Hauru no ugoku shiro (2004)

Director:

Hayao Miyazaki

Writers:

Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)
Diana Wynne Jones (novel)

Release Date:

20 November 2004 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home.

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Witch | Demon | Wizard | Fire

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Chieko Baisho	...	Sofî (voice: Japanese version)
Takuya Kimura	...	Hauru (voice: Japanese version)
Akihiro Miwa	...	Arechi no Majo (voice: Japanese version)
Tatsuya Gashuin	...	Karushifâ (voice: Japanese version)
Ryûnosuke Kamiki	...	Marukuru (voice: Japanese version)
Mitsunori Isaki	...	Koshô (voice: Japanese version)
Yô Ôizumi	...	Kakashi no Kabu (voice: Japanese version)
Akio Ôtsuka	...	Kokuô (voice: Japanese version)
Daijiro Harada	...	Hin (voice: Japanese version)
Haruko Kato	...	Sariman (voice: Japanese version)
Jean Simmons	...	Grandma Sophie (voice: English version)
Christian Bale	...	Howl (voice: English version)
Lauren Bacall	...	Witch of the Waste (voice: English version)
Blythe Danner	...	Madame Suliman (voice: English version)
Emily Mortimer	...	Young Sophie (voice: English version)
Josh Hutcherson	...	Markl (voice: English version)
Billy Crystal	...	Calcifer (voice: English version)
Jena Malone	...	Lettie (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman	...	Prince Turnip (voice: English version)
Mark Silverman	...	King (voice: English version)
Jane Alan	...	Honey (voice: English version) (as Mari Devon)
Liliana Mumy	...	Madge (voice: English version)
Carlos Alazraqui	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Newell Alexander	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Rosemary Alexander	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Julia Barnett	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Susanne Blakeslee	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Leslie Carrara	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Mitch Carter	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
David Cowgill	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Holly Dorff	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Moosie Drier	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Ike Eisenmann	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Iake Eissinmann)
Will Friedle	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Bridget Hoffman	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Richard Steven Horvitz	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Richard Horvitz)
Sherry Hursey	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Hope Levy	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Christina MacGregor	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Joel McCrary	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Edie Mirman	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Peter Renaday	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Pete Renaday)
Kristen Rutherford	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Warren Sroka	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cornelia Dahlgren	...	Lettie (voice)
Shigeyuki Totsugi	...	(voice) (as Shigeyuki Sato)
Daran Norris	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Hayao Miyazaki

Writing credits
Hayao Miyazaki		(screenplay)
Diana Wynne Jones		(novel "Howl's Moving Castle") (as Daiana Win Jônzu)

Produced by
Rick Dempsey	....	producer
Tomohiko Ishii	....	assistant producer
John Lasseter	....	executive producer
Ned Lott	....	producer
Hayao Miyazaki	....	executive producer
Toshio Suzuki	....	producer

Original Music by
Joe Hisaishi

Cinematography by
Atsushi Okui

Film Editing by
Takeshi Seyama

Art Direction by
Yôji Takeshige
Noboru Yoshida

Production Management
David Candiff	....	post-production manager
Ryoichi Fukuyama	....	executive production manager
Cory Hansen	....	post-production supervisor
Seiji Okuda	....	executive production manager
Nozomu Takahashi	....	production manager
Hiroyuki Watanabe	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ryosuke Kiyokawa	....	assistant director
Yosuke Toba	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kô'hei Endô	....	color management system
Wataru Matsumoto	....	color management system
Fumiko Numahata	....	color key
Kanako Takayanagi	....	color key
Kazuko Yamada	....	color key
Tetsuya Yamai	....	color management system
Michiyo Yasuda	....	color designer

Sound Department
Atsushi Aikawa	....	DTS mastering
Petra Bach	....	supervising adr editor: English version
Randy Coppinger	....	adr recordist: English version
Mariko Hamada	....	DTS mastering
Suminobu Hamada	....	sound recording engineer
Yukio Hokari	....	foley artist
Takeshi Imaizumi	....	dialogue recordist
Shuji Inoue	....	sound
Mizuki Itou	....	foley artist
Michihiko Iwana	....	dialogue recordist
Bobby Johanson	....	adr recordist: English version
Tooru Kadokura	....	dialogue recordist
Doc Kane	....	sound: English version
Yuuichi Kaneko	....	sound recordist: ABACO Creative Studio
Hiromi Kimura	....	sound effects assistant
Masaya Kitada	....	foley artist
William Komar	....	adr recordist: English version
Jiro Miyazawa	....	dialogue recordist
Kazuaki Narita	....	sound effects assistant
Toru Noguchi	....	sound effects
Akihiko Okase	....	foley artist
Brandon Proctor	....	sound mix technician: English version
Gene Radzik	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Ronald G. Roumas	....	sound re-recordist: English version
Michael Semanick	....	sound re-recording mixer: English version
Mari Shinohara	....	sound recordist: ABACO Creative Studio
Naoto Takeshima	....	sound recordist: TOHO Sound Studio
Kazuhiro Wakabayashi	....	sound director (as Kazuhiro Hayashi)
Nobue Yoshinaga	....	sound production

Visual Effects by
Tatsuko Ishii	....	digital animator
Masaru Karube	....	digital animator
Susumu Masuuchi	....	digital animator
Tomoka Matsumura	....	digital animator
Norihiko Miyoshi	....	digital animator
Chikara Nomoto	....	digital animator
Miki Sato	....	digital animator
Yoichi Senzui	....	digital animator
Ichiro Uehara	....	digital animator
Hiroki Yamada	....	digital animator

Camera and Electrical Department
Wataru Takahashi	....	digital photographer
Atsushi Tamura	....	digital photographer
Junji Yubata	....	digital photographer

Animation Department
Akihiko Adachi	....	inbetween animator
Seiko Azuma	....	inbetween animator
Kaori Fujii	....	assistant animation checker
Maya Fujimori	....	inbetween animator
Youko Fujioka	....	digital ink and paint artist
Yuuko Fujita	....	inbetween animator
Yoshikazu Fukutome	....	background artist
Daisuke Furuya	....	inbetween animator
Makiko Futaki	....	key animator
Kenji Hachizaki	....	key animator
Hideki Hamazu	....	key animator
Keiji Hashimoto	....	key animator
Yoshie Hayashi	....	inbetween animator
Sayaka Hirahara	....	background artist
Takeshi Hiramatsu	....	inbetween animator
Shunsuke Hirota	....	inbetween animator
Waka Hirota	....	inbetween animator
Akira Hosogaya	....	inbetween animator
Hiroshi Iijima	....	digital ink and paint artist: T2 Studio
Takeshi Imamura	....	animation director
Junko Ina	....	background artist
Ryouko Ina	....	background artist
Hiroaki Ishii	....	digital ink and paint artist
Kunitoshi Ishii	....	inbetween animator
Keiko Itogawa	....	background artist
Kaori Itou	....	inbetween animator
Yoshitake Iwakami	....	inbetween animator
Sumie Iwata	....	inbetween animator
Emiko Iwayanagi	....	inbetween animator
Megumi Kagawa	....	key animator (as Ai Kagawa)
Tsutomu Kaichi	....	inbetween animator
Masatoshi Kai	....	background artist
Yukiko Kakinuma	....	inbetween animator
Junko Kanauchi	....	digital ink and paint artist: Trace Studio M
Yukie Kaneko	....	inbetween animator
Masashi Karino	....	inbetween animator
Naomi Kasugai	....	background artist
Mitsunori Katâma	....	digital animation director
Fumie Kawamata	....	digital ink and paint artist: T2 Studio
Shigeru Kimishima	....	key animator
Haruna Kiryu	....	digital ink and paint artist: T2 Studio
Yumiko Kitajima	....	inbetween animator
Mayumi Kitamura	....	inbetween animator
Yasuyuki Kitazawa	....	inbetween animator
Katsuya Kondô	....	animation supervisor
Katsuya Kondô	....	key animator
Rie Kondou	....	inbetween animator
Ken'ichi Konishi	....	key animator
Fumie Konno	....	inbetween animator
Kitaro Kosaka	....	animation director
Masahiro Kubota	....	background artist
Akane Kumakura	....	digital ink and paint artist
Tsutomu Kurita	....	key animator
Daisuke Makino	....	inbetween animator
Kiyoko Makita	....	inbetween animator
Hiroshi Masuda	....	key animator
Toshihiko Masuda	....	key animator
Osamu Masuyama	....	background artist
Tetsuaki Matsuda	....	inbetween animator
Mariko Matsuo	....	key animator
Masaru Matsuse	....	key animator
Atsuko Matsushita	....	inbetween animator
Osamu Miwa	....	inbetween animator
Tomoko Miyata	....	inbetween animator
Ayako Mori	....	inbetween animator
Naomi Mori	....	digital ink and paint artist
Kazuo Nagai	....	background artist
Rie Nakagome	....	animation checker
Hiroaki Nakajima	....	inbetween animator
Hideo Nakamura	....	inbetween animator
Katsutoshi Nakamura	....	inbetween animator
Masami Nakanishi	....	inbetween animator
Yohei Nakano	....	inbetween animator
Mai Nakazato	....	inbetween animator
Kumi Nanjo	....	digital ink and paint artist: T2 Studio
Sumie Nishido	....	inbetween animator
Hiromi Nishikawa	....	inbetween animator
Youichi Nishikawa	....	background artist
Mitsu Noguchi	....	inbetween animator
Kazuo Oga	....	background artist
Minoru Ohashi	....	inbetween animator
Shin'ya Ôhira	....	key animator
Mayumi Ohmura	....	inbetween animator
Kumiko Ohta	....	inbetween animator
Rie Okada	....	digital ink and paint artist
Masashi Okumura	....	key animator
Fumino Okura	....	digital ink and paint artist: T2 Studio
Takashi Omori	....	background artist
Kazuyoshi Onoda	....	key animator
Makoto Oohara	....	inbetween animator
Masako Osada	....	background artist
Norihiro Ôsugi	....	key animator
Shinji Otsuka	....	key animator
Hiroko Otsuki	....	digital ink and paint artist: Trace Studio M
Akihiro Oyama	....	digital ink and paint artist
Kiyoko Saitô	....	digital ink and paint artist
Saho Saito	....	inbetween animator
Masaya Saitou	....	assistant animation checker
Masako Sakano	....	inbetween animator
Chikako Sasagawa	....	inbetween animator
Hiromi Sasaki	....	inbetween animator
Yuuko Sasaki	....	inbetween animator
Masako Sato	....	inbetween animator
Tsutomu Shibutani	....	inbetween animator
Atsushi Shigeta	....	key animator
Akiko Shimizu	....	digital ink and paint artist: T2 Studio
Masayuki Shimizu	....	inbetween animator
Keisuke Shimohira	....	inbetween animator
Masako Shinohara	....	key animator
Yumiko Suehiro	....	inbetween animator
Takahiro Sugawara	....	inbetween animator
Sachiko Sugino	....	key animator
Ayano Suzuki	....	inbetween animator
Makiko Suzuki	....	key animator
Mariko Suzuki	....	assistant animation checker
Masashi Suzuki	....	digital animator: Gonzo Digitmation
Hiromi Takahashi	....	digital ink and paint artist
Kanako Takahashi	....	digital ink and paint artist: T2 Studio
Kentaro Takahashi	....	digital animator: T2 Studio
Moyo Takahashi	....	inbetween animator
Yohei Takamatsu	....	background artist
Nobuyuki Takeuchi	....	key animator
Atsushi Tamura	....	key animator
Setsuya Tanabe	....	inbetween animator
Atsuko Tanaka	....	key animator
Naoya Tanaka	....	background artist
Yuichi Tanaka	....	key animator
Yukie Tanaka	....	digital ink and paint artist
Junichi Taniguchi	....	background artist
Kumiko Tanihira	....	inbetween animator
Hitomi Tateno	....	animation checker
Kumiko Terada	....	inbetween animator
Akiko Teshima	....	inbetween animator
Akiko Toba	....	inbetween animator
Yoyoi Toki	....	inbetween animator
Kaori Tokunaga	....	inbetween animator
Keiko Tomizawa	....	inbetween animator
Masashi Toriyama	....	digital animator: T2 Studio
Jinko Tsuji	....	inbetween animator
Ryuji Uchida	....	digital ink and paint artist: T2 Studio
Kimitoshi Ueno	....	inbetween animator
Yukari Umebayashi	....	inbetween animator
Satoe Usui	....	inbetween animator
Youichi Watanabe	....	background artist
Alexandra Weihrauch	....	inbetween animator
Hisako Yaji	....	inbetween animator
Katsuya Yamada	....	key animator
Ken'ichi Yamada	....	key animator
Shinichiro Yamada	....	inbetween animator
Yukinobu Yamada	....	inbetween animator
Hirômi Yamakawa	....	key animator
Eiji Yamamori	....	key animator
Rie Yamamoto	....	inbetween animator
Akihiko Yamashita	....	animation director
Masakiyo Yamashita	....	inbetween animator
Yukari Yamaura	....	inbetween animator
Kikuyo Yano	....	background artist
Kenji Yazaki	....	key animator
Masafumi Yokota	....	key animator
Yuki Yokoyama	....	digital ink and paint artist: T2 Studio
Hiromasa Yonebayashi	....	key animator
Mitsuo Yoshino	....	background artist
Hideaki Yoshio	....	key animator

Casting Department
Motohiro Hatanaka	....	casting coordinator
Ayumi Sato	....	casting coordinator
Naomi Yasu	....	casting coordinator

Editorial Department
Chris DeLaGuardia	....	color timer
Hiroaki Hirabayashi	....	color timer
Kashiko Kimura	....	assistant editor
Rie Matsuhara	....	assistant editor
Megumi Uchida	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Joe Hisaishi	....	music arranger: "Sekai no Yakusoku"
Youmi Kimura	....	composer: theme song "Sekai no Yakusoku"
Simon Rhodes	....	music mixing: English version

Other crew
Stephen Alpert	....	overseas promotion
Shokichi Arai	....	production administration
Koichi Asano	....	merchandising development
Naomi Atsuta	....	merchandising development
Cindy Davis Hewitt	....	adaptation: English version
Rick Dempsey	....	dialogue director
Pete Docter	....	dialogue director
Masako Fujita	....	production accountant
Eiko Fujitsu	....	production accountant
Donald H. Hewitt	....	adaptation: English version
Hiroaki Hirabayashi	....	film development
Akio Ichimura	....	production accountant
Tomomi Imai	....	merchandising development
Kenji Imura	....	production assistant
Keiichi Itagaki	....	film preview production
Kyohei Ito	....	production assistant
Nozomu Ito	....	public relations
Hisayo Itou	....	production accountant
Rieko Izutsu	....	overseas promotion
Atsushi Kamimura	....	production desk
Takehisa Kawamata	....	laboratory manager
Noriyuki Kitakawachi	....	systems manager
Kaoru Mano	....	titles
David Midthunder	....	voices
Yuichiro Mochizuki	....	production desk
Nao Morisaki	....	overseas promotion
Yoshiaki Nishimura	....	production administration
Junichi Nishioka	....	public relations
Shinsuke Nonaka	....	chief of production administration
Sueko Numazawa	....	production accountant
Kristy Ryan	....	promotions manager: Australia
Junya Saito	....	production assistant
Satomi Sasaki	....	systems manager
Yuuko Shimura	....	laboratory coordinator
Nobuko Shiraki	....	production administration
Satoshi Takabatake	....	background layout assistant
Noriko Takaya	....	harmony process
Mikiko Takeda	....	overseas promotion
Chieko Tamura	....	public relations
Chiyoshi Tanaka	....	production desk
Eiichiro Tashiro	....	production assistant
Masaya Tokuyama	....	special media advisor
Kiyoko Tsuge	....	production accountant
Chihiro Tsukue	....	public relations
Yumiko Ukai	....	public relations
Masaru Yabe	....	special media advisor
Tamami Yamamoto	....	production accountant
Mika Yasuda	....	merchandising development

Production Companies

• Buena Vista Home Entertainment
• DENTSU Music And Entertainment
• Mitsubishi
• Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV)
• Studio Ghibli
• Tohokushinsha Film
• Tokuma Shoten
• d-rights

Distributors

• Wild Bunch (2004) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Toho Company (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Bazuca Films (2005) (Chile) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Pictures (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Cinema Mondo (2005) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Cinema Service (2004) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Lucky Red (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Triangelfilm (2005) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Bir Film (2006) (Turkey) (all media)
• Gateno Films (2006) (Peru) (all media)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Hollywood Classic Entertainment (2008) (Czech Republic) (DVD)
• Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK) (2005) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (all media)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Orlando Films (2005) (Israel) (all media)
• Pan Vision (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Switzerland) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Studio Ghibli (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Abaco Creative Studio  recording studio
• Anime Torotoro  animation support studio
• Avid Technology  
• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• DTS  DTS mastering
• Dogakobo  animation support studio
• Fonishia  post-production sound studio
• Gal Enterprise  previous
• Gonzo  digital animation
• Imagica  digital cinema mastering
• Imagica  digital film recording
• Imagica  prints
• Lawson  
• Liberty Ship  animation support studio
• Mad House  animation support studio
• Malin Post  titles
• Nakamura Production  animation support studio
• Narita Yume Bokujo  cooperation
• New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra  orchestra
• Oh Production  animation support studio
• Okuhitachi Kirara no Sato  
• Phoenicia  sound production
• Production I.G.  animation support studio
• Pug Point  casting
• Rasu Chijin Tetsudo Kyokai  
• Sakura Create  animation support studio
• Skywalker Sound  re-recording facility
• Studio Cockpit  animation support studio
• Studio Takuranke  animation support studio
• T2 Studio  digital animation
• T2 Studio  digital paint studio
• Toho AD  advertising
• Toho Sound Studio  recording studio
• Trace Studio M  digital paint studio
• Wonder Station  music production management

Also Known As:

Howl's Moving Castle (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
El increíble castillo vagabundo (Argentina) (Mexico) (dubbed version) [es]
Le château ambulant (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Das wandelnde Schloss (Germany) [de]
Det levande slottet (Sweden) [sv]
Det levende slot (Denmark) [da]
Det levende slottet (Norway) [no]
El castillo Ambulante (Spain) (working title) [es]
Howli liikuv kindlus (Estonia) (festival title) [et]
Howlui umjikineun seong (South Korea) [ko]
Il castello errante di Howl (Italy) [it]
Liikkuva linna (Finland) [fi]
O Castelo Andante (Portugal) [pt]
O Castelo Animado (Brazil) [pt]
Ruchomy zamek Hauru (Poland) [pl]
To kinoumeno kastro (Greece) [el]
Yürüyen sato (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Zámek v oblacích (Czech Republic) [cs]

MPAA:

Rated PG for frightening images and brief mild language.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | Dolby Digital EX (English-language version) | SDDS (English-language version) | DTS-ES (English-language version) | DTS-ES

Certification:

Mexico:A | Finland:K-7 | Australia:PG | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Zurich) | Canada:G (British Columbia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Portugal:M/6 | Netherlands:MG6 (DVD rating) | Peru:PT | South Korea:All | Malaysia:U | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | New Zealand:PG | USA:TV-PG (cable rating) | France:U | Singapore:G | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:PG | Ireland:G | Brazil:Livre | Germany:6 (bw)

Company:

Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Trivia:

Although the film was not released in the United Kingdom until 23 September 2005, director Hayao Miyazaki personally traveled to England in the summer of 2004 to give a private showing of the film to Diana Wynne Jones.

Quotes:

Markl: [Shadows begin to creep from walls] He's calling the spirits of darkness... I saw him do this once before when a girl dumped him!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Anime: Drawing a Revolution (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Sekai no Yakusoku

Terrific Miyazaki, although not his best

"Howl's Moving Castle" opened here in France on Jan. 12th (as "Le Château Ambulant," natch), and I saw it at an avant-première. As a raving fan of Miyazaki and of Diana Wynne Jones, I feel lucky to be an American living in France -- I see there's no release date announced yet for the U.S. Sorry, folks, and blame Disney!

I understand the feelings of viewers who have criticized the movie as trite. I find it's less imaginative, in terms of character development and emotional profundity, than Miyazaki's best masterpieces. However, even a pedestrian Miyazaki movie is infinitely more rich, frightening, imaginative and humane than any six Disney films put together, and there's a lot to love in "Howl's Moving Castle."

I am glad I didn't reread Jones' book before seeing the film; even going on my six-year-old memory of the novel, I can see the movie's a very loose adaptation, and I think Jones fans would do best to try to take the movie on its own merits instead of looking for a faithful adaptation. That said, Miyazaki is surprisingly successful, at moments, in capturing the richness of the novel's characters: the peculiar co-habitation of charm and terror in Howl the sorcerer and his demon companion Calcifer, and the pragmatic strength of will that makes us love Sophie, the protagonist, who embodies both the fairy-tale archetypes of the young girl and the old woman at once.

Miyazaki's directorial trademarks are here in spades. Most of them lend strength and power to the film: his passion for open landscapes, his vision of the power and horror of war, the uncompromised way his movies work to empower children, and especially girls. A few of them are just Miyazaki quirks that fans will recognize with amusement (walrus mustaches, cobbled European squares, and flying machines for everyone!) Richer and stranger, though, are the very successful integration of two things that Disney animation never even approaches: the way even a children's story can blur lines between an enemy and a friend, and the cohabitation of the monstrous and the sublime. Enemy, ally, monster, beloved: Miyazaki gives both visual and moral weight to these disturbing contradictions, and certain scenes in "Howl's Moving Castle" evoke a frightening sublimity I have never seen elsewhere than in "Princess Mononoke."

I think the film suffers from a slightly hurried pace, especially with respect to the protagonists' character development, and the result is a loss of the subtlety that makes Jones' book such a gripping fairy tale. Her Howl is more ambivalent, and her story is a more complex investigation of adolescent heartlessness and the growth of the heart. The ending, which falls back too much on clichéd imagery and deus-ex-machina, also could have been better handled. All that said, "Howl's Moving Castle" contains lots of treasures and will, I think, stand up to repeated viewings. Miyazaki fans will be delighted, and kids around the world should be given the chance to taste this latest rich, respectful children's tale. (Be warned, though: there are moments as terrifying as those in "Princess Mononoke," and younger kids will need their parents with them.)

On a final note, as few hardcore fans of Japanese anime will need to be reminded, the movie is doubtless best seen in its original version with subtitles. The Japanese voice acting is terrific -- although the voice of "young Sophie" doesn't strike me as anything special, the actors playing the aged Sophie, Howl, and especially Calcifer are fantastic. Calcifer is a magnificent creation and should delight even the most conservative fan of the novel. I have serious doubts that the inevitable English-language dub will do the nuances justice.