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Howl's Moving Castle

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Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Actors: Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya Gashûin, Akihiro Miwa, Ryûnosuke Kamiki
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~$29.99~~
Buy New: $21.09
as of 3/11/2010 15:18 MST details
You Save: $8.90 (30%)

New (38) Used (15) from $17.88

Seller: mydvdstore
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

334 reviews
Sales Rank: 766

Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Japanese (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6

MPN: D41399D
UPC: 786936296662
EAN: 0786936296662
ASIN: B000CDGVOE

Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: March 7, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Features:

•	2-disc special edition features both the original Japanese soundtrack and an English language soundtrack
•	Behind the Microphone featurette with the English language voice cast and footage from the dubbing sessions
•	Interview with Pixar Animation Studios Director, Pete Docter
•	Hayao Miyazaki Visits Pixar Animation Studios with Pixar director John Lasseter
•	Complete storyboards set to the movie soundtrack

Similar Items:

Spirited Away

Princess Mononoke

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Castle in the Sky: Special Edition - 2 Disc DVD

Kiki's Delivery Service: Special Edition - 2-Disc DVD

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki adapts British writer Diana Wynne Jones's popular fantasy tale for this animated feature adding his own unique and celebrated dreamlike spin. A young hat-maker named Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer) is turned into an old woman by the dreaded Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall) when she attracts the notice of Howl (Christian Bale) a young wizard whom the witch desires for herself. As the old woman (voiced by Jean Simmons) Sophie finds refuge as a cleaning lady in Howl's magical castle an impressively realized mishmash of anthropomorphic shafts and gears where she meets among other wonders a cantankerous fire demon named Calcifer (Billy Crystal). Howl's courage inspires her to seek a cure for her curse and vice versa and the two work together to prevent a major war as the castle roams the countryside on its mechanical legs. There's lots of magic afoot as well including travel through barriers of space and time and shape-shifting requiring full viewer attention to keep track of who where and when but this how dreams really are and the film engages on that same subconscious level. As with Miyazaki's previous work (SPIRITED AWAY KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE) the emphasis here is on creating a beautiful alternate reality where anything can happen and every frame is a breathtaking work of art. See it on the big screen if the chance presents itself; the elaborate intricacies and patiently realized alternate realities of Miyazaki's work makes him a true treasure.System Requirements:Running Time 119 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG UPC: 786936296662 Manufacturer No: 04139900

Amazon.com
Like a dream, Howl's Moving Castle carries audiences to vistas beyond their imaginations where they experience excitement, adventure, terror, humor, and romance. With domestic box office receipts of over $210 million, Howl passed Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke to become the #3 film in Japanese history, behind his Spirited Away and James Cameron's Titanic. Based on a juvenile novel by Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle marks the first time Miyazaki has adapted another writer's work since Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). Sophie, a 19-year-old girl who believes she is plain, has resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop--until the Witch of the Waste transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. In her aged guise, Sophie searches for a way to break the Witch's spell and finds unexpected adventures. Like Chihiro, the heroine of Spirited Away, Sophie discovers her hidden potential in a magical environment--the castle of the title. Using CG, Miyazaki creates a ramshackle structure that looks like it might disintegrate at any moment. Sophie's honesty and determination win her some valuable new friends: Markl, Howl's young apprentice; a jaunty scarecrow; Calcifer, a temperamental fire demon; and Heen, a hilarious, wheezing dog. She wins the heart of the dashing, irresponsible wizard Howl, and brings an end an unnecessary and destructive war. The film overflows with eclipsing visuals that range from frightening aerial battles to serene landscapes, and few recent features--animated or live action--offer as much magic as Howl's Moving Castle. --Charles Solomon

The Many Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki

The works of Miyazaki

The Book

The Art of Howls' Moving Castle (book)

Stills from Howl's Moving Castle (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 1-5 of 334

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A little like "The Wizard of Oz" but a story in its own right February 26, 2010
Jayshree Sheth (Downers Grove, IL USA)
***SPOILER ALERT*** I WILL DISCLOSE SOME THOUGHTS YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ PRIOR TO WATCHING THE MOVIE*** I generally love Miyazaki's work, but after Princess Mononoke (read: I did NOT enjoy), I wasn't keen to see Howl's Moving Castle. However, I did see it recently and found it wonderful, and I've watched it a number of times to try to figure things out.

First, it seems to be making a loose nod towards "The Wizard of Oz." Sophie is like Dorothy, a young woman who has a run-in with a wicked witch that leaves her searching for a home. Ok, so she's cursed by the "Wicked Witch of the Waste" (sound sorta familiar?) and now looks like an old hag. So that's different. She meets a scarecrow on the way who helps her find a place to live - with the Wizard Howl. Howl seems to be a composite of the Wizard of Oz and the Cowardly Lion and the Tinman - he's a Wizard, he's afraid to commit to anything and he doesn't have a heart. There's even a little dog, Heen, who attaches himself to Sophie. There are plenty of flying baddies - other wizards who have transformed into demon-like beings, sorta like the flying monkey boys, attacking Howl. Towards the end the Witch of the Waste is on fire and Sophie douses the witch with water, which has an adverse effect that I won't reveal here.

But of course it's not a complete parallel, just the characters are reminiscent. But it's an interesting and fun story, full of magic and mayhem, and a sweet love story. And there seems to be a time-travel loop.

Sophie is a young woman who is in a rut. She doesn't believe she is pretty, probably comparing herself to her sister and mother who seem to mesmerize men with their blonde (but ditzy) beauty. Sophie has mired herself in duty to her father's milinary shop. On her way to visit her sister in a nearby town, she encounters Howl, who saves her from some soldiers. But he himself is being pursued by minions of the Wicked Witch of the Waste, and he puts Sophie in a far worse danger - bringing her to the notice of the Witch.

Later that day the Witch curses Sophie with old-age as (presumably) a means to make the girl less desirable to Howl. But what it does is make Sophie leave her home to find her place elsewhere, and she inadvertantly makes her way straight to Howl. Insert a wizard's apprenctice - Markl - and a fire-demon - Calcifer - and an interesting castle that wanders around the "wastes" (sort of dreary no-man's lands outside of the general towns) makes for a fun story. Now for some spoilers and thoughts:

Another reviewer asks "why doesn't Howl have a heart? how/why did he lose it?" and I think the answer is this: When Howl was a chld studying magic alone in a cottage his uncle gave him, he met the demon Calcifer. Now, in most literature, the use of magic - especially strong magic - generally requires a sacrifice of something important. In this case, Howl gives his heart to Calcifer in exchange for powerful magic "on tap." At the time he makes this deal with Calcifer, he sees a strange vision - a young woman with silvery hair yelling at him from across a river - that she knows how to help him and Calcifer, that her name is Sophie and he should find her in the future. A black hole opens up and swallows her. He goes on to live his life until one day he saves a young brown-haired woman named Sophie from some soldiers. It's obvious to the viewer that he somehow knows Sophie, but she does not know him, she doesn't even realize he is Howl, who is a terrifying figure as he is reputed to eat the souls of beautiful young women (although she believes she is safe because she's "not pretty").

Throughout the story, Sophie goes from looking like a warty, fat old granny, to a young woman to a middle-aged woman and a range in between. She doesn't notice the changes, but something is changing inside of her, as she spends time living, she becomes younger. As an old lady, she can be funny, feisty, outrageous, she expresses herself with no regard to others, just says what she likes, which is freeing. She gives reign to anger and sorrow, but finds herself enjoying life. She also finds love, in a family with Markl, Calcifer, Heen, Howl, even the Wicked Witch of the Waste. When she spends time with Howl alone - in life or in her dreams - she completely changes to a lovely young woman. And Howl himself transforms a bit, he had had an affair with the Witch of the Waste because he thought she was beautiful, until he realizes she is not. With Sophie, as the old hag she is not beautiful, but becomes beautiful to him. I think it's both his seeing thru the curse and Sophie's acceptance that she is beautiful, especially in Howl's eyes that finally breaks her curse. I've heard the phrase "youth is wasted on the young" and in this case Sophie gets a chance to really appreciate her youth once the curse if lifted.

Overall I highly recommend this movie. There are a lot of things that are puzzling, including the war and the weird way it is being waged. The relationships between people are odd and hard to figure out, like Mrs. Suliman and how she strips the powers from witches and wizards. But how much can you do with a movie that's only a little over 2 hours long? But it's enjoyable enough that I spent a bit of time trying to puzzle things out. Take a look, hope you enjoy!

5 out of 5 stars

my kids/teens LOVE it! February 14, 2010
Brenda (Phoenix, AZ)
My kids and teens all LOVE this movie! They think it's one of the best anime movies EVER!!!

5 out of 5 stars

LOVED IT February 1, 2010
J. Hutchcraft
I loved this movie! I am a huge fan of Miyazaki!I am currently in the process of reading the book and so far the movie is just as good!

5 out of 5 stars

very good January 30, 2010
B. P. Katz
A very nice movie, though the end is a little confusing. Reading the book adds a layer of meaning that improves it, which is rare for a book/movie pair.

5 out of 5 stars

Satisfaction + January 30, 2010
K. LeMonds (Pleasant Grove, UT)
This product was delivered extremely fast and it was such a good price. Will do business with this seller again.

Showing reviews 1-5 of 334

1 2 3 4 5 6 ...67 Next »

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