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Upcoming Release Calendar
38
12 Rounds Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Howl's Moving Castle
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MPAA RATING: PG for frightening images and brief mild language
Starring Christian Bale, Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, Emily Mortimer, Josh Hutcherson, and Billy Crystal
An amazing new animated adventure that celebrates the power of love to transform and the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of adversity. (Disney)
| GENRE(S): | Animation | Fantasy | Foreign | Romance |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Hayao Miyazaki
Diana Wynne Jones (novel) Cindy Davis Hewitt Donald H. Hewitt |
| DIRECTED BY: | Hayao Miyazaki |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: March 7, 2006 Theatrical: June 10, 2005 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 119 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | Japan |
| LANGUAGE(S): | Japanese (dubbed in English) |
Original title "Hauru no ugoku shiro"
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 103 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Korenna Y. gave it a10:
This Movie Is The Best Anime Movie I Have Ever Seen In My Life! It seems to me that im obessed of it but who cares :)
Jim gave it a1:
This movie stinks!
Kazuki A. gave it a10:
Howl's Moving Castle by Miyazaki Hayao A Review Written for Friends by Kazuki Anno, Translators United for Peace Like a vivid dream, Miyazaki's film presents an alternate world for children of all ages. For more mature viewers, however, his works represent the complex realities we face here and now in this cruel, yet beautiful world. Howl's Moving Castle will take us on a journey of moral quest to confront unnecessary and destructive wars that make us victims of, and collaborators with, terror at one and the same time. If our children can handle such serious subjects as war, justice and humanity, so must we. Miyazaki tells us that we are not what we seem to be. Howl is a handsome young man who looks like a dashing rock star and behaves like a flamboyant prince. Nevertheless, he is a wizard. Yet, unlike other wizards, he no longer works for the Palace, and when night falls, he turns into a black monster bird, flying across the sky to intercept a massive bomber formation over defenseless cities burning in flames. Howl spreads his wings and tries to catch bombs in the air, but all he can do is to neutralize a few bombs out of thousands. Thus, he goes to war each day, knowing in advance that he will fail. Which one of his multiple characters is truer than the other ones? Is any one aspect of his as true as any other? Sophie, a 19-year-old girl, is turned into a 90-year-old woman by the Witch of the Waste Land because she attracts the attention of Howl whom the Witch desires for herself, secretly envious of his youth and beauty. Is this a curse by a jealous witch, or does it merely mirror the lost heart of Sophie who does not know what she is to become, having resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop? If the latter is the case, what can she do to break the spell? So, she sets off on an adventure to discover herself. Not even the Witch, an elaborately dressed dowager, is immune to power. When she is called to the Palace, she kowtows to authority and transforms herself into a helpless old woman, going up a flight of steep stairs that lead to a majestic chamber. It has been a long time since the ancient oral traditions she represents were annihilated and subjugated by nation-states in the age of modernization. Calcifer, a cantankerous fire demon, is supposed to be a free being in the universe, but he is under a contract to Howl, so he is kept in a small fireplace to generate energy for the moving castle. When more energy is needed for the castle in crisis, Sophie offers a lock of her hair to Calcifer who then says, "If you give me your soul, I will be able to produce unimaginable amounts of energy." Perhaps, the wizards at the Palace who are in charge of inventing all the machines, warplanes, tanks, bombs, and missiles, have given up their souls to Calcifer to develop nuclear weapons. As citizens of nations with industrial democracies which uphold a single economic model, namely extreme capitalism unleashed by neo-liberal shock treatments in the era of corporate globalization, we have no faces, no voices, and no names. Here we have Miyazaki's invitation to take off on a magical journey, together with Sophie and Howl, to search for the infinite possibilities that dwell in each one of us. It will be as hard an adventure as anyone can undertake in the mysterious frontier of the human mind, as valuable an experience as dreams that would not cease to inspire us, and as easy a task as remembering once again our own names. Peace, Kazuki
Evelyn P. gave it a10:
I absolutely loved this movie! It has so much heart, and I was enthralled all the way through. The storyline differs from the book a bit, but that only makes it more original. The artwork is beautiful, and the music is among the best soundtracks I've heard. Bravo!
Mezzie B. gave it a10:
THISis one of my ALL time FAVORITE movies!!! I talk about it any chance that i get !! i also love Howl! :)
Katie gave it a10:
There is something deeply wrong with the reviewers who could not follow the plot, and thought that this film has no heart. I am in my twenties and love all Miyazaki films; these films have more heart than any Disney film has in its little finger. The morality of these films is deep and complex; there is not true good or evil, and children are put in places of responsibility where they must take responsibility for their actions. Howl's is no different. Spirited Away is my favorite Miyazaki film, but this comes in close second. The film never gets old; it's like a favorite song.
Bandi W. gave it a10:
im a your #1 fan also it was the best movie from miyazaki i ever seen i hope he keeps making more movies like this on or Spirtted Away also i was wondering if you were the one who made Princess Monokay bye the way do you have a myspace?
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