HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE : Flawed But Interesting & Creatively Outlandish...

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2006)

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, my first Miyazaki film, is the story of shy young woman named Sofi who is turned into an old woman by the Witch of the Waste. As an old woman, Sofi leaves for the hills where she is picked up by the legendary Moving Castle. There, she meets a fire demon named Calcifer who bargains with her to help her reverse her curse if Sofi can free Calcifer from serving Howl himself.
This film is an example of someone allowing their imagination to be completely free... and Miyazaki manages to bring his creativity together in a visual spectacle of a film. How cohesive the job is in the end is up for debate. At times, the story leaves too many stones unturned, or adds too many complications to keep everything clear. As a result, the emotional impact of the film is dulled b/c the audience is left unsure of what everything means... at least I was. However, this is a film that rests on the strength of it's sheer creativity.
At times, the story feels so wonderfully creative that I was reminded of true classics like THE WIZARD OF OZ and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Sofi makes for a wonderful leading lady and it is a joy to follow her through this story. She changes from a gentile, shy young shop girl into a grumpy old woman... and yet she always remains a likable central presence. However, what separates this film from classics like THE WIZARD OF OZ and WONDERLAND is it's inability to be clear.
Those pieces feature some of the most wildly imaginative characters and stories ever created, and yet in the end they always make complete sense and are incredibly satisfying. HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE captivated my attention the entire time, however, it never left me feeling that I was watching a concrete story arch.
In addition, the central character of Calcifer is a real disappointment here. The character, voiced by an uninspired Billy Crystal, stands out as a poor animation job amidst the beautiful artistry that makes the rest of HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE so enjoyable. The character of a fire demon should have opened the doors for some wonderful artistic interpretation... but instead, Miyazaki seems to have opted for a character straight out of the "how to create a funny/cute sidekick" guidebook. In a film so full of wonderfully out of the box creations, it is really a shame that such a central element is so boringly cliché.
Otherwise, though the story definitely has loop holes and Calcifer is a huge disappointment, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE still is an incredibly enjoyable and interesting film. It takes chances with it's imagination unlike 90% of the animated films being released today b/c it takes a refreshingly non-commercial approach (except for Calcifer). HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE is a fun, interesting film that may have some noticeable flaws... but it does deserve extra credit for reaching further then the average animated film.
... B/B+ ...