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[Howl's Moving Castle] is the latest gem from animation genius Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame ([Spirited Away]). He set out to make an animation for old people, but the result is a brilliant animation of ideas and inventions for all ages.
Based on a book by children's author Diana Wynne Jones, [Howl's Moving Castle] is set in an enchanted, Dickensian-looking Europe, ravaged by a 21st-century war. It is rendered by an unmistakably Japanese sensibility. Howl is a young sorcerer who lives in a moving castle and tries to avoid being drafted into battle. Sophie is a shy hat maker living in the nearby town. One day Howl saves her from a group of soldiers who are harassing her. Soon after, an envious witch turns her into an old crone, and in Sophie's quest to regain her youth she enters the fabulous, unruly castle of Howl...
Don't let this simple plot fool you. [Howl's Moving Castle] is complex, layered and visually impressive, and it toys wonderfully with the ideas of metamorphosis, odyssey and self-discovery. --- D/S Hayao Miyazaki P Toshio Suzuki WS Studio Ghibli L Japanese w/English subtitles TD 35mm/col/2004/119mins
Hayao Miyazaki was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1941. His films include [Nausicaae of the Valley of the Wind] (MIFF 97), [Princess Mononoke] (1997), [Spirited Away] (2001).