Howl's Moving Castle Movie Review 2004

More eye-popping anime from Miyazaki. Young wizard Howl (Bale) and his moveable castle travel around the countryside to avoid his enemy, the Witch of the Waste (Bacall). When Howl rescues Sophie (Mortimer) from thugs, the jealous Witch turns her into an old woman (now voiced by Simmons). Sophie appoints herself the castle housekeeper and encounters various strange characters and many adventures. There's a lot of plot but it's the visuals that will keep attention riveted. Adapted from Diana Wynne Jones' 2000 fantasy novel. There is also a Japanese-language version.

Distribution

Walt Disney Home Video, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521, Phone: (818)265-6500, URL: http://disney.store.go.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on DVD
Running time 120 minutes.
Originally from Japanese.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Animated Sci-Fi, Demons & Wizards, Fantasy, Sci Fi, Anime, Witchcraft, War, General

Screenplay

Hayao Miyazaki

Cinematography

Atsushi Okui

Director

Hayao Miyazaki

Music

Joe Hisaishi

Other

Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, Josh Hutcherson, Billy Crystal, Jena Malone, Liliana Mumy, Shuji Inoue, Takeshi Seyama, Yozi Takeshige, Noboru Yoshida

Producer

Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli, Toho Films

Awards

L.A. Film Critics 2005: Orig. Score; N.Y. Film Critics 2005: Animated Film.