| | Alternate title : Hauru no Ugoku Shiro
Studio : Studio Ghibli
Licenced by : Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Also involved : Viz Media, LLC.
Length : 1 Movie
Year : 2004
Genre : Magic - Adventure - Romance - Fantasy
Synopsis :
Sophie is a young girl living the quiet life, working at a small hat store in the middle of town. When she is saved by a handsome magician, Sophie finds herself in the middle of a rivalry between magic users and she's become the new target. Things turn from bad to worse when Sophie is cursed into the body of an old woman and forbidden to speak of her misfortunes. There is much in store for our unlikely heroine as she befriends loyal companions on her quest to return to her true form and her search for that spark of adventure that has been missing in her life.
Added : 2004-12-07
Synopsis by : Egeria
Last update : 2008-03-04
Last update details : Link modified
Score : 7.85
Number of reviews : 20
Link(s) :
Official #1 : ハウルの動く城
A-Source #1 : Anime-Source.com In-Depth Review by Stokerino
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Sekai no Yakusoku / The Promise of the World
Release(s) :
2005-04-21 -- Episode(s) 0 by The Hawks. BT Link
Found 1 releases. Click here to [ Find them! ]
Hits : 23278
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Posted by : Chikage_Shampoo 
Posted on : 2008-07-03 
I've had bad luck with my first two Miyazaki films (though I did enjoy Kiki's Delivery Service). But what can I say? Howl's Moving Castle is one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
Ever been on a carousel, with all the sights and sounds spinning around you so fast that they become meshed together and indiscernible? That's basically how this movie made me feel. It was a movie without a set plot, without a set purpose. Things occurred without seeming motivation, and the relationships between characters progressed erratically. One moment they might be hating one another, the next they might be the best of friends.
So many questions popped into my head during the course of this movie. Why does everyone have curses? Even if they each have a purpose by the end of the movie, what was the point of each? Why does more than one character experience a sudden emotional or personality change? What were some believable reasons for some of the ways the characters acted? And, finally, What, indeed, was the storyline of this movie? What had seemed at first like a cliche quest to lift a curse turned into something else, something... indiscernible. Too many seeming storylines were crammed into the course of one movie, and they all conflicted with each other, leaving a horribly predictable and unsatisfactory piece of trash.
Sure, the start of the movie seemed magical, and this continued for about thirty minutes, until it became apparent that - hey - the initial storyline was ditched, and was replaced with something (or many somethings) entirely different. By then, it was still "magical" - but not in the same way as the first part of the movie. It became, quite frankly, a bore.
Shall I go from bad to worse? Even with the intangible storyline, the characters would be lifesavers, right? No. Although Howl seems at first interesting with his narcissism, he does not appear in enough of the movie in order to allow viewers to attach themselves to him, like Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club. Sophie was completely predictable - even though she's nice, by the end of the movie, she gives the impression that she is superficial. For instance, if we as viewers did not see her with Howl for most of the movie (except mainly when he was saving her or for a few moments in his castle), then why does she love him so much? Is it because he is her "Prince in Shining Armor"? In contrast, why does Howl - that playboy - fall in love with Sophie? The world may never know.
Furthermore, complete strangers end up helping Sophie and befriending her (even though for maybe a few minutes they were resentful at her sudden appearance) or even turn from her worst enemy into one of her best friends, whereas the people supposed to be close to her - like her mom - end up betraying her. (And how the heck does her mom recognize Sophie when she is old without even a doubt? Even the reason they gave for that was simply... atrocious.)
Too many random things happen. Mysterious blobs pop out of nowhere. You seem to be given a reason but it seems unidentifiable. Random battle scenes occur. Everything becomes blurred and unintelligible.
The music was forgettable, though it heightened the atmosphere in some places.
On to the good parts of the show. The background animation was quite well done, as well as the movement. The backgrounds were beautiful, as if they were watercolor paintings. I still don't like how the Miyazaki characters are drawn, as I do not feel that they are realistic.
....and that's the only good I can think of for this movie. Eye candy.
I would not recommend this movie to anyone.
Posted by : SleepyLafiel
Posted on : 2008-06-29
In this age, there are only two animation studios that are renowned worldwide and carry the same kind of clout as the old Disney classics: the 3D animation studio, Pixar, and the traditional animation studio, Ghibli + Miyazaki. While there are other studios that are slowly catching up, such as Dreamworks, Madhouse + Kon, and... that's it (SquareEnix/Production I.G. need not apply here. Once they've made works that actually connect to an audience rather than just give out eye-candy, maybe they'll be on the same transcendental level as Pixar/Ghibli.), they are still far too distant to be compared, much less be mentioned in the same breaths as those two giants. With that said, even the best sometimes stumble, as can be seen in both Cars, and in this film, Howl's Moving Castle.
The similarities between the two are bewildering. Both came with tremendous amounts of hype due to their studio's track record, both demonstrated the epitome of their respective animation styles (at the time), and both were ultimately disappointing because of the poor stories and impossible-to-relate-to characters; this is even before mentioning the hypocrisy of the "message" that the movies attempted to preach. A Disney film preaching about consumerism? An anti-war film that shows the main male character going off and fighting wars even when he's "against" it? Neither had the spellbinding qualities found in previous version of their works, and both paled in comparison to their direct preceding work (The Incredibles, my personal favorite Pixar film, and Spirited Away, among my favorites out of Miyazaki's creations), but if I had to choose one in terms of watchability, I'd go with Cars every single time. Miyazaki really let me down with Howl's Moving Castle; it just didn't feel like his film, and for good reason, he both didn't write the story like he usually does, nor was he the first director of the film. As much as I hate the man, I'm with Roger Ebert on this one; this is one of Miyazaki's weakest films by far.
The problems start out with the story, and let's be honest here, he didn't have much to work with from Diana Wynne Jones' original work. If the books were any good, it wouldn't have taken 20 years for this book to have been known throughout the world, and only now because of an animated movie made by a legendary company. Harry Potter this is not. For it to be a magical fantasy, it simply didn't feel that magical. Although some credit should be given towards its attempt to combine the prosaic and the mystical, it ends up feeling very underwhelming as a whole. The titular "Moving Castle" is thoroughly unimpressive; what looks to be an insane mechanical construct on the outside ends up being a 2LDK of sorts on the inside. Are you kidding me? The man who created the impossibly imaginary worlds of Nausicaa, Mononoke-Hime, Laputa, and Spirited Away (among the many others)... relegated to this? I know Miyazaki isn't commanding the storyboards like he used to, but this is embarrassing.
On top of that, the plotline as a whole lacks the grip found in the other legendary Ghibli works. (Tangent: While it's somewhat unfair to judge a movie by its predecessors, it is unavoidable in this situation solely because of the pedigree. I think the proper term is "selling-out," much like how Spielberg makes nothing but commercial drivel after the incredible Schindler's List and magnificent Saving Private Ryan; given that this is an adaptation of a Western novel, it would be fair to say that Ghibli was aiming at a more international audience, as compared to the intrinsically Japanese Spirited Away and Mononoke-Hime. It's definitely an unfortunate direction. End Tangent.) What was this film about, really? Was it an anti-war commentary? A tale of the misuse of magic? Environmentalism? The benefits of old age? Another "having no heart literally doesn't mean having no heart figuratively, and we must look past that and LOVE" ala Beauty and the Beast? Not a single one of these plotlines sufficed as a hook; it felt aimless, and then ends in a stereotypical fashion. Where was the "wow" moment in this one? Where was the part that equaled the crumbling of Laputa? Or the part when the Ohmu lifted and resurrected Nausicaa? Or when kid turned into a dragon? The list goes on, but the message is clear: Howl's Moving Castle didn't have the "wow" moment.
The problems don't even end there. The characters were plain impossible to relate to and were unlikable from the start. I never once found myself cheering for the main character, as her quest is probably one of the least tense and uninvolving in Ghibli history, lagging behind even the Totoro main characters in this department. The fact that she mysteriously de-aged near the end was a strange plot device that didn't work for me, and her overall development was decidedly stagnant. The character of Howl is equally perplexing in a negative way. Unlikable and narcissistic, he somehow undergoes a five minute transformation near the end of the film that completely flips his character around in a 180. No, bad Miyazaki for using the worst kind of character development tool ever, bad; go to your room and reflect on dumping trash all over the place. Having connectible characters is one of the most important things in any non-interactive form of entertainment; if we don't like them, how are we going to enjoy watching or reading them? For someone with as much experience as Miyazaki in this area to fail so dramatically... maybe he should have stayed retired.
Despite all the doom and gloom, the film is still a technical marvel. It's as good as 2D animation will get, although more and more 3D is being added with each passing film. As stated, it takes the prosaic and combines it with the imaginary, resulting in some genuinely beautiful vistas that have the potential to be unforgettable. But ultimately, I found that the parts where the two weren't mixed to be the most eye-catching. Even worse, there were no breathtaking moments; the quality of the images on screen didn't match the shoddiness of the rest of the film and feels unimpressive throughout because of it. Beauty without elegance, without substance; it's a crime that simply should not be associated with Ghibli, much less Miyazaki. The voice acting was fine, but the music is forgettable. A misstep by Joe Hisashi as well? What a film.
Like one of the characters, the heart of this film disappeared to somewhere. What was left was a cheap sounding anti-war movie filled with poorly conceived and weakly written characters. Howl's Moving Castle is by far the lowest ranked Ghibli movie in my book, and stands near the GitS movies in terms of unconnectible plot and self-congratulatory nonsense. With Ponyo coming later this year, hopefully Miyazaki has gotten rid of the terrible with this film. His best works have always been original pieces stemming from inspiration from classic works, and being that Howl's Moving Castle is not a classic in by any measure, nor was it an original work by him, it's easy to see why it lacked quality. To say that it rode the coattails of previous Miyazaki works to its box office record would not be a stretch at all. Individually, this was a decidedly mediocre production. Still, two decades and only one misstep? You get a mulligan for this one, Hayao. Just don't disappoint your fans again next time.
Plot: C-
Characters: D
Production Values: B+
Enjoyment: F
Overall: D
Posted by : Gen3s1s
Posted on : 2008-05-30
Howl's Moving Castle, is another wonderfully made movie by Studio Ghibli. Yes it is pretty much the same as many others, set in a completely different world. This world is filled with unbelievably imaginative creations and beautiful scenes. It falls a little short of amazing, I feel that it could have been improved in certain areas. The characters are lovable and the music is somewhat brilliant. It can be a little confusing in some areas and it doesn't even seem like Studio Ghibli tried to explain them.
The story is all about Howl and Sophie. Like I said before, it’s a story used often. The story is set in a completely different world, or a completely different version of our world. Either way, it's still amazing. You might be thinking that the setting is something you see in every anime and hence it's nothing special. I think Studio Ghibli utilizes the setting and does it better than any other studio. They pay incredible attention to detail and they really make the world look beautiful. They've done it time and time again and they never fail. The story develops nicely, making sure you don't get bored at the beginning, using humor to keep you interested. When things take a turn, the adventure begins. You'll meet the wonderful characters and see beautiful scenery along the movie. It's very spaced out so you can take it all in without any struggles.
The characters are another brilliant addition to the movie. They all have their own personalities and quirks. However, you may feel that Sophie "at the beginning" is someone rather mundane and commonly used. She is actually one of the best characters of the movie. You'll see it eventually. Howl is someone I wouldn't consider entertaining, but I suppose that he learns many things throughout his experience with Sophie. I don't think you see enough of him and he doesn't actually have many lines throughout the movie. Calsiphar the fire demon, is a definite favorite. He's whiney, funny and kind. I consider him the pinnacle of the characters, even though no character development is involved with him whatsoever. Character development isn't really brought up as often as I'd liked. It's a shame really it would have been nice to see all the characters past and, see how and why, they all became who they are.
The animation is simply stunning. With certain effects used on the castle making it stand out, despite how beautiful the scenery is. Some scenes are just far to incredible, filled with stars, grass, the waterfall, the cliffs every moment is filled with incredible attention to detail not a single moment is dull. The castle even has its little attributes, could a dump be considered beautiful? Maybe it can, maybe it can't, however, I will say that the scenes within the castle don't lack anything; it has its own charm. The second you see the inside of the castle, you can instantly feel what kind of emotional environment the castle has.
The music could have been improved. I was expecting background music that rivaling Laputa or Spirited Away, something that's memorable and beautiful. It's another unfortunate turn for the movie. The music may capture emotions and other moments, but without it being memorable or beautiful, I can honestly say that it could have improved; or rather it should have been improved.
To sum this up, it's an incredible adventure, I completely recommend this movie. It’s one that will create only happy memories for you. It can sometimes be a little confusing and it can actually lack depth in some areas. Although I still consider this a "Top Notch" movie that can be compared to many other Studio Ghibli movies.
Posted by : nickofsatan
Posted on : 2007-08-29
A few years back, I was walking around downtown and stumbled into a relatively empty but nice theater known for showing more artsy and unusual films. There I stumbled upon Howl's Moving Castle, one of the best animated films I had ever seen at the time. It exposed me to some of Miyazaki's greatest abilities. The musical score was heavenly and the animation was simple and smooth but still balanced with detail. I loved it at first.
But after watching a great number of other Miyazaki's, this film is just sooooo stale. Many of the themes have already been addressed in previous films, stripping away the authenticity.
Some of the biggest problems I had were with the plot and animation. Sure, Miyazaki is no plot master, but he is a master at making even the simplest plots exciting. Through small actions that gave away hints about characters, Miyazaki makes the most mundane reality colorful. But somewhere in the magicians and black blobs, the film lost the relaxing and tastefully well done Miyazaki magic.
Additionally, the animation was good quality, but not well organized to the story. Unlike Nausicaa and Mononoke, not much time is used to create an intricate feel. Like Spirited Away, Howl's is exposed to varying uses of animation, and just doesn't quite establish a consice setting or style.
Miyazaki is renowned for great presentation of various moral themes about human compassion and love. But Howl's ending just left me with an empty feeling. Neither the love nor the growth of characters felt genuine. Rather, both felt degenerated by a wishy-washy plot and ultimately nothing great.
Verdict- If you really like this film, like I did at first, then you'll love the rest of miyazaki's films, because this is about as bad as Miyazaki gets.
Posted by : a_m_i
Posted on : 2006-04-25 
Howl's Moving Castle is extremely magical, and heart-warming.
The first time I saw this movie, it was a bit confusing, but it was still good. The second time I saw the movie, I picked up much more which made it fantastic.
This movie is based on a book by Diana Wynne Jones, but in my opinion, the movie is very different for the better. I feel that this movie is definitely underrated. A lot of people seem to think that it is one of Miyazaki not so good pieces of work, but I think thats not the case. Some bits seem a bit rushed- like the ending... but overall, I rank it probably 4th of all his works.
The animation, need I say, was absolutely stunning (as are most of Miyazaki's pieces). It is old school but very intricate. The score was good enough to go with the story.
The characters in this movie, I felt were not given enough depth and history for the audience to really empathize with them. But after I saw the movie, I went and bought the book and understood the movie much better!
Anyway, generally this is an excellent movie and I would definitely recommend to everyone. This movie is Oscar worthy.
Posted by : Tevesh
Posted on : 2006-04-03
Howl's Moving Castle is an average Miyazaki work, which certainly makes it better than normal. Even though Howl's Moving Castle has the same polished characteristics like Spirited Away by borrowing earlier movies to use as "rough drafts", I still cannot deny that Howl was entertaining. A lot of what I liked was the combination of magic and technology, willpower from within as well as demonic contracts, and other things that feel like they shouldn't be going together but do.
As I firmly stand in the "Nausicaa was his best film" camp, I know that Howl did not trump and that is what counts for me. The usual minor flaws of lacking intense action and a noticeable tempo loss in film were in Howl's Moving Castle. As I've mentioned in my other reviews, these minor flaws only feel like gaping mistakes due to the mastery of Miyazaki in his works. Compared to most of the field, Howl's Moving Castle is great but not one of the greats.
I place this in the same range of awesome as Spirited Away, so if you thought that Spirited Away is five out of five, then so is Howl's Moving Castle. Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind are his two productions that I feel that trump both of Miyazaki's most recognized works. Do not forget them, and please do try to watch them.
Posted by : Himitsu
Posted on : 2006-03-25
Not one of Miyazaki's best works, but better than any other anime series by far. He still enlightens us with breath-taking animation/sceneries, imagination, and charismatic characters. Howl's Moving Castle had all these elements, however, the story was a bit open. The events that took place were not really solid.
Given the title, I immediately think of Studio Ghibli's other work; Laputa: Castle in the Sky (one of my favourites). If you've watched this, you'll pretty much know what goes on in Howl's Moving Castle, and vice versa. You'll receive the mobile landmarks, the flying (bug-like) units, and a chase for the main character. I'd have to say though, I did prefer the pacing, simplicity, and solid storyline in Laputa: Castle in the Sky much, much more.
I really enjoyed this movie. What drew me in first, was the animation of course. With an older setting, Miyazaki still uses beautiful colours. If I had to choose a favourite setting, I couldn't. But I think the one that stands out most is when Turnip, Markle, and Sophie do the laundry together. It was a peaceful and tranquil feel.
Secondly, what drew me in were the characters. They were all lovable. While Howl was undoubtly the hottest character there, my favourite characters Markle, he was sweet, cute, and very obedient! Turnip would be a 2nd favourite, but it seems he was only there to provide comic-relief, still, he's almost the equivalent to the Cat Bus in Totoro. Each character shined, but I found that they didn't have any significant faults within them. This didn't make them realistic. Also, they lacked history and depth.
Thirdly (chronologically, not in significance) was Miyazaki's imagination. His movies are full of it, and Howl's Moving Castle is no exception. It's astonishing that he has such a vast imagination, and I always wonder, as I watch his movies, just where he thinks of them. The a moving Castle is probably not anything new, it's the pacing, and simply the events that are very imaginitive. You'll see it in the animation, such as Howl's room, Calcifer: the fire demon, the black blobs, etc.
I wish I remembered the music...
The bigger problem I had with Howl's Moving Castle is probably the "turn" of events. There was a war, but why? And... what? When did this happen? Who's the enemy again? Also, I did admit that Miyazaki has an astounding imagination, however, it seems that he doesn't know how to control it. He put it out all at once, and things seemed really busy, when really, it's not as important. Let the audience rest, hm?
Posted by : fresh_no_concept
Posted on : 2006-02-22
Oh, Miyazaki. You continue to entertain us for the past two decades with your enchanting stories and visually breathtaking spectacles. What more do you have to prove to us jaded and ever unsatisfied anime fans? You have already established yourself as one of the greatest directors of all time; anime or otherwise. Your movies reach out past the fanatics and to almost anyone willing to give a chance and view your creations. Masterpieces like Nausicaa, Laputa, Porco Rosso and Kiki are more than proof of that. So what more could Miyazaki possibly provide us with his latest movie, Howl's Moving Castle? Fortunately and unfortunately, it is more of the same.
Now do not get me wrong. Howl is several steps above the rest of the competition in practically all aspects considered. Miyazaki knows how to tell a story that captures to imagination and attention of those who listen. However, there seems to be a trent to these movies as time progresses. Each subsequent movie tries to top the previous in terms of epic scale and grandiose adventure. This is usually a good thing, but Miyazaki has lately had eyes that are bigger than his stomach. This movie is quite the grand epic that everybody expects it to be. Unfortunately, it becomes so grand and so large in scale that Howl loses the very element that I enjoyed so much about his past movies: that beautiful simplicity. Howl and his moving castle can instantly draw you in, but when you get bombarded with so many breathtaking events and people without so much as an explanation, it all becomes too much to swallow in the end. I have seen hints of this since Princess Mononoke, and it has become very noticable in each successive Ghibli movie. Nevertheless, the story is just plain enchanting and fun to watch anyways.
The characters in Howl are as lovable as only Miyazaki characters can be. I have never had any complaints in this department regarding Ghibli works and I'm not about to start now. The cast is very convincing and can easily pull anyone into the world that they inhabit. Sophie is the ideal heroine, although she seems a little too accepting of the events that transpire around her. Sophie very much reminded me of a certain seventeen year old redhead who flew around with Porco in an earlier Miyazaki masterpiece; hence, her instant appeal as a character. Howl himself is a pretty decent hero with his share of fears and insecurites to go along with his gallent actions and personality. The residents of the moving castle are all fun to watch from the small boy who dresses like some old man to the fire that powers the castle with magic and smooth talking along the way. They all help to create an environment that is fun to enter and hard to leave.
Speaking of environment, it is visually stunning. The people at Studio Ghibli are masters of the trade. Howl's Moving Castle is just one beautiful picture moving across the silver screen. The animation and detail in this movie, although expected, is all just top of the line. I loved everything from the gradual aging, forwards and backwards, of Sophie to the rolls of fat undulate from the Witch of Waste's cheeks. I won't even get into that castle; it's just beautiful beyond words. Jo Hisashi is at it again with his music but I felt that the movie made very little use of his skill. The music, although great, didn't have the commanding and masterful presence that usual Hisashi compositions possess. This could be due to the fact that said grand and epic storyline pretty much overpowers everything else, rather than Jo Hisashi getting rusty in his age.
So what do you come out with in the end after watching Howl's Moving Castle? You come out with another great movie to watch. Despite my complaints, I'll admit I was instantly drawn in to Sophie, Howl and their grand adventures. I fell for the lush and illustrious settings like any other moviegoer would. I just wished that Howl was able to capture and display the magic that past Miyazaki movies have shown. I won't say that this is one of Miyazaki's best movies (far from it, actually). I will say that Howl's Moving Castle is a wonderful movie that does rise above and beyond conventional anime expectations and should be viewed by all; anime fan or not.
Posted by : Faebinder
Posted on : 2006-01-27
In short, wow. Ghibli's work was awesome, and this one in my opinion surpassed even Spirited Away. This story is set in a magical world where technology is behind magic but still existant. You will see flying ships and magical spells used equally in this movie. Details...
Animation/Art: 9/10. It's the usual quality of Ghibli. Scenery beautiful, background gorgeous. Characters detailed. Still, no dazzling animated scenes. But otherwise...gorgeous.
Music/Sound: 9/10. The selection of music was wonderful, very melodic. The voices were well setup.
Story: 8/10. Excellent in terms of uniqueness. OF course it suffered from the typical ending, but otherwise the story was fascinating. The amount of imagination put into the magical castle was wonderful. The story has a heavy set of magic to it and I applaud how they managed to keep the story so interesting. Unfortunatey, as stated, it suffered from a typical ending. The beginning was also unclear but soon reveals enough detail for watched to continue watching.
Characters: 9/10. Wonderful characters. I thoroughly enjoyed how the characters supplmeneted the story. The animated fire and Howl were surprisingly good characters. Unfortunately, the two antagonists in the movie were a bit odd and unexplained enough and that diminished mildly from the beauty of the movie.
Overall... a great buy and very enjoyable.. I highly highly recommend it.
Posted by : heroic_decepticon
Posted on : 2006-01-06
This was a Ghibli release, so I had to check it out - for good or for worse. There is a concise enough sypnosis above, so I shall just delve into reviewing the anime.
STORY: Objectively, Howl's Moving Castle does have a decent enough to good story. However, having seen other Ghibli movies like Spirited Away, Princess Monoke and etc... the story and characters do not seem all that original.
There is the girl character that gets changed from her original form, the doe eyed male character hero, blobs of shapeless stuff... you get the picture.
So, an objectively good story that is subjectively not appealing to me. But the score is an objective one. Score - 7.5/10
PACE: This is a movie for godness sake. It could have been paced better. At times, it got really draggy especially when Calcifer begins to whine. Score - 6/10
ANIMATION: Well, its a Ghibli. Animation is great. I would expect no less. Though I would be much happier if they did not animate people's faces and eyes like they do. I don't really like that, but then if they did it any other way, it would not have a 'Ghibli' feel. Score - 8/10
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Overall, the characters were well developed and I could identify with them generally though I did not have any particular affinity with any character. Howl's motives could have been better explained though.
I think the downside to this is that there is little or no explanation about the origins or significance of the 'moving castle'. We get little snippets here and there, but that is all. I would have thought that this is significant especially when the movie is titled Howl's Moving Castle. Score - 6.5/10
MUSIC: Ok. Nothing memorable like in Sprited Away but not all that bad. Score - 6.5/10
My overall score is obtained from adding the scores from the 5 sections, converting that to a 100%, then divided by 10 to get a score out of 10. Fractions are rounded up.
OVERALL SCORE: 7/10
Posted by : tabz
Posted on : 2005-12-13
its a ghiblie need i say more?
This movie might feel different than the (forgive the term) "usual" ghiblie movies in terms of the story as this story is to my understanding, not a ghiblie original.. based from an american book they say, still a ghiblie is a ghiblie and just seeing the Totoro logo at the beggining of the movie makes you feel right at ease while watching..
The movie is quite lenghty as it tries to squeeze the story into the couple of hours or so that will pass, just one thing tho, either other ghiblie movies like 'spirited away' or 'laputa' was inspired by this movies' original book or the story Howls Moving Castle was inspired by the former and latter.
There are just so many elements in the story which would really make you think back, like: "ive already seen this kind of stuff somewhere" the similarities to spirited away doesnt end there, but its not my place to spoil it for everyone else, this is a great movie by all means, and i don't care what the hardcore book fans would think, there's a term that says, "based on the book" which would mean that not necessarily exactly ECACTLY like whats in the book..
I'll never mistake watching another ghiblie film with everyone else ever again(at least till I see it first myself), ive learned my lesson, ghiblies are best whatched at leisure and alone by oneself, unless of course you have a couple of buds that can sit QUIETLY watching and appreciating a work of this caliber from a very well renowned group, and not having to listen to complaints of disparity.
Lastly, I didnt quite like how the movie felt too cg, even in the character drawings the lines seem to be a bit too thick.. but thats just my nitpicking, enjoy this movie by all means.. its a ghiblie for crying out loud!!! and of course high reccomendation should be tagged to the branding.
Posted by : jkonle
Posted on : 2005-11-16 
Hmm... Where to start.
+The Story+
It's basically based on the book (not all that great) with a lot of new twists and turns. There are a few new characters and landscapes, and the plot was changed dramatically. Kind of goes like this:
Sophie, a young woman who works in her mother's hat shop, is changed into an old woman by a witch. In a desperate attempt to restore her body to its young self, she plants herself in Howl's moving castle. The handsome womanizer accepts her as a cleaning maid and she stays with him all the while hoping to be rid of the curse.
She learns that Howl himself is under a curse as well, and the curse is tied with the fire demon, Calcifer. Soon after entering his home, she begins to slowly fall in love with him and he with her. Their relationship is strange yet sweet and not all "lovey-dovey" at all, which is really good.
+Characters+
I strongly disliked Sophie. I mean, she was pretty ugly, but more than that, I didn't like how she was so "strong in character and unique" that everyone falls in love with her and befriends her. For instance, Calcifer who is only obedient to Howl, becomes obedient to her in an instant. Howl's assistant respects her soon after he meets her and even Howl himself accepts her all too quickly. Also, there's some prince that's under a spell and has the form of a scarecrow and HE falls in love with her too! Oh yeah, she's SO GREAT.
Get my point? I don't like what fanfiction writers call "mary-sues."
Overall, I think Howl was too much of a pretty boy but he was okay. I didn't like the witch because she was too easily defeated. Calcifer was a little obnoxious and too big of a worry-wort.
+Music+
GREAT. FANTASTIC. Seriously.
The music really added to the drama and action and romance all throughout the movie. It wasn't too loud or anything like Lord of the Rings and stuff. It was great.
+Art+
I ADORED it. It's unique, simple, and beautiful. It doesn't elaborate on eye-candy but digs deeper to portray more emotions and realistic images.
Overall, Howl's Moving Castle was well-made, but not a great movie at all. I actually found it quite boring and time consuming. I didn't even understand why half the stuff happened! I mean, how the heck does Sophie grow young and old and young and old randomly throughout the movie? Why the heck was the dog there? Does it even matter?
So, yeah... That's my basic opinion on Howl's Moving Castle.
Posted by : o0eviltwinxl0o
Posted on : 2005-11-04
Howl's moving castle is definately 9/10 for me! I was so impressed with this piece. SO blown away! It might have been a little like a mix of Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away, but very original.
The graphics and music matched and the movie ran very smoothly. The storyline might have seemed a little confusing, but the character design was very outstanding! The scenery matched them very elegantly. Well, what would you expect?! it's a miyazaki film from ghibli, could anyone have expected anything less? Recommended to everyone who loves a nice, clean romance/fantasy story (it's not one of those mushy, lovey dovey ones or anything, if you know what I mean). (^_^)
Posted by : Hoshii
Posted on : 2005-09-29
Howl's Moving Castle is an awesome movie. Howl's Moving Castle is an awesome book. I recommend both highly. There's action, adventure, and romance, with awesome graphics and the story unfolds excellently.
Story: 10/10
The story is excellent. Though it diverges greatly from the book, the Ghibli lets the story unfold at a perfect pace. Romance plays a large part in the plot, but it's not up-in-front and in your face; it's a quiet, laid-back romance intermingled with large dollops of adventure.
Art/Music: 10/10
Beautiful. The character designs and setting are wonderful. The music is dramatic, and fitting.
Characters: 9/10
This is the only place where the rating falls short. The main characters simply failed to live up to their full potential. Don't get me wrong, they totally deserve the nine, and that's as close as a ten as you can get without going into fractions or decimals.
Opinion
Though I've given the various aspects of the movie a ten out of ten, the movie just doesn't cut a 10/10 for me. Mostly, I think, I can give it the ten because I read the book before hand, and happen to like the plot better.
Personally, I like the way Dianna Wyne Jones played out the love story between Howl and Sophie more than how Ghibli did it.
I was also disappointed when Michael turned out to be a little kid, and Sophie is more reticent than in the book. Not to mention all the characters that were cut out from the story altogether.
Overall, great movie. Totally recommend it to everyone, everywhere.
Posted by : whiteleaf
Posted on : 2005-08-25
This is a really awsome movie! I was really impressed! The animation made my eyes get really big in some of the scenes. The background animation was perfect, even in the city (some movies really mess up on animating cities) The music is similiar to Spirited Away's soundtrack, but nonetheless doesn't fail to please the ears. I thought the story was well laid out, except in some parts where it gets a little fuzzy as to how something happend, or what's going on. (Such as when the girl who is cursed into an old lady turns normal again when she goes to sleep or something-it was kinda confusing).
But despite the minor confusions this is a must-see classic!!
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