Howl's Moving Castle

"Hmmm, you've got quite a nasty spell on you too, huh? Seems everyone in this family's got problems"

This is the beautifully crafted story from the imagination of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke). This story tells of a young girl named Sophie who is cursed by a jealous witch (voiced by Lauren Bacall) and transformed into an old lady. Sophie must find a cure with the help of Howl (voiced by Christian Bale) and his mystical and elusive Castle, which has the ability to walk and transport around.

With a war being waged in the land, Howl is afraid to get involved and thus spends his time wandering about in his moving castle. When Sophie falls in love with Howl both characters are willing to put everything at risk for the life of the other. This film's true delight is in the supporting cast of misfits that live in the castle. There is the castle's operator, Calcifer, a blob of fire that has witty sense of humor (voiced marvelously by Billy Crystal), who is tied very closely to Howl.
There is the young wizard boy, Markl, who helps to run Howl's potion shop. The speechless Turniphead, whose love for Sophie is evident even without talking. And the driven dog Heen, who actions alone garner a laugh.

The film mixes traditional animation and computer-generated background and runs approximately 2-hours. Fans of other Miyazaki films will love it, as well as anyone who is a fan of Monster's Inc, Finding Nemo, or The Incredibles.


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9 out of 10