Reading Anime 005: Howl's Moving Castle (2004) by Hazao Miyazaki

This film was more like what I expected anime to be like. By this, I mean there were stylistic elements that I took to be more typical of traditional anime. In particular, I'm thinking of how Howl himself was drawn compared to other characters in the film.

It shares the same dream-like, fairy-tale logic as in Spirited Away. I liked the parable of Sophie, how she was transformed from a plain nineteen-year-old girl to a wise ninety-year-old woman. The movie begins by introducing the wizard Howl and his moving castle (which no one seems to think particularly remarkable). Early on, he meets Sophie and rescues her from some blobby monsters by taking flight with her.

The setting is a fantasy European-ish country, with a steampunk feel. Sophie runs the family hat shop. She sees herself as the Plain Jane of her family. One evening the fat Witch of the Waste enters the store and curses her to be transformed into an old woman. Sophie leaves her family and ventures out to find Howl's Moving Castle. There she meets the scarecrow Turnip-Head, the hearth fire-demon Calcifer, and the little-boy apprentice Markl. Inside the castle is a magic door that opens out on to other vistas based on a color-wheel dial beside it.

What happens in the film is that Sophie learns how to be compassionate, to love, and to create her own sense of family. There are some interesting surprises and twists that accomplish this. (And I won't spoil it by revealing them.) An interesting film, well-worth watching. Enjoy!