Now Viewing: howl_no_ugoku_shiroTag type: Copyright (ハウルの動く城) Also known as Howl's Moving Castle. It is a 2004 fantasy romance drama/adventure animated by Studio_Ghibli and written and directed by Miyazaki_Hayao. Like most of Miyazaki's films, the orchestral score is composed by Joe Hisashi. The voice acting in both the original Japanese and English dubs are notably done by actors with more live action acting experience than voice acting. It is based on the 1986 novel by Diana Wynn Jones, but the film is very different from the source. Most images and the below description are based off of the anime film. It is set in a fantasy equivalent of late 19th-early 20th century France. Sophie is a teen girl who quietly runs a hat shop by herself. A war involving wizards is going on between her country and a neighboring one, but she isn't involved with the conflict. A mysterious and powerful wizard Howl, who supposedly devours the hearts of beautiful young girls, lives in the vicinity of her town inside a giant moving castle. Sophie doesn't think she'll ever encounter the wizard since she believes she isn't beautiful. However, one day, a handsome wizard, on the run from a group of blob monsters, rescues her from two soldiers who show Sophie unwanted attention. That night, a female witch enters Sophie's shop and punishes Sophie by transforming her into an old woman, exacerbating her insecurity over her looks. Sophie, now unrecognizable, decides to leave home and search for Howl in the moving castle in the hopes that he may be able to help her. Upon reaching the castle, she befriends Howl's assistants, the fire demon Calcifer and a young boy named Markl, convincing them to let her stay as a cleaning lady. Calcifer also promises Sophie that he will free her from her curse if she frees him from his. She soon discovers that the handsome man she met earlier is, in fact, Howl, and she has just been dragged into a conflict between Howl and the female witch, the Witch of the Waste, responsible for her current predicament as well as the blob monsters pursuing Howl. As Sophie stays in the castle, waiting for a solution to her curse, she becomes more involved with Howl's life and problems. Howl is essentially a soldier using his magic to transform into a beast to fight for the country, but he does not enjoy all the fighting. Furthermore, the constant fighting has negative effects on his body and he risks losing his humanity forever. Sophie finds herself fighting to save Howl from his current problem as well as finding a cure to her curse. Ghibli planned to do the film since September 2001, and initially selected Hosoda Mamoru to direct, but he quit after they rejected his ideas. Miyazaki took over and went to Colmar and Riquewihr in Alsace, France to do research for the film's setting. He was also influenced by and disgusted with the Iraq War, which inspired him to incorporate anti-war themes within the story. The movie's animation was first hand drawn and then scanned digitally. The film generally positive reviews and original author Jones also enjoyed the film despite its many deviations from her work as well as her not having any input on how the film was made. In 2004 the film won the award for Best Japanese Movie Overall at the Mainichi Film Awards, Excellence Prize in Animation from Japan Media Arts Festival, and the Osella Awards for Technical Achievement at the 61st Venice Film Festival. At the 2005 Tokyo Anime Awards, Miyazaki won the award for Best Director, Hisashi won the award for Best Soundtrack, and lead voice actress Baisho Chieko won the award for Best Voice Actress. Cast: Main Characters: Sophie_(Howl_no_Ugoku_Shiro) Howl_(Howl_no_Ugoku_Shiro) Supporting: Witch_of_the_Waste Calcifer Markl Madame_Suliman Lettie Honey_(Howl_no_Ugoku_Shiro) Kakashi_no_Kabu Madge_(Howl_no_Ugoku_Shiro) King_of_Ingary Heen Spoiler Character: Prince_Justin Other Wiki Information Last updated: 11/19/15 10:23 PM by jojosstand This entry is not locked and you can edit it as you see fit. |
     
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