An amazing animated film

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2006)

Hauru no ugoku shiro is one of the most amazing animated films that I've seen in a long time. Alredy tired of Disney/Pixar paraphernalia, Hayao Miyazaki's film is fresh air in our mouth. And a sparkling scratch in our eyes. Definitely Miyazaki is a creator who has chosen animated films as the best way to express his ideas. Sophie is a young lady living a bored life in some place in Europe (not defined), at the beginning of XX century (not defined either). War times, and this is an important issue in the meaning of the film. Miyazaki is a pacifist and this movie can prove it. Howl, the young-beautiful man blessed (or punished, it all depends how you look at him)with magic powers, is a struggler who fights at nights breaking down anachronic war ships . Even more, he refused kingdom call which pretends he fights in the front. Sophie will be victim of the trick made by an evil witch (later we will find out that the same witch has been cheated)becoming in an 90 years old woman. Without hope, she'll rove until to find a fantastic roding castle with strange people living in it. The movie takes an oniric twist, in which logic is suspended, plot back and forth following undetermined parameters, as the castle does it.Hauru no ugoku shiro is a powerful visually film, which is not afraid to play with fantasy. It's a political film too.