Howl’s Moving Castle is one of the best animation I’ve ever seen this year. This is the type of story line that has to be watched twice in order to understand and find the true meaning behind the inspirational animation. I’ve spent countless minutes watching it and it was worth it, I can’t say the same for anyone else. Howl’s Moving Castle is a stark contrast from The Shutter, the movie that could make us hear noise when we’re alone, but The Shutter is extremely cool when we need the suspense. ; )
hoewlsoundtrackmemory.mp3 A short soundtrack.
The second most significant thing that caught my attention is Calcifer. Calcifer is a fire demon whose job it is to be the soul, the heart, the butler and the pilot of the amazing castle.
Lovely Calcifer, the heart of the castle.
Calcifer runs, operates and controls almost every part of the castle. This is cool because this means that I’m not the only one that believe that there is a Calcifer behind each of my tools. Yes, I might sound crazy but I treat my property just like Howl treats Calcifer. I often speak to my property (in my mind.) I don’t abuse the things that I own, organic or inorganic materials. But every property are used to its full potential in extreme environment and used in extreme fashions. By showing that I appreciate everything I own, my “things” become very reliable and loyal to me. In fact, all our cars (one is 19 years old,) expensive tools and even machinery are called Mrs. Reliable (Khoon.)
Some of the things that caught my attention is the architecture of the buildings, the drawings of the scenes and the use of colors. The buildings are constructed using traditional wooden joints which are built much like furniture, like this building below which I’d screen captured from the DVD.
Howl’s home/business.
The castle (mansion) collapsing.
In this picture, Sophie is seen running in the flower field. Behind her is an example of the beautiful, joyful color in the lake. The use of color in this way from Hayao Miyazaki is rare.
Some of the scenes I don’t get is this one. He runs out of the bathroom screaming about his ruined hair color. It’s unlike Howl to be acting like that. 
Disadvantages: The disadvantages about this movie that the story line goes on for a while without a clean plot. It isn’t a simple story. But may be a story that tells the stories of strange dimensional shifts, witchcraft, wizardry and the practical lives in that era. There are some shocking scenes, like Howl running out of the bathroom and nearly dying. And the witch being adopted by Sophie. Whatever shocking scenes there may be, they are still an experience.
Edit: misspelled howl, not howel’s .
I do have to admit that I like Miyazaki’s film Spirited Away best; I saw this one several times.
I had watched Howl’s Moving Castle several months back, and it’s also good, a bit confusing to me as far as Sophie looking different each time, at some scene she was old, then changing to younger, making me think that the spell is weakening, or if those that saw her looking young has special power and can see the real her.
As for Howl running out from the Bathroom, it’s obvious that he is vain and looking good meant everything to him, a bit immature in my opinion, I guess some guys are like that, and Howl rather die than looking ugly, his reaction was just having a bad hair day…talking about overreacting.
What I like best was that Howl’s castle has a magical doorway that opens to different places, extremely convenient and cleverly done, wouldn’t it be nice to have this in real life, being able to open a door and escape to our own little world. I guess that’s what book is all about, reading books can take us to different places that we’ve never been to before, and all we need is an imagination.
What I didn’t get was Madame Suliman, what exactly did she want with Howl? I saw this in English version, what version did you see this in?
I’d watch this both in English and Japanese. I’d like the English version because the voices sound much better, although Sophie’s voice sound like a 40-year old. I believe what Madame Suliman want with Howl is his heart because she wanted his heart from the beginning. She disguised as a beautiful woman and lured Howel into her lovelife. And when Howel found out that she’s wasn’t beautiful, that she was just a witch, he was disappointed then ran back and hid in his castle. Madame Suliman still wants his heart and that is when she steals Calcifer, which contains Howel’s heart. The movie is strange but someone else may interpret it differently from me. I may have understood the story somewhat wrong but it’s what remembered.
I’d like to watch Spirited Away again because I may have missed some hidden meanings in the movie.
Lord of the Ring was strange to me at the beginning until I’d found many hidden meanings. Meanings that has come to help me improve my life. Star Trek is a good example of a logical story telling with a good meaning. It is clear and very easy to understand. Many of the pop movies made in Hollywood have very little meaning and I haven’t grown a brain cell from watching them. The Transformer had contain too many subliminal ads. The director of this movie had turn my childhood heroes; Ratchet, Bumblebee, Ultimus Prime and others into a characterless and unfriendly CGI robots. That’s okay since the movie is made in USA.
But I believed that Howl doesn’t have a heart because he gave it to Calcifer to save his life when he was a little boy, and that might be as to why he is not capable of loving anyone until the end where Sophie gave him back his heart, scene where she pushed Calcifer into his chest, but in the process she took a chance that she might have killed Calcifer at the same time.
So what you said about Madame Suliman sort of make sense to me now because her Kingdom only went to war so that she could summon Howl to her, just on of the tactics that she used. Evil. I guess I like the ending, sadly war is determined by one or few people, they can order people to go to war and order them to stop if they wish, how convenient is that. I’m like Howl, I don’t like war. I think this animation might be too complex for small children to understand.
I think what I said about Madame Suliman isn’t correct. I got her mixup with the witch of the waste. I’ll have to watch it again and this time I’ll pay more attention and find out what Madame Suliman want with Howel.
I believed that Madame Suliman was his mentor and she started the war because she thought that her opponent kidnapped her son, the missing Prince Justin, the prince that was transformed into a scarecrow by the Witch of the Waste. Howl was summoned by both kingdoms and couldn’t choose as to which to represent and since he didn’t like the war, then he fought his own war by fighting with both by destroying the aircrafts.
I think if Howl had showed up and refused to become a war wizard for Madame Suliman, then she’d strip him of his power just as she did to the Witch of the Waste. Since she was his mentor, she is obviously more powerful than he is, and that might be as to why he was afraid of her. At the very end, when Madame Suliman saw that her son was safe and Sophia broke the curse put on Prince Justin, then she called off the war. There might be more to the story but this seems like a logical explanation to me. I don’t think that Madame Suliman is an evil person; unlike the Witch of the Waste that casted spells on people but didn’t know how to take them off.
Just wanted to say that Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my favorites of all Hayao Miyazaki films…so far. Very true that it may be “too complex for small children to understand,” and even to some of the critics as well when it came out. I love the idea behind how each character were able to help one another out—especially Sophie, in finding Howl’s heart and restoring everything…sort of setting things right.
I like your cavern picture…very serene place. I have a picture from a calendar, Switzerland maybe, that is almost a spitting image of the cavern by the lake–surrounded by ice-capped mountain peaks on all sides.
Also, Miyazaki son is following in his father’s foot step and has made “Tales from Earthsea,’ which unfortunately will not be released in the US until 2009 due to copy right issue. However, Miyazaki himself is releasing one soon…similar to the “Little Mermaid” perhaps. Looking forward to it.
Hey TM, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle, written by Diana Wynne Jones is popular than I realized. I’ve heard some people saying that some of the scenes looks just identical to where they live – Switzerland and Austria.
I added my favorite short soundtrack mp3 recently, if anyone want a glimpse of it. I kinda like their real natural sound recorded from a quality instrument rather than a synthesized sound. The movie is a masterpiece; a somewhat confusing but cool masterpiece.
I agree that Howl’s Moving Castle is a great movie. I noticed that you said you didn’t think that when Howl is complaining about his hair, you didn’t think it was like him. I think there was a point being made when he did that: that he acted like a child. He was childishly conceited and had temper tantrums about stupid things. This whole point is made up by the fact that he is ‘running away’ from the war and danger. As he meets Sophie and spends time with her I think he grows up a little, and when she gives him back his heart, he is complete, per se…
This is a really great movie and you can watch it twice and still get more things out of it than the first time you watched it. One of my favourite lines in the film is when howl says somthing like “Sophie, im tired of running away and now I have somthing to protect, you” anyway it has some really beautiful scenes like when sophie first meets howl and he flies with her and they land on the balcony, i cant put into words how much i love this film.
Howl’s moving Castle is one of my favorite movies ever. That’s saying something, seeming as though I like most movies I see. I’ve watched it 3 times and plan on watching it again.
About Howl’s tantrum over his hair, I think that it has to do with showing he’s selfish and doesn’t really care what others think about the way he acts. Also that he’s vain.
I’m pretty sure that Madam Suliman wanted Howl to help in fighting the war.
I think that Sophie’s random age changes have a metod to their madness. When she feels love, sees beauty, or feels beautiful, she’s young. E.x.: When she looks over the balcony on Howl’s castle, she’s seeing beauty, therefore she’s young. It also explains how she stays young at the end of the movie. She’s in love and loved. And when she feels that she is ugly, unloved, and suited for the life of being old, she is old. Like the time in the feild with Howl, when she turns old again, it’s because she doesn’t think she’s beautiful.
I like Calcifer. I mean, he heats the bath water, moves the castle (flying or walking), he protects the castle from enimies, bombs, and magic, and he’s a trash disposer. How musch more awesome can you get? Though Sophie and Howl are pretty awesome too, and I love how the couple came together in the end.
I recently watched this movie (twice) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t “get” it completely, but that is what makes it interesting to me. I read that the director is purposely ambiguous in his films so that we can take away our own meaning.
I have read several comments on the web that this movies is not for children and I would beg to differ. When I saw it I knew my children would love it. The little girls loved the story line of the pretty girl falling in love and escaping the spell of the witch. My older son loved the flying machines and the battles. There are wizards and spells and beautiful animation and a small child who masquerades as a “gnomy” wizard. And a giant walking castle–what child wouldn’t eat that up?
Even more than the characters and visuals, I was struck by a theme of the movie that I have seen very little comment on–Sophie’s attitude when she has the “curse” placed upon her and her youth is taken away. She remains compassionate despite her own fear and confusion. She is endlessly kind to an odd lot of characters who become very loyal to her–as friends, well family really. Her compassion to clean up the slobby household. Calcifer is overjoyed when Sophie leaves firewood so he can feed himself. She recognizes her own tormentor, the Witch of the Waste (her own tormentor) as a victim and pities her, protecting and spoon-feeding her.
Except for a brief moment when Howl yells at her, Sophie does not dwell in self-pity. Ever practical, she picks herself up and plugs along. As a young girl she was especially practical, but even more so as an old woman.
As Christian, these themes of compassion, kindness and forgiveness speak to me, and you’ll notice that when Sophie is about to replace Howl’s heart, she bows down and pleads for help for Howl and Calcifer, which from my world view appears to be a prayer.
My final comment is the first thing I remember thinking as I was watching the movie: that I am watching a movie about an old woman (Jean Simmons voice–is she really still alive?). This old woman is plucky, practical and charming. Very unusual in Western (American) film to find such a main character. And Sophie’s beauty is not from her skin (or hair as Howl thinks of himself) but instead everyone falls in love with her because of her inner beauty–How she conducts herself in times of trial and her acts of compassion to those in need.
Thanks for giving us a chance to discuss this film here. (My husband hasn’t watched it yet and he has no idea what I am talking about!)
I love films by Miyazaki too. My favorite is “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, especially loved the funny talking cat.
I also like Calcifer and Sophie best from “Howl’s Moving Castle”. Thanks for posting great scenes from the movie.
[...] Here is an eye catching scene from Howl’s Moving Castle, photo from Sim’s Blog. [...]
I absoutly loved the movie Howl’s moving Castle. I recivied it for christmas and have watched it 5 times. My sister and I love Kiki’s Delivery Service and Miyazaki’s other films. My mom was not that in to the animated movies, but even she fell in love with the characters of Howl’s moving castle. Of course calcifer is a great part of the movie. It simply would not be complete without calcifer!!!! O_ o
Most of Miyazaki’s films, in my opinion, are far too complex for younger children. Am I saying that they’re not nice movies for younger children to watch? Not exactly, but I think that because Miyazaki captures the innocence of life, things that are pure such as love through a lack of lust, and wanting peace, all realte to childhood. Children can’t see the whole value of these movies because they’re already experiencing these feelings and of course, will never understand how precious purity is until they fade of it. That’s what Hayao Miyazaki does with this films, he doesn’t make them for children, he makes them to bring you back to that time <3 You can feel the innocence and the purity and whole-heartedness of being a child when watching his movies. Do you know what I'm talking about? That's why it's more complex, too much so for children. It's amazing.