DVD Review - Howl's Moving Castle

Hayau Miyazaki's latest film is much in the same vein as his previous films. The best way to describe his films would be magical fantasy. There is a heroine, this time named Sophie, who is only eighteen years old and toils at her late father's hat shop. She never gives a thought to what she really wants out of life. One day the wicked Witch of the Waste casts a spell on her and she turns into an old woman. She leaves the place where she is living and comes upon a strange moving castle owned by a wizard named Howl. Earlier in the film Howl rescued her from some evil creatures so this is not their first encounter. The castle is run by a young boy name Markl and a very chatty fire named Calcifer. Because there is a war going on Howl changes his appearance so he cannot be recognized and moves his castle when he feels that it is necessary to do so. But, at some point he becomes tired of running. In time, the Witch of the Waste seems to have changed her stripes and Sophie develops feelings for Howl.

The film is based on a children's book written by Diana Wynne-Jones. It doesn't have a heavy plot and think that it is suitable for children over six. The animation is just enchanting and the characters look pretty real. The version that I saw was dubbed and in English. I imagine the film would have a different feel in the original Japanese and I wonder if I would like the film more or less if I saw a version with subtitles. I thought that Jean Simmons as Granny Sophie and Emily Mortimer as Young Sophie were wonderful (and it was so great to see Jean Simmons involved with film again even if she was just a the voice of an animated character). Lauren Bacall was deliciously wicked as the Witch of the Waste and Christian Bale was good as Howl. Billy Crystal was the voice of Calcifer and sometimes he got it right but sometimes he went overboard with the "schtick."

This is a delightful film and it once again proves that Miyazaki is one of the best directors of animated cinema. I also liked the anti-war theme that ran throughout the film which gave the film relevance to the times that we live in.