For the past quarter-century, Japanese animator/director Hayao Miyazaki has dazzled audiences with fantastic visions of magical worlds -- his immense talent in combining epic storylines with breathtaking visuals has earned the respect of critics and fans around the world. Now, a full three years after his last film, Spirited Away, Miyazaki has come out of another Clemens-esque retirement with Howl's Moving Castle.
After stepping into the director's role to replace the departed Mamoru Hosada of Digimon fame, Miyazaki scrapped the original screenplay and re-designed the tale of Howl's Moving Castle with his own golden touch.
Howl's opened in Japan in November 2004 to rave reviews and enormous box office success. Now, after six months of localization, American audiences can finally experience this magnum opus.
Howl's is filled with the elements common to nearly all Miyazaki films: endearing characters, eye-popping animation, great flying machines and magic. And though curses, witches and wizards have starred in most Miyazaki films, in no other movie do they play so large a role.
Howl's Moving Castle is based on Diana Wynne Jones' novel of the same name. But while some elements of the original novel are left in the adaptation, Miyazaki has taken the liberty to change the story around a bit, adding a character here and taking away an important plot point there. He uses the original novel as the launch pad for a purely Miyazaki tale.
Howl's tells the story of Sophie, a self-doubting hatter's apprentice living a simple life in a simple town overshadowed by two things: a dastardly war and Howl, a wizard and rumored heart-stealer who resides in his castle, a tower of steam and steel that sits on two lifelike legs.
After a run-in with a nameless but charismatic wizard, Sophie is cursed by the wicked Witch of the Waste, a hideous blob of human flesh. When she comes to, Sophie realizes that she has changed from a 19-year-old youth to a 90-year-old granny. With nowhere to go, she embarks on a journey into the Waste Lands and comes across the mysterious Moving Castle.
The first individual Sophie meets is Calcifer, a fire demon kept prisoner and exploited by Howl. She strikes a deal with Calcifer while nodding off to sleep: If she can find out why he is imprisoned and save him, he will break her curse.
Sophie is later confronted by the other denizens of Howl's lair: Markl the apprentice, a wise boy and child at heart, and Howl, the free-spirited, vain wizard Sophie met at her village.
Sophie is quickly employed as a cleaning lady for Howl's disheveled castle. After a few days, Sophie begins to recognize her affection for Howl, but realizes that he is slowly losing control of his powers and becoming a demon.
Full of metaphor and symbolism, Howl's Moving Castle is an extremely deep film, though it is possible to shut off one's mind and absorb the film as a hodgepodge of magical moments, and that may satisfy some moviegoers. Others, however, may want to understand the film on a deeper level, which may take multiple viewings for a full appreciation.
Howl's' biggest flaw is its ending, which answers many of the questions raised film's 2-hour running time, but feels forced. It speeds by in a flash, and suddenly all loose ends appear to be tied, though many plot points feel unresolved. Every Miyazaki movie ends on a happy note, but Howl's' conclusion is unsatisfying.
As always, the music for Howl's Moving Castle is supplied by maestro Joe Hisaishi, the man responsible for the score of every Miyazaki film since Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind in 1984. Following a relatively disappointing score for Takeshi Kitano's Dolls, Hisaishi seems to have returned to true form with Howl's. He presents a variety of tunes, each featuring a distinctly European flair that fits in perfectly with the film's events.
To be perfectly honest, I don't care for dubs. Therefore, I cannot honestly assess the quality of the English voice acting. Even so, I can predict that most viewers will walk away from the theater perfectly satisfied with the dubbing.
Pixar has put together a melting pot of voice actors, mixing established film stars such as Lauren Bacall (To Have and Have Not) and Jean Simmons (Hamlet) with new stars like Emily Mortimer (The Kid) and Christian Bale (Batman Begins). The best decision is to cast comedian and eternal Yankee-lover Billy Crystal as the voice of Calcifer the fire demon.
Howl's Moving Castle is an imperfect film. The jarring ending and a complex storyline keeps it from reaching the same level of excellence as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Regardless, this is an excellent movie, and one that no Miyazaki fan -- nay, lover of fine cinema -- should miss.
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