Howl's Moving Castle

Publisher
Optimum
Director
Hayao Miyazaki
Production
Studio Ghibli
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Film
Running time
115 mins
Year
2005

Howl's Moving Castle

By John Huxley
19th Mar 06

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Miyazaki has an obsession with castles. Castle of Cagliostro, Castle in the Sky and now Howl’s Moving Castle. That’s around a third of his output that revolves around a castle of some kind. What is it about castles he finds so fascinating? He’s visited Wales before, which has a lot of castles...I’m clutching at straws here, aren’t I? Still, as long as he keeps making films of the quality of Castle of Cagliostro and Castle in the Sky, I hope Miyazaki continues his fascination with castles. And Howl’s moving Castle (yes, I’ve used the word castle a lot in this paragraph...I can’t help it, the man’s obsession is rubbing off on me!) really has its work cut out if it hopes to retain the good name of Miyazaki’s castle films (whatever that means..all three are totally unrelated).

Unlike many recent Miyazaki epics, Howl’s Moving Castle isn’t based upon an original concept but a book written by British author Diana Wynne Jones. Set in a kind of confused world that mixes witches and wizards with picturesque European towns and oddly advanced steam driven technology, the story follows the adventures of a prissy young girl named Sophie. Only Sophie isn’t the type to go looking for adventure; it’s thrust upon her when she has a coincidental meeting with the titular Howl, a dashing wizard that whisks her off her feet...literally. And yet, too timid to chase after her dashing hero, that short acquetance would have been the end of Sophie’s adventure were it not for the interference of the Witch of Waste who, in an attempt to punish those who become involved with her nemesis Howl, takes it upon herself to put a curse on the poor unexpecting Sophie.

The witch’s curse turns our once youthful heroine into a frail old lady, leaving her no choice but to seek the help of witches and wizards to find the cure for this terrible spell. Yet fate leads her to Howl’s moving castle, where she’s greeted by his young apprentice Markl and the fire spirit that drives the castle, Cacifer. Soon she becomes embroiled in Howl’s way of life as the mysterious hero eventually reveals the truth behind his showy facade, and his battles with rivals and enemy forces give way to his own personal struggles. And if he’s to overcome these obstacles, he’ll need the supporting shoulder of Sophie as much as she’ll need him.

Despite the giant, biped castle taking centre stage (and deservedly so...a beautiful beast it is), Howl’s Moving Castle isn’t a film that takes us on a journey. After we’ve been introduced to the bowels of the bizarre walking castle and its equally unusual inhabitants, it’s revealed that while the castle can move across all sorts of terrain with an uncertain level of ease, the magic that holds it together also allows it to move from place to place at the turn of a dial. So, once Sophie has made it to the castle (which is a journey in itself with her newfound elderly legs), the film switches focus to a more character-driven storyline that delves into the relationship between Howl and his recently employed cleaner, Sophie.

To a certain extent this is a missed opportunity - the novelty of a walking castle soon wears off once the strange and wonderful places it could take you are right there on the doorstep. This kind of ‘journey’ structure worked to fantastic effect in Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke, and it’s possible that Howl’s Moving Castle could have been equally as effective considering the premise. But Miyazaki chose to develop this story in a different direction, giving less screen time to the landscape and more to his lovingly crafted characters. Perhaps it’s not quite the experience that many were expecting, but that’s not to say that it’s less engaging or entertaining as any other film in the Ghibli stable.

Still, the film does lose a little of its impact when one of its most novel aspects is pushed into the background so quickly.

Regardless, Howl’s Moving Castle still manages to capture your imagination with some of the most beautiful visuals ever to be committed to cel. Not only is the animation and artwork of the unrealistically high standard that we’ve come to expect from recent Ghibli outings, there’s a undefinable craftsmanship that helps to give it a presence on screen that’s certainly lacking in most Hollywood CGI productions. Everything from the castle itself right down to flowers and blades of grass in the background are rendered with such loving attention to detail that it’s often had to take the whole picture in and pay attention to the story at the same time. It’s certainly worth rewatching just to appreciate the animation to its fullest.

That’s not a statement on the quality of the story, of course. Ghibli films have become increasingly convoluted in recent years, and Howl’s Moving Castle continues this trend apace. Far from the beautiful simplicity of My Neighbour Totoro or Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle takes in many characters, backdrops and scenarios that you’d hope would go on to create a greater whole with Miyazaki’s guiding hand. Unfortunately this isn’t the case, as all these different elements don’t quite fit together as easily as they did for Spirited Away. Most critically it lacks focus, meandering in several different directions without really developing any to the extent we’d expect. The end product comes out feeling disappointingly disjointed, offering an unusually uneven experience for a Ghibli production.

That said, there are plenty of memorable moments in Howl’s Moving Castle; they just don’t quite work as a whole. The unusual cast of characters in particular provide plenty of entertainment, with oddities such as the bloated Witch of Waste and the firey Calcifer lending the film a little colour. More so than the comparatively bland central duo of Sophie and Howl, these are the characters that you’ll remember most fondly for their unique appearance and personalities. Even if it’s not Miyazaki’s finest hour, Howl’s Moving Castle still has plenty of flavour.

They might not be the most interesting or entertaining characters in the film, yet Howl and Sophie’s relationship does take up the majority of the screentime, and it’s this central storyline that’ll keep your interest through to the final credits. Sophie’s curse is soon relegated to the background as it becomes obvious that it’s self-inflicted, Miyazaki making a less than subtle (but no less valid) point about feeling as old as you look. When we’re introduced to Howl he appears to be nothing more than a conceited showman, but as the movie progresses he reluctantly opens himself up to Sophie and reveals a more vulnerable side to his personality. Howl may be the most powerful wizard around, but it’s only with the strength of Sophie’s personality that they’ll be able to win the day.

But in the end, even this relatively solid storyline really isn’t strong enough to save Howl’s Moving Castle from mediocrity...mediocrity in terms of Ghibli films, you understand. Even taking into account all its flaws, Howl’s Moving Castle is still a very enjoyable film. It’s easy to criticise and pick out all the negative aspects because we expect so much from Ghibli and Miyazaki. Only their incredibly impressive track record relegates Howl’s Moving Castle to mediocrity.

All of which means that Howl’s Moving Castle gets a hesitant stamp of recommendation. And after reading this review, you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did if you approach it with lower expectations (a trick that worked well for me with Porco Rosso). So does it live up to the good name of Miyazaki’s other castle films? Well, it does have the coolest castle of the three, even if it’s not the best film...

R2 DVD Notes

Features: Japanese and English audio, English subtitles, alternative angle storyboards, interview with the author Diana Wynne Jones, interview with Pixar's Peter Docter, hello Lasseter featurette, explanation of CG featurette, Japanese trailers and TV spots, theatrical trailer, Studio Ghibli trailer reel

Release information: UK: Optimum Asia, out now

Notes: As was the case with their release of Spirited Away, Optimum have given Howl’s Moving Castle the two disc treatment. Not only is the feature itself a prime example of good DVD authoring, the second disc included alongside it is packed full of distracting extras. These range from the obligatory trailers and TV spots through to more unique features such as an interview with original author Diana Wynne Jones and explanation of the CGI techniques used to such great effect throughout the film. Of particular interest to Ghibli fans is the fairly lengthy featurette called ‘Hello Lasseter’, which follows Miyazaki and John Lasseter during a visit to the US. Even if you weren’t entirely taken with the film itself, it’s worth giving the second disc a whirl for this featurette alone.

-- John Huxley 19th Mar 06

Howl's Moving Castle Images