So here we are, at the final movie of the Miyazaki Madness series, Howl's Moving Castle. (If you want to see my review of Ponyo, look here: http://tinyurl.com/tslponyo) Following on the tails of what was probably Miyazaki's most critically successful work Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle fell a little flat when compared with that. While still getting very positive reviews and reception, it got some more mixed reviews as well and is looked at by a lot of people as one of his weaker films. However, the reception was still mostly positive and the movie was on several "Best of 2005" lists. It was also a financial success grossing $231.7M, making it one of the most successful Japanese films ever. So, is Howl's too weak to stand up to the other films, or does it still have that spark of greatness?
The story begins when Sophie, our protagonist, meets the titular wizard Howl on her way to see her sister. He escorts her there to protect her from rowdy soldiers and blobs in top hats and then proceeds to draw them away. Later that night at her family's hat shop, she encounters The Witch of the Wastes who, jealous of her encounter with Howl, puts a curse on her and turns her into an elderly woman. She sets out to find the witch in order to break the curse but on the way she finds Howl's moving castle (or junkheap) to stay the night in and stays there as a cleaning lady. The castle is also inhabited by Markl, Howl's young apprentice, and Calcifer, a fire demon serving as the heat and power source for the whole castle who has a deep connection to Howl.
As the film progresses we slowly learn about a war going on between 2 nations which seems to be mostly caused by a missing prince. Given how invaluable magic powers always are to warring armies, all the witches and wizards are being drafted into service by the 2 countries. Howl, however, wants nothing to do with this; he despises the war and only wants to maintain his freedom. For the rest of the film, we have a focus on Sophie trying to break her curse while at the same time trying to connect with and protect Howl from both enemies and from himself. There's also a focus on Howl learning to stop running away and to stand up for himself and those he cares for, as well as putting his selfish ways behind him.
I'm gonna come out and say it: Howl's Moving Castle is in my top 3 Miyazaki films along with Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. That said, this is more because of the movie matching up more to my tastes than a lot of his other films and I definitely can't say I feel it's his best. It definitely has some flaws and I can clearly see why people see it as weaker.
When I think about the plot of HMC, I really see it as a mix of Miyazaki's styles. It has the adventurous style of films like Mononoke and Nausicaa, while also having the quaint life aspects of films like Kiki and Totoro. While this means it can have the strengths of both sides, it also means it can have the weaknesses as well. On the strengths side, HMC has one of the most clearly defined external conflicts of the Miyazaki films and like Mononoke also manages to mix in some good internal conflict as well. It also has some of Miyazaki's most well done action in my opinion, particularly several great chase scenes.
Looking at flaws however, some parts of this movie are just really slow, particularly around the beginning and early middle, leaving the end feeling a bit too hectic at times. In addition, this movie doesn't do the best job explaining things. Sophie changes frequently between young and old or a mixture without much reason - I assume it has to do with love or self confidence or something, but it's never explicitly stated. There's another bit near the end I won't get into for spoilers, but it felt sort of hand-waved. All in all it's clearly no masterpiece but I do feel the plot stands pretty solidly.
Ah, the characters - I love the characters of this movie. Well, starting with Sophie though, I feel she's good but not amazing. She feels a lot like Miyazaki's other heroines; I think they're starting to run together in my mind a bit. She starts out very quiet and meek but grows and gains a lot of confidence and spunk. It's sort of the old idea of "through loving you I learned to love myself" kind of thing. The real show-stealer is Howl though. His generally flamboyant and upbeat nature is very charming and endearing, though it makes his depressed states that much more annoying. He's also the one going through most of the character development in the story, addressing his movement from cowardly and selfish to kind and protective and the risks he takes in protecting those important to him. Another character I absolutely love is Calcifer. He serves a mostly comedic purpose like Jiji in Kiki - a role he fills well - but at the same time he manages to help drive home a lot of the seriousness of the movie as well. The rest of the supporting cast is pretty good though pretty typical as well, especially in comparison to other Miyazaki movies.
Well, it's the last time I'll have to say this for a while - It's a Miyazaki movie so of course it looks gorgeous. The art is incredibly detailed and beautiful, and the animation is well done, smooth and fluid. Some of Miyzaki's typical outrageous looking character designs are here, particularly the Witch of the Wastes, but they all look very nice. I also really love the various designs of Howl's monstrous forms. His lovely scenery is here in full force, from mountainous lakes to fog-covered wastelands to a massive field of flowers - it's a top rate visual feast. On a final note, I also absolutely love the design of the "castle." It looks like a walking steampunk scrapheap mixed with a frog or lizard or something with a lot of attention to detail and the movement of all the parts.
Now normally, music is a bit of an Achilles Heel to me when it comes to reviewing something, especially something without an OP/ED; I'm not the type who pays a lot of attention to the music most of the time. I will say, however, that I love the main theme of this movie. It's upbeat and has a very festive, magic feel to it. It sounds lovely and it fits in very well with all the wondrous things going on in the movie. A lot of the songs were good as well and always helped fit the mood. In keeping with tradition Disney is up again for the dub and bringing in the big names for a great dub. For Sophie, both Emily Mortimer and Jean Simmons do a good job presenting meek youth and aged with spunk respectively. Christian Bale's quieter tones serve great for the voice of Howl, lending to cheery and serious scenes alike. The big hit to me, however, was Billy Crystal as Calcifer. The voice was just perfect for him - he shined was wisecracking and complaining, but he was also exceptional when the fire got small and weak and his voice did as well.
So yeah, to me Howl's Moving Castle is a great fantasy anime film with a solid plot, amazing characters, and gorgeous art and music. I can definitely see its flaws and why it's seen as somewhat weaker, but it's definitely worth a watch. Like most of Miyazaki's movies, it's also one of the best movies to show non-anime fans as well.
Well, that wraps up Miyazaki Madness! I really enjoyed it and I hope someone else out there did as well. Back to just reviewing whatever I happen to watch next, though I'd happily give any recommendations consideration. See you next time, and I hope everyone had a happy Mother's Day!
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