used as a portal to four other locations. The castle itself is a combination of so many different ideas and architectures that you could spend the movie simply studying the castle itself. The animators must have had a huge challenge in keeping the location of everything in and out of the castle straight. (And I use the term castle loosely. It’s more of a giant house on a metal spider fish, but with extra cogs and whistles for show. The inside is a different story.)

Howl's (ramshackle) Moving Castle

There are difficulties nowadays with making an animated film. The first involves the movement from hand-drawn animation to computer animation. While many are moving with technology and are making the change, Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli (the animation house that makes the films, equivalent of the Walt Disney studios) have decided to stay with the more traditional approach. Miyazaki was asked about computer animating his films, and responded "Why do we need computers to do what human hands can do?" Watching this film, you can see his point. The animation is stunning and the colors are vibrant. Computer animation can’t improve it. It’s perfect the way it is.

The other difficulty that comes in making an animated film now is the question of audience. Cartoons have carried the reputation for a number of years of being for kids.  With those cartoon kids growing up and having children of their own, and who still enjoy cartoons, animators now need to find a balance between making the film for the kids and making it for their parents. The majority of animated films in recent years have successfully grasped this concept. Howl’s Moving Castle is one of those films. Between the characters, the story and the use of magic, there's something for everyone in this film. This is something Miyazaki tries to do with all of his films. He has always tried to make his films for everyone, adults and children alike. So far, he's succeeded.

A number of other Hayao Miyazaki films: Princess Mononoke,
Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Ponyo

 No doubt some of you might consider the inevitable question: If it’s a Japanese film, does that mean it’s in Japanese? Do I have to read subtitles? The answer to this question is both yes and no, but it's up to you which answer you want. Some die-hard anime fans will tell you that you have to watch it in the original Japanese with the subtitles. I’m telling you that with Howl’s Moving Castle, you can watch the English dubbing. When I watch any Miyazaki film, I always watch it twice: once in Japanese with subtitles, once in English. Sometimes there’s a definite difference between the two, because of Japanese euphemisms not being understood or cultural references being changed. You don’t have to worry about that here. Part of the reason for this is because the English –language version of the film was co-directed by John Lasseter (Toy Story) and Pete Docter (Up), Pixar Studio legends and huge fans of Hayao Miyazaki. Their translation is almost identical to the original and captures the same spirit, so you don’t lose anything in watching the English translation (which is a treat in its own right, because it features the voice talents of Billy Crystal, Lauren Bacall and Christian Bale as Howl).

This film is worth a watch. The story is engaging, the animation is stunning, and the English voices are perfectly cast. So if you find that watching Shrek 2 on television for the tenth time is not going to cut it, give Howl's Moving Castle a shot. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself looking for other Hayao Miyazaki films. You won’t be disappointed.