Film Synopsis
In a small,
bustling town lives Sophie (voiced by Chieko Baisho), a kind, modest girl who's happy just filling her life with simple pleasures.
There's
great excitement and worry in the air. The kingdom is on the brink of war and
the nation is mobilizing for combat. While out one day, Sophie is stopped by a
pair of soldiers who have nothing better to do then bother a young lady.
From out of nowhere, Sophie is rescued by a handsome, but mysterious man (voiced by Takuya Kimura) who has the ability to use magic.
From out of nowhere, Sophie is rescued by a handsome, but mysterious man (voiced by Takuya Kimura) who has the ability to use magic.
Sophie isn’t quite sure how to process the encounter, especially when she realizes there was a good chance the man was the
powerful wizard Howl who lives in strange moving house. In
any case, Sophie can’t help but feel a tad smitten at the end of the day.
Unfortunately,
this changes when a large, imposing woman walks into Sophie’s store after
hours. The woman (voiced by Akihiro Miwa) is incredibly rude and seems to know
of the run in with Howl. At her limit, Sophie sternly
asks the customer to leave. The woman commends Sophie's bravery in the face of the infamous Witch of the Waste and spitefully casts a spell on her; transforming her into an old woman.
Sophie manages to keep a cool head and realizes she might find a way to reverse the curse in the Wastes, a region where many powerful wizards and witches reside. While searching, Sophie comes across Howl's famous moving castle and is brought aboard.
The man she
met was indeed Howl. Though outwardly calm, beneath his charming
demeanor sits a man fighting some dangerous demons. Seeing this, Sophie decides to stay
at the house and reversing the spell quickly becomes secondary to saving the
wizard.
Film Positives
 |
| Sophie (Young) |
 |
| Howl |
Howl's Moving Castle is one Ghibli's,
Miyazaki's, and animation's best.
Everything Miyazaki has shown us,
whether it be Nausicaä, Totoro, Princess Mononoke, or any of his other works is in full force here. The animation, the story, the characters, this
film goes beyond great and is quite frankly a masterpiece.
Howl
From the moment we meet him, it's
clear this guy is going to be excessively slick and incredibly smooth. Of this month so
far, I can't recall a single character who's anything like him.
 |
| Solphie (Old) |
Yet that's precisely what makes him a
great character because it's all show. For the first half of the movie,
Howl peacocking it and is always one step away from a childish freak out.
This guy's a ladies man through and
through, so he places a lot of stock in his looks. His vanity makes him
susceptible to moody hissy fits when he's not looking his best or when he gets
dumped by a girl. This isn't the side he wants the public to see,
but he has no qualms about exposing it. Yet there's another, more private side he never lets anyone witness.
Howl is constantly on the lookout
from people seeking to control him. There's also an increasing chance when
he uses a large amount of magic, he could lose his humanity. So for most of his life he's always chosen to run.
That is until he found someone worth
protecting.
Sophie
I adore Sophie.
Like many before her, she's strong
and doesn't take crap from anyone. Her personality is kind of like a
no-nonsense, but loving grandmother. So when she transforms, besides the
visual differences, there isn't that big of a change.
What separates her from many others
Ghibli leads is how her strength is shown. Her curse was cast by a powerful witch, so it isn't something that can be taken
lightly. At first, its effects are clear and are obviously slowing Sophie down;
but there not stopping her.
She never lets her newly acquired
limitations prevent her from taking action. Sophie still has the energy of her
younger self. As the story goes on, a change starts to happen. Subtle at first, but once you notice it you can never un-see it.
The strength of the spell wanes. Sometimes Sophie has the appearance of an elderly woman, but other times she reverts back to her youth. The movie never comments on this phenomenon.
She never lets her newly acquired
limitations prevent her from taking action. Sophie still has the energy of her
younger self. As the story goes on, a change starts to happen. Subtle at first, but once you notice it you can never un-see it. The strength of the spell wanes. Sometimes Sophie has the appearance of an elderly woman, but other times she reverts back to her youth. The movie never comments on this phenomenon.
I think
Sophie is one of Ghibli’s best is because the effects of the spell were directly linked to
her state of mind at any given moment. When first cast, it’s at its strongest
because she's at her weakest. Sophie looks and moves like
someone who is well into their eighties.
As the movie goes, she focus on other things and not her condition. Thus she progressively looks younger
and younger.
When she poses as Howl’s mother to try to get him out of seeing the King, because like I said this guy’s a big man child, Sophie looks a lot better. But when she’s standing up for Howl, you can hear the determination in her voice and see the difference it makes.
When she poses as Howl’s mother to try to get him out of seeing the King, because like I said this guy’s a big man child, Sophie looks a lot better. But when she’s standing up for Howl, you can hear the determination in her voice and see the difference it makes.
No where is this clearer than when Howl took Sophie to his most precious spot.
Howl has allowed Sophie to see
him at his lowest, he has let her in. Because of who she is, Sofie wants to help carry the burden. In this scene, the spell doesn’t exist; young Sophie is talking. Her desire to be there for the person she cares for the most gives
her the power to nullify the curse.
Sophie knows Howl can do great
things and believes in him to no end. Howl turns this around and says the same to
Sophie. To hear this makes her so happy, but at the same time she believes Howl can do much better than her because she doesn't believe she's anything special. Not true at all,
but in this brief instance of insecurity the spell momentarily came back in full force.
The curse gets its power whenever Sophie accepts it as her fate. When she fights back, when she pushes it aside, when she doesn’t accept it, Sophie has enough will to nullify the spell.
The curse gets its power whenever Sophie accepts it as her fate. When she fights back, when she pushes it aside, when she doesn’t accept it, Sophie has enough will to nullify the spell.
No words, no dialogue, no explanation,
just visuals. If this isn’t how you see it, perfect. Take all of this
stuff and give it your own spin. That's what makes Howl’s Moving Castle so good.
Film Negatives
Um…the last five minutes are a little
crowded I guess. However I don’t care.
Howl’s Moving Castle from beginning to
end is so good. I still have a few Miyazaki films to cover this month, but this
is without a doubt one of his masterpieces. The story is told perfectly. The characters
are used wonderfully. The visuals and animation, oh my god are you kidding me?
This is a beautiful movie.
At the 78th Academy
Awards, Howl’s Moving Castle, surprisingly, did not take home the Oscar
for Best Animated Picture. Losing to Wallace
& Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. I want to see this movie
because if it was able to beat out god damn Howl’s
Moving Castle, then it must be absolutely amazing. I mean, something as prestigious
as the Academy Awards wouldn’t be completely full of itself...would it?
Final Thoughts
Howl’s Moving Castle is…okay.
Did you expect me to say that? Of
course you didn’t because it’s not true. This film is fantastic. I love everything
about it. The story, the characters, you name this movie nailed it.
I’ve already beaten it to death with
how much I enjoyed this one. If I keep going I’m just going to start repeating
myself; assuming I haven’t done so already.
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