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)

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

A wild and surreal trip into the mind of a master.

I think this is possibly Miyazaki's most intriguing movie. All of his other films are very linear and even though their highly varied worlds may be visually stunning and highly creative, I feel the dreamy world of Howls Moving Castle is by far the most captivating, bizarre, and imaginative of all the worlds Miyazaki has ever envisioned.

What I love about this movie is that it's highly emotional without a great deal of logic or plot or story to get in the way. In this way the film is simple, pure, and extremely beautiful. It is as if the characters go from one emotion to the next, in a world that is as random as one's own dreams. Some people have complained about the lack of plot or story or serious character development, but even though the characters are fairly static, their emotions and the physical changes they undergo as they go through these emotions brings out a higher truth that is seldom given such artistic and natural freedom.

I think this is a very smart movie in many subtle ways and it's one that I look forward to watching again on the big screen and then on DVD. Although it flirts from theme to theme to theme with a kind of animated attention deficit disorder, the landscapes and utter unabated surrealism left me stunned and never bored.

Also, from a quizzical character design perspective, Howl is certainly one of if not the most beautiful characters that Miyazaki has ever created. Howl is an interesting departure from Miyazaki's more classical wabi-sabi anime style that most of his heroes and heroines are drawn in as Howl is definitely a very contemporary bishonen.

If you're looking for quaint settings, dynamic characters and a very involving character or plot driven story, you're not going to necessarily find them here, but you will find an equally stunning and pleasing movie if you let yourself go and enjoy this passionate, heartfelt and surreal Miyazaki dream.