Charming and brutal

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

I've always loved how Miyazaki manage to convey so much emotion in his movies. This one is the perfect example of that. Through the story of a young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, Miyazaki explore many themes: war, friendship, aging, changing, redemption...The setting is also captivating and the soundtrack is absolute perfection.

The word that popped into my head to best describe this film was 'charming'. I've never considered a movie charming before, so I'd have to say this one had an impact on me. The story was a uniquely creative one and the animation art wasn't as off-putting as some anime can be.As Sophie went through her various age related metamorphisms, I tried to keep track to see if there was a common denominator for becoming young again after the Witch of the Waste cast her spell. It occurred when she fell asleep, but after that it was hard to distinguish any common elements responsible for the change. Maybe it was an aspect of her mood at the time? I have to admit, there were times in the second half of the story when things were getting a bit difficult to follow, where cause and effect didn't seem to have any connection to each other. The one thing that occurred in the story that caused some concern was when Sophie threw the bucket of water on the old Witch, summoning up a reference to Dorothy defeating the Wicked Witch of the West. That coincidence I think detracted from the story's originality a bit.But otherwise I came away feeling good about the picture. I've seen a few other works by director Miyazaki, among them "Princess Mononoke". That one too was somewhat complex in trying to understand and I don't pretend to 'get' all of what he was trying to say, but he makes up for it to large degree with interesting characters and a very nice palette that's pleasing to the eye. I just recently happened to view the movie that beat this one out for Best Animated Feature, "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit", and for my money, this one appealed to me a whole lot better.

Sophie, a young hatter, encounters a wizard named Howl on her way to visit her sister Lettie. Upon returning, she meets the Witch of the Waste, who transforms her into a ninety-year-old woman. Seeking to break the curse, Sophie leaves home and sets off through the country. She meets a scarecrow, whom she decides to call 'Turnip Head'. He leads her to Howl's moving castle, where she meets Howl's young apprentice, Markl, and the fire-demon Calcifer, who is the source of the castle's energy and magic. When Howl appears, Sophie announces that Calcifer let her in, and she has hired herself as a cleaning lady for the house.Meanwhile, Sophie's country is caught up in a war with a neighboring country. The King summons Howl to fight in the war; however, Howl decides to send Sophie to the King under the pretense of being his mother, to tell the king that Howl is too much of a coward to fight. Before leaving, he gives to Sophie a charmed ring that connects her to Calcifer. Sophie meets Suliman, the king's adviser, and also the Witch of the Waste, whom Suliman punishes by draining all of her power, causing her to regress into a harmless old woman. Suliman says that Howl will meet the same fate if he does not fight; Sophie protests passionately in his defense, allowing Suliman to see Sophie's true form, and to realize that she has feelings for Howl. Howl arrives to rescue Sophie; Suliman tries to trap him, but with Sophie's help, they escape along with the former witch.

I really appreciate Miyazaki's story-telling and the unique perspective he brings to the world of children's films, and Howl's Castle is no exception. Although it is based on a book (which I have not read), Miyazaki really makes the story his own. The world he crafts and the story he weaves are so amazingly detailed and interesting that I was truly spellbound for most of the film. Unfortunately, the ending does not live up to the promise of the film and is somewhat unsatisfying, which is the only reason I could not rate this as a 10. However, it is still worth seeing. As is typical with Miyazaki, he successfully relates the conflict and ambiguity of the world around us in an engaging way, without resorting to the Western ideals of good and evil. His characters really embody the concepts of yin/yang and wabi-sabi. Nothing and no one is completely good or completely evil and nothing is really as it may seem. I think these are concepts that all children (and adults) should be introduced to and I can't think of a better way than through a tale told by Miyazaki.