Sophia Noya | Staff Writer
It’s been 20 years since Hayao Miyazaki’s classic “Howl’s Moving Castle”, based on the novel by Dianne Wynne Jones, was released. The English language version stars Emily Mortimer, Christian Bale, and Billy Crystal.
Mortimer’s Sophie, a young hatter, is cursed into becoming an old woman, while Bale plays Howl, a wizard. The two fall in love to the background of magic, war, and about three bottles of Howl’s hair dye.
The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2005 Academy Awards, but lost to–make sure you’re sitting down– “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”. I’m a big Wallace and Gromit girl myself, but that’s one hell of an upset.
Since then, the film has become one of Ghibli’s most popular.
There is an undeniable charm to “Howl’s Moving Castle”, with the same captivating imagination and inviting magic found in all Miyazaki movies.
Visually, it is breathtaking. The bright colors and intricate details were so beautiful, I could have watched the movie on mute just to admire the animation. But that would mean missing the soundtrack, which has some of the most impassioned music I’ve ever heard.
I was happy overall with the English dub, especially Mortimer, whose soothing British twinkle was extremely pleasant to listen to. Old Sophie, voiced by Jean Simmons, had a perfect balance between croaky and kind.
Christian Bale, on the other hand, wasn’t such a good fit.
In his second animated role (the first being “Pocahontas”, the more you know), Bale’s performance was the weakest of the cast. While good at smooth-talking, it felt like he was stuck in the same flat tone. Alarmingly, his delivery reminded me of Patrick Bateman.
The movie has fundamental issues that are hard to ignore, namely how it suffers from what all Ghibli movies suffer from: not making any sense.
Before you drop that anvil on me, let me say that I love Studio Ghibli, convoluted storylines and all– but there is a limit to how long I can turn a blind eye to inconsistencies and plot points that make my brain feel like it’s swimming through molasses.
The romance between Howl and Sophie, although sweet, seemed to come out of nowhere. Since Sophie is supposed to be a 90 year old maid, there’s no build up, no growing tension. Sophie and Markl, a young boy who inexplicably lives with Howl, have more of a bond than Sophie and Howl.
Murky details like whether or not Howl actually knows Sophie is under a curse, or if he’s just looking to be the beau of a 90 year old woman, are never clarified. Neither is Markl’s origins, or an explanation for what happened to Turnip Head, or much of anything else.
It made it difficult to fully enjoy the movie, since I was too busy repeatedly filling out a who, what, where, when, why and how chart in my head.
20 years later, “Howl’s Moving Castle” holds onto its appeal, but buckles under the weight of its complexity. If you’re a seasoned Ghibli fan, you know how to embrace the movie’s more unclear parts, but an average viewer cannot be blamed for feeling lost.
7/10
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