Howl's Moving Castle

Amazon.com Like a dream, Howl's Moving Castle carries audiences to vistas beyond their imaginations where they experience excitement, adventure, terror, humor, and romance. With domestic box office receipts of over $210 million, Howl passed Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke to become the #3 film in Japanese history, behind his Spirited Away and James Cameron's Titanic. Based on a juvenile novel by Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle marks the first time Miyazaki has adapted another writer's work since Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). Sophie, a 19-year-old girl who believes she is plain, has resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop--until the Witch of the Waste transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. In her aged guise, Sophie searches for a way to break the Witch's spell and finds unexpected adventures. Like Chihiro, the heroine of Spirited Away, Sophie discovers her hidden potential in a magical environment--the castle of the title. Using CG, Miyazaki creates a ramshackle structure that looks like it might disintegrate at any moment. Sophie's honesty and determination win her some valuable new friends: Markl, Howl's young apprentice; a jaunty scarecrow; Calcifer, a temperamental fire demon; and Heen, a hilarious, wheezing dog. She wins the heart of the dashing, irresponsible wizard Howl, and brings an end an unnecessary and destructive war. The film overflows with eclipsing visuals that range from frightening aerial battles to serene landscapes, and few recent features--animated or live action--offer as much magic as Howl's Moving Castle. --Charles Solomon The Many Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki The works of Miyazaki The Book The Art of Howls' Moving Castle (book) Stills from Howl's Moving Castle (click for larger image) Product Description In Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated masterpiece, journey beyond imagination and enter a "breathtaking fantasy world" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) filled with adventure, humor and heart. Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell. Featuring the voice talents of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, and Billy Crystal, Miyazaki's artistry comes to life on DVD with inventive characters, unique storytelling and richly detailed animation.~(c) 2004 Nibariki - GNDDDT Review "Amazing animation from one of the few true artists making films today." -- JOEL SIEGEL GOOD MORNING AMERICA "Clever and often enchanting " -- CLAUDIA PUIG, USA TODAY "Howl s Moving Castle: Magical! Watching this film is like no other moviegoing experience..." -- LEONARD MALTIN, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT "So much more than a kid s movie, it s another visionary triumph in an exceptional body of work." -- GLEN KENNY, PREMIERE " it turns all moviegoers into innocent kids, slack-jawed with wonder." -- RICHARD CORLISS, TIME MAGAZINE Set Contains: In addition to the standard behind-the-microphone feature about the extraordinary English cast, the extras include two Japanese documentaries. Pete Docter, the genial director of Monsters, Inc., talks about overseeing the English dub and what sets the film apart for him in the first. In the second, the normally reclusive Miyazaki visits the Pixar Studio and surprises Toy Story director John Lasseter with an enormous plush head of the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro. But the most interesting supplemental feature is the disc of Miyazaki's storyboards, set to the film's soundtrack. These deceptively simple sketches reveal just how carefully the director thought out every element of the movie--and offer aspiring filmmakers a concise class in how to tell a story effectively. --Charles Solomon