Howl's Moving Castle (Hauru no ugoku shiro) (2005)
Scary scenes
Director, Hayao Miyazaki, who won a Best Animated Feature Oscar for Spirited Away enhances his legendary reputation as one of the world’s most visionary filmmakers with his amazing new animated adventure, Howl's Moving Castle, brimming with imagination, humour, action and romance.
In a sort of quasi-European fantasy setting where war rages and sorcerers and witches abound, Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer), an average teenage girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl (Christian Bale). She is subsequently turned into a 90-year-old woman (now voiced by Jean Simmons) by the vain and conniving Wicked Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall).
Embarking on an incredible odyssey to lift the curse, Sophie encounters a scarecrow on the move that she names Mr Turnip. He helps her by supplying her with various things, including a home, which turns out to be Howl’s magical moving castle where she becomes acquainted with Markl (Josh Hutcherson), Howl’s apprentice, and a hotheaded fire demon named Calcifer (Billy Crystal) whose flame keeps the castle moving. Sophie’s love and support come to have a major impact on Howl who flies in the face of orders from the palace to become a pawn of war and instead risks his life to help bring peace to the kingdom.
Extraordinary characters, inventive imagery and stunning artistry make this latest surrealistic adventure from Miyazaki an unforgettable experience.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 119mins |
| Origin: | JAPAN |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
If you like this, try these:
Member Reviews (67)
67 Member
Reviews
says
Absolutely loved this! Recommend for everyone. Don't think - enjoy!
says
I love everything studio ghibli does and Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favorites :)
says
one of my most favourite Ghibli/Miyazaki piece
tammy
says
love this movie . I have to watch this movie that least ones a week
Bambi
says
Love this movie. Both kids and adults alike can enjoy it. Have seen it three times and would be quite happy to watch it again.
Peter Sibley
says
Wonderful !!!
kathryn
says
loved this the first time i saw it very unique story excellent!
diane
says
excellent movie
BennyRuss
says
Howl's moving Castle was perfect. Enough Said :)
Lioness
says
This has just become my favourite Miyazaki movie, by far. The story and characters are wonderful. Of course, the artwork is stunning. I preferred the Japanese voice acting - their casting was much more accurate for the characters, and Christian Bale was a terrible choice for 'that' (won't spoil it) amazing character. I'll be buying this movie.
Kym
says
Brilliant! The kids 5,6 and 8 loved it.
Anna R.
says
I really think this is one of Hayao Miyazaki's most mesmerising and exciting production. Highly recommended.
Mary Lou
says
Great movie for 8 and adults. We really got into the stories and the characters. I would highly recommend!
Veronica
says
I really enjoyed this although not as much as Porco Rosso which I saw maybe 10 years ago. The characters are a bit one dimensional and typical of the shorter half-hour Japanese cartoons you see on TV. That prevented me from really engaging emotionally with the film; however it was made up for by the beautifully crafted animation and the imagination displayed in the story. The 'castle' was extraordinary and I was also fond of Turniphead.
Kirstie M.
says
great story great anime really good reccomend to all
Kristen
says
A lot of fun and very clever. I smiled a lot.
Robyn E.
says
different but compelling. Worth a look.
Stephen R.
says
Excellent with a great imagination... who dreams this stuff up!!!
Adehl C.
says
Brilliant! A must see, especially for anime fans. I saw this at the movies and I loved it. I think it is one of Miyazaki's best animations so far along with Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away.
Mark L.
says
A little inacessible or weird, but it really gets you in.
Tanya M.
says
Interesting, different, original, if youv'e had enough Harry Potter this may be for you. (Some dark themes). Very watchable by kids and adults.
Jacinta M.
says
I absolutely positively loved this movie! I fantastic fantasy/adventure story with a little hit of romanic! You can't go wrong with a Christian Bale flick!!
Roger M.
says
best movie
Janice T.
says
I loved it too - the detail was amazing and the story was great. My little kids didn't sit through it all but loved some of the characters.
Mel U
says
Excellent movie - characters you'll love, experiences that make your imagination go wild and great animation. You'll want your own movie castle after watching this.
Colin U.
says
Brilliant movie with something in it for all age groups. Very moving story, with lots of humour.
Carol R.
says
Brilliant, anime at it's best
Peggy P.
says
very good. worth watching. a bit weird like most of the japanese animation however this has kept the suspense up with good humour.
Jeff D.
says
i'm yet to show this movie to anyone who does not like it. EVERYONE has loved it. A beautifully catchy soundtrack that gets imbedded in your brain and you don't want to let go of. A little too scary for kinders but even my grandparent loved it.
Audrey C.
says
Wonderful animation.
Allan H.
says
What a great DVD. Terrific animation. The storyline is also great. Has it all. Action, humor, love and some great characters whose real stories are just kept out of reach until right at the end. The decision is simple: watch it!
Jonathan K.
says
I quite enjoyed this movie. Two points I liked about this movie, the voice acting done by Billy Crystal of the fire demon named Calcifer and the way Sophie seems to adapt to being an old lady.
Michael M.
says
Nice Miyazaki. Must be watched in Japanese. A pity that it has English sub-titles.
Alicia
says
I loved this movie! It was one of the best animated films I have seen. I enjoy movies about magic, witches and wizards and it did not disappoint. It had a great storyline and was intriguing right till the end. I ended up buying it as I want to watch it over and over again in the future.
Noel P.
says
Brett H.
says
Marvyn F.
says
my husband and i are 65 yrs and 60 yrs respectively, and we were blown away by this magic story and the beauty of the film. it is not to be missed,no matter what your age!!!
Melissa G.
says
A masterpiece, the artwork took my breath away, I welled with tears at the brilliance, the story and characters are captivating, my children wont let me return it.
Gary H.
says
A hugely inventive and thoroughly enjoyable film done in old style 2d animation. Only those with the hardest of hearts will not be carried along by this mystical, magical masterpiece.
Damo
says
Geez,Hayao Miyazaki deos a good job making excellent firms
Steve R.
says
Kathy D.
says
An exciting adventure. Not a minute is wasted. Top-notch animation quality. One of my anime favourites.
Michael C.
says
Dana-Rae R.
says
Graham R.
says
Megan M.
says
A wonderful movie, with just enough to keep adults as well as children intrigued
Deene H.
says
Stephen H.
says
Follows on superbly from Spirited Away
Roxanne L.
says
Nathan C.
says
5 Turnips
Michael D.
says
David H.
says
A wonderful film. Anime for people who don't watch anime based on an equally wonderful series of children's books by Diana Wynn Jones.
Kathrine O.
says
Clare S.
says
Enjoyed every minute!
Scottie B.
says
Five star, Billy Crystal steals the show as the fire
Christopher B.
says
Julie M.
says
Stunning animated feature,and a story that captures the imagination aswell as the visuals.
Would be a lovely shared film for children and adults of both sexes.
There is the cute wizard and his orphan assistant, the fire flame played by Billy Crystal who does all the hard work, and the old woman who is under a spell and brings the characters into a family unit.
Its masterful storytelling.
Alistair L.
says
Roderick W.
says
says
Karen B.
says
Awesome movie! Purists may not appreciate the deviations from the book, but I though it worked very well, and the guts of the story were beautifully told.
Gabriel C.
says
I loved every minute of it! The engaging story lines and subtle underlying stories of love and magic. It is so beautifully written and drawn. I can't wait for the next one!
Matt C.
says
Good movie, try to see the non dub version.
David M.
says
Good quality animation,and believable storyline
Carrie M.
says
George
says
Beautiful and intriguing story with fantastic eye candy graphics. The storyline is nearly as good as Spirited Away but the graphics is just as good or better.
Bronwyn T.
says
weird, engaging. was very weird however my family including 2adults, 9,4 year old, did not want to turn it off. we were curious as to what was around the corner. should be watched once....