Near-perfect fantasy from genius Miyazaki...

Rating: 10/10 (12 May 2006)

Director Hayao Miyazaki has always given more than simple animated films. With deep roots in the fantasy genre, his stories go beyond the concept of fable and become epic stories of love, drama and comedy thanks to his highly developed writing style and his multidimensional characters. "Hauru no Ugoku Shiro" or "Howl's Moving Castle", is a film that serves as very good example of Miyazaki's style; it contains the epic fantasy elements he has constantly developed since his debut in 1984 with Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds) and also contains the light-hearted comedy of efforts like "Majo no Takkyûbin" (Kiki's Delivery Service) of 1989.
The movie is set in a fantasy version of Europe where magic and technology coexist. Sophie is a young girl in a small town of a nation on the verge of war; she is very mature and responsible but is also very shy and unconfident. One night she is visited by the Witch of Watse, and transformed into an old woman. Since the curse forbids her to speak about the curse itself, she decides to go and find a way to return to her real age by herself, but in her quest she ends up in the fabled Moving Castle of the legendary wizard Howl, who is said to be a cruel ruthless monster. She will discover that Howl is very different than what legends say.
Loosely based on Diana Wynne Jones' novel, Miyazaki completely makes the story his own while still retaining the story's core plot. This in no ways means that the adaptation is not good, it just means it is different. As usual, Miyazaki focuses in his favorite themes of love, redemption and catharsis and gives the story his touch. The humane traits of the characters makes them multidimensional and like in the rest of his work, there is no clear good and evil, only complex relations between characters.
As I wrote above, the film feels like a summary of Mizayaki's previous work and it is probably the movie that most clearly defines the director's style and philosophy. The classical elements of epic quests are present but are mixed with elements of romance and comedy that never feel out of place. Miyazaki mixes genres perfectly and gives the movie an unnatural charm that can only be described as magic.
Of course, the animation is top-notch like Studio Ghibli usually does. The beautiful landscapes inspired by European towns and cities make a great contrast with the advanced technology and the visually stunning magic of this fantastic world. The Moving Castle, a walking metal behemoth, is at the same time imposing and strangely beautiful. There is no scene in the movie that is not either beautiful, mesmerizing or both. The animation by itself is a work of art.
The characters are very well defined and are very likable. It is easy to identify with them thanks to the very well-written script. The detailed emotions the characters have go beyond simple plot points, and it was great to see so complex characters come to life in an animated film. I have not heard the English dubbing, but I must say that the Japanese one truly captured the feeling of the characters and as usual in Ghibli, the cast was up to the challenge.
"Howl's Moving Castle" is a very enjoyable film that displays Miyazaki's style at its best. It is a great film not only for kids or fans of Japanese animation, but for the general audience. Very few films these days capture this kind of magic, and I must add that "Howl's Moving Castle" is not only among Hayao Miyazaki's best works, it is one of the best films of the last years. 10/10