Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

[ハウルの動く城]

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa

Synopsis:
A hatter becomes the cleaning lady of an itinerant wizard after she is cursed to become an old woman.

Impressions:
I hadn't read the source novel before watching this the first time. In an aversion to my usual stance, I actually prefer this a little to the book (not to say the book is bad, just that some of the themes and elements in the film are better), though there are some peripheral plot points that don't get much development and seem to come out of left field. The design of the eponymous castle is really cool and there are a number of neat airships that wouldn't look out of place in Nausicaa (leave it to Miyazaki to find a way to get airships into the story). I rather like the dual paths of character development for Howl and Sophie as well. Naturally, the Joe Hisaishi score is quite good, one of my favorite tracks belonging to a wizard's duel in the second act. I cursory review of critical reaction indicates a somewhat mixed critical reception, but I liked this quite a bit and think it's well worth adding to your collection.

Rating:
Own It