Howl's Moving Castle is an imaginative and delightful Miyazaki film

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2010)

I love anime, and when I noticed that Howl's Moving Castle was showing today, I knew I had to see it. And you know what, I wasn't disappointed. I admit I haven't read the book by Diana Wynne Jones, but this film is so imaginative and delightful I doubt I would have cared if it was unfaithful to the book or not. The animation here is amazing, the backgrounds are gorgeous and the colours so bright. Plus the castle itself was a wonder to behold. The visual style here also has a certain elegance about it, and the atmosphere the visuals create is somewhat meticulous. I also have to mention the score, it was absolutely stunning. Beautiful, magical and poignant themes that caressed my ears, like a Mozart opera would. The characters are engaging and are beautifully voiced by a terrific voice cast. Christian Bale's(not a stranger to voice work, he voiced Thomas in Disney's Pocahontas as well) seductive and silky voice brings vain wizard Howl to vivid life, and Sophie is a very lovable and beautiful character, whether in her younger form or her older form. Her younger form is sensitively voiced by Emily Mortimer and her older self is voiced by the late Jean Simmons with real sincerity. The Witch of the Waste is a character consumed by jealousy, so much so it results in Sophie's transformation from a young 18 year old girl to a pensioner. This character is perfectly voiced by screen legend Lauren Bacall. Billy Crystal is a joy to behold as Calcifer, one of my favourite characters in the film, and Turniphead was very intriguing as well. The story is a sweet, timeless imaginative one, not the best written one by all means, but it did touch me a lot. Did I notice anything wrong? Yes, but these flaws are minor compared to the overall beauty of the film. The final third is a little too rushed, and the ending is a little over-surreal. But overall, Howl's Moving Castle is an enchanting and delightful work from Miyazaki. 9/10 Bethany Cox