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Howl's Moving Castle Our rating: Your rating: 1 2 3 4 Your Comments: see all MPAA rating: PG (for frightening images and brief mild language) Theater release: November 20, 2004 by Buena Vista Pictures Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki (Pete Docter, English dubbing) Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes Cast: (all voices) Emily Mortimer (Young Sophie), Christian Bale (Howl), Jean Simmons (Old Sophie), Lauren Bacall (Witch of the Waste), Billy Crystal (Calcifer), Blythe Danner (Madam Suliman), Josh Hutcherson (Markl) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

Despite what you may see in the advertising, this is not your father's Walt Disney; they only distribute the film. But many are calling 64-year-old Hayao Miyazaki the "Japanese Disney," and for good reason. His movies are acclaimed by critics and audiences alike—some have become the top grossing films in his own country while also delighting audiences all over the world. In 2002, he earned the Oscar for Best Animated Feature with Spirited Away, continuing to make great strides in broadening the appreciation for Japanese anime through dense storytelling and occasionally breathtaking animation.

Released in Japan last November, Howl's Moving Castle is already another international blockbuster. But instead of drawing upon Eastern mythology and folklore, this one is based on a popular 1986 children's book written by fantasy author Diana Wynne Jones (who studied at St. Anne's College in Oxford, attending lectures by C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien). A modern-day fairy tale very much in the same spirit of Grimm's fairy tales and Beauty and the Beast, some have called this a precursor to Harry Potter.

The young Sophie (Emily Mortimer) meets Calcifer (Billy Crystal)

The story centers around Sophie Hatter (voiced by Emily Mortimer of Dear Frankie), the eldest daughter who has taken up the family trade of hat design (naturally), resigned to the idea that happiness and excitement will never be part of her life. Which seems hard to believe considering she lives in such a picturesque European-styled town by the sea—and with reports of the titular castle roaming the countryside. Howl, the keeper of the castle, is rumored to be a vicious wizard that woos beautiful young maidens, only to literally steal their hearts. Sophie begins to wonder otherwise when one day after work she's literally swept off her feet by the dashing young wizard (Christian Bale of Batman Begins).

Unfortunately for our heroine, the Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall), out of apparent jealousy, turns Sophie into an old woman (Jean Simmons), who goes off into the wilderness to find the sorceress and reverse the curse. Along the way, she encounters an enchanted scarecrow and Howl's castle, an imaginative blend of metal, brick, and wood that clamors over the landscape like a magical 19th-century Imperial Walker from Star Wars.

There, Sophie meets Calcifer (Billy Crystal), the feisty fire demon that powers and operates the castle, his fate mysteriously intertwined with Howl's. She also befriends Howl's young apprentice Markl and decides to serve as the wizard's cleaning lady. Howl, meanwhile, is caught between two warring factions that desire to use wizards to destroy the other side. He prefers to remain free and neutral, not because he's a pacifist, but because he's something of a selfish coward. It soon becomes clear that Sophie's not the only one in need of rescue from curses and other plots.

The castle on the move

Fans of the book may notice that Miyazaki's film makes significant alterations to the plot. The royal wizard Suliman, Howl's magical mentor, is now a woman (Blythe Danner) and perhaps a little more sinister. Then there's the war subplot, absent from the book's central story, though giving the film some additional dramatic backdrop and tension.

Miyazaki makes the story his own, especially through the visuals, setting the world in a strange blend of fairy tales and early 20th century technology. Yes, there are castles, kingdoms, and magically adept characters. Howl's home has a magical doorway that serves as a portal to multiple times and places. Curses are cast, appearances are altered, and some can magically breeze through the sky. But there are also steam-powered cars, ships, and factories. Simply constructed aircraft straight out of Jules Verne whiz across the sky, including giant airships that resemble those in Flash Gordon or Sky Captain. The combination of the Euro setting, the retro machinery, and a missing prince that starts the war echoes the period that led to World War I, though the aerial bombings in the film also evoke WWII's attacks on London and Tokyo. Like his previous films, Miyazaki delights in immersing his audiences in fantasy, showing us things we've never seen before.

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