Howl's Moving Castle Reviews

What an amazing achievement! This is by far the best example I have ever seen of animated characterization. The expressions and the nuances and the emotion captured in this film are truly breathtaking. I love all of Miyazaki's work, but in Howl's Moving Castle he has managed to take it to a level that to me sets the standard.

It has all of the classic stunning Miyazaki panoramas, rich settings, exciting and unusual machinery, and brilliantly conceived creatures that are often humorous and fanciful. The characters are all very expertly crafted and developed, but what really enchanted me were their expressions and the subtle but powerful ways that he chose to elaborate on their connections and emotions. It is very difficult to describe, but they come to life in such a powerful way as to seem entirely real and unique.

He achieves this within the medium - not by really imitating or parroting film or live action, but by artfully exploiting the medium to enhance and capture the subtle interactions that make up relationships. He shows his audience what his characters are thinking and feeling by carefully chosen gestures and facial expressions, rather than relying always on dialog, etc. I was completely swept away by this skillful use of animation - I have never anywhere else seen anything that begins to come close to it.

The story is fantastic - I haven't read the novel, but it had all of the elements I have come to enjoy in Miyazaki's work - there is the humour, the lighthearted moments, the strong, insightful, loyal, and honourable characters, the lyrical drama and action sequences. The pace is perfect - it flows nicely and is always exciting, suspenseful - I got very caught up in the characters and their struggles and hopes. The themes were expertly handled with Miyazaki flair - and always richly meaningful and perceptive.

I can hardly wait to see what this brilliant artist creates next!

I love anime, and when I noticed that Howl's Moving Castle was showing today, I knew I had to see it. And you know what, I wasn't disappointed. I admit I haven't read the book by Diana Wynne Jones, but this film is so imaginative and delightful I doubt I would have cared if it was unfaithful to the book or not. The animation here is amazing, the backgrounds are gorgeous and the colours so bright. Plus the castle itself was a wonder to behold. The visual style here also has a certain elegance about it, and the atmosphere the visuals create is somewhat meticulous. I also have to mention the score, it was absolutely stunning. Beautiful, magical and poignant themes that caressed my ears, like a Mozart opera would. The characters are engaging and are beautifully voiced by a terrific voice cast. Christian Bale's(not a stranger to voice work, he voiced Thomas in Disney's Pocahontas as well) seductive and silky voice brings vain wizard Howl to vivid life, and Sophie is a very lovable and beautiful character, whether in her younger form or her older form. Her younger form is sensitively voiced by Emily Mortimer and her older self is voiced by the late Jean Simmons with real sincerity. The Witch of the Waste is a character consumed by jealousy, so much so it results in Sophie's transformation from a young 18 year old girl to a pensioner. This character is perfectly voiced by screen legend Lauren Bacall. Billy Crystal is a joy to behold as Calcifer, one of my favourite characters in the film, and Turniphead was very intriguing as well. The story is a sweet, timeless imaginative one, not the best written one by all means, but it did touch me a lot. Did I notice anything wrong? Yes, but these flaws are minor compared to the overall beauty of the film. The final third is a little too rushed, and the ending is a little over-surreal. But overall, Howl's Moving Castle is an enchanting and delightful work from Miyazaki. 9/10 Bethany Cox