A tale about the courage, love, and the destructive nature of war based of Diana Wynne Jones' book Howl's Moving Castle
Synopsis
Will the courage of one person bring the light of love and the realization of the futility of war to others?
Sophie Hatter is the eldest daughter of her family and must fulfill the obligations to uphold the family's legacy. With no time for romance and no confidence in her looks, she gets unwillingly involved in a feud between a witch and wizard leaving her cursed. Now she must go on a journey to find a way to break it, but what will she discover about the world and herself along the way?
Review
Howl's Moving Castle is a brilliant synergy of music and visuals brought to the screen.
Howl's Moving Castle is the latest Miyazaki film I've seen, so my expectations were higher than before. I knew that the film would involve romance and war, but I didn't know how it would connect the two. I was also wondering why when I saw screen captures of the movie, I would notice the main character looking different in what seemed to be similar time zones. When I got to the explanation, I was curious about the way that the story would tackle her issue, especially with the theme of love being involved.
Throughout the movie, the musical score was one of the best I've heard. The way it accompanied the artwork and storyline evoked a sense of wonder and amazement. The art style was to be expected of a Studio Ghibli film, meaning that it was beautiful as could be. The showcase of the tragedies of war helps viewers understand that there are no winners when it comes to the outcome of any war.
I score Howl's Moving Castle an 8/10. The soundtrack complimented the gorgeous art and animation perfectly, but I didn't fall in love or relate to any of the characters, and the story was amazing, but the ending still left questions that I feel like should've been answered.
Reception
As the follow-up film of Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle had high expectations from fans of Miyazaki films. With its worldwide popularity, it is obvious that it did not disappoint. The film didn't even open first in Japan, but at the 61st Venice Film Festival, showing the international success that anime films, through Miyazaki, have achieved.
Currently, Howl's Moving Castle is the 4th top-grossing film worldwide at $236 million. Barely above Ponyo, and over $100 million below the 3rd fillm, Your Name, Howl's Moving Castle has still withstood the test of time, holding the top 5 spot for almost 2 decades now.
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