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HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (2005) (***1/2)

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Studio Ghibli is the true master of current animation. That's solely due to the greatness of director Hayao Miyazaki. He keeps saying that he's going to retire, but that would only make the world a dreary place. I felt both his PRINCESS MONONOKE and SPIRITED AWAY were the best films of their respective years of release.

Sophie (voiced young by Emily Mortimer, LOVELY & AMAZING and old by Jean Simmons, SPARTACUS) is a young, quiet hat maker, who doesn't think she is pretty. One day she has a run in with the greedy Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT), who turns Sophie into an old woman. The next day Sophie leaves her hat shop and ends up on a wizard's moving castle. The wizard is Howl (Christian Bale, BATMAN BEGINS), a handsome and charming young man who can turn into a giant monstrous bird.

Sophie endears herself to Howl and becomes the castle's maid. Also living in the castle is Howl's apprentice Markl (Josh Hutcherson, AMERICAN SPLENDOR) and Calcifer (Billy Crystal, CITY SLICKERS), the fire demon who makes the castle move. Also following Sophie around is the living, mute scarecrow dubbed Turnip Head.

One quickly gets wrapped up in the magical world that Sophie enters. The characters are nice and lovable, but not in a cheesy sentimental way. This is a mark of Miyazaki's genius; he can make his characters kind, but not seem sappy or unrealistic.

The underlying theme is overcoming one's internal demons. Sophie is self-conscious. Howl is vane and cowardly. The Witch of the Waste is greedy. The main character's struggle falls on the backdrop of a pointless war, where Howl's mentor Madame Suliman (Blythe Danner, MEET THE PARENTS) is forcing wizards to fight in.

Visually the film is ingenious. From the design of the characters to the moving castle itself, the film is alive in a world unseen before. As for the English voice work, I have no complaints. Crystal is very funny and Bacall and Bale fit their characters perfectly. The tone and some story elements reminded me both of THE WIZARD OF OZ and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The film is amazing.

Rick DeMott's picture

Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks