But personally, I reckon that Howl's Moving Castle is possibly their best work to date. What's to like?īy now, it's no secret that Studio Ghibli films are among the most beautifully illustrated and animated movies out there.
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Watch Howl’s Moving Castle – the full movie in English – on Veoh.The castle itself is a Terry Gilliam-esque monstrosity, displaying character all by itself and giving audiences something truly unique to witness in a film. Watch the trailer for Howl’s Moving Castle here: It’s dreamy and surreal, but it carries wonderful messages and makes for a stunning visual experience – but try to watch it in Japanese, with subtitles, as the dubbed version cannot quite match the original sound one. Essentially, Howl’s Moving Castle is two personal journeys, combined, and placed in a world of fantasy, war and love. She learns to love herself while Howl learns to love someone else.
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Her respect for herself is that one true love that sets her free in the end. The curse can only be broken if Sophie loves herself. One of the things that make Hayao Miyazaki’s film stand out is that it differs from most fairytales in its approach of the usual “true love breaks the curses”. It’s interesting to see how Sophie approaches her disadvantages with humor and strength, making them work in her favour, while Howl collapses when his beauty is tarnished. Sophie is unconfident, yet loving and brave when speaking her mind Howl is selfish, arrogant and uses magic to hide his insecurities. It’s sensitive but with a mind of its own everything is in place, but there’s so much feeling it’s well-paced and organized, but it also flows smoothly – without forcing anything too soon, and without exposing too much too late. Howl’s Moving Castle is not typical anime.
Composer Joe Hisaishi is a close friend of Hayao Miyazaki and they have collaborated many times before with remarkable results, but this project is definitely one of their best yet. Well-written and forcefully developed, they are boosted by Joe Hisaishi’s dynamic soundtrack which travels alongside its characters and sweeps the audience off its feet. The images seem to have popped out of paintings, and the characters, incredibly energetic and vibrant, enjoy a solid background and substantial depth. S tudio Ghibli has us used to design of the highest standard and animation of a very distinct style. In the meantime, she also falls in love with Howl and offers his home a breath of fresh air. Now living in the castle and making herself more comfortable as time passes, Sophie begins to enjoy the wisdom her old age has brought along, as she gradually reassesses her beliefs and skills.
Feeling that she can no longer stay around the people she loves, Sophie decides to run away from home, commencing a journey of self-rediscovery that will earn her many friends as well as enemies.ĭuring her wanders, Sophie finds Howl’s walking castle and starts working there as a maid, which is when she and the spirit-protector of the castle, Calcifer, reach a secret agreement: she’ll help him break free from the magician’s service if the spirit helps her break the spell she’s under. One day, she meets a mysterious magician, Howl, who impresses her with his magic powers as well as great looks, but on the same night, she is visited by a jealous witch, who transforms her into an old woman. She feels common and unattractive and fears that she’s destined to live a life of mediocrity. This is the story of Sophie, a young girl with low self-esteem, who works in her mother’s hat shop. Howl’s Moving Castle, an animated fantasy film written and directed by Japanese artist Hayao Miyazaki, and based on the famous novel by English writer Diana Wynne Jones, may have a love story, castles and all sorts of magical creatures, but strays far away from a typical fairytale. Magically vibrant and meaningfully touching is what best describes this anime masterpiece.