Beautiful to look at, interesting story, disappointing end. That is the best way to look at Hayao Miyazaki's latest feature film, his first since 2001's Academy Award winner Spirited Away. I am fortunate to have gotten to see this theatrically, as it is getting a limited run. I found a theater that was with the realm of my driving distance and made the decision to make the trip. There is nothing quite like seeing a film on the big screen.
The first thing I'd like to get into is the look of the film. It is nice to see such a beautifully animated world that still relies primarily on the hand drawn cell. There is computer assisted animation at work here, but it is not the primary medium employed. There is so much detail to look at, from the character designs, to the vehicles and buildings, it all has a wonderful look to it. The look of the film is pure fantasy, but combines elements of late 1800's and early 1900's with potential technological advances based on tech of the time. The primary visual achievement would be the construct of the title, the moving castle itself. It is a large hodge podge of various bits of metal, and houses, heaving and groaning as it moves along on four bird-like legs. There are also a number of different steam powered flying machines.
The story is simultaneously interesting, engrossing, and maddeningly obtuse. The main thrust of the tale is Sophie and a curse placed on her, turning her from an 18 year old girl to a 90 year old woman without the ability to speak about her curse. She sets off on a trek to find a way to break the curse. The story is told with the backdrop of a war instigated through political machinations with no real reason given.
The characters are interesting, if somewhat enigmatic. Sophie's tale is an odd one, after setting out to break her curse, she becomes sidetracked posing as a cleaning woman at Howl's castle. There she befriended a fire demon which powered the castle and was linked to Howl. Howl, meanwhile, is attempting to find a way out of his own curse. This hasn't even gotten to the characters of the not quite evil Witch of the Waste, the political maneuverings of Madame Suliman, Turniphead the Scarecrow, and Markl, Howl's apprentice.
There is a lot going on, but the pacing for most of the film is on the slower side allowing for more character type moments than story moments. I think this, while great for the characters, hurts the film in the long run. The film runs nearly two hours, yet the conclusion seems rushed. It was as if they were closing in on the running time limit, realized they had to wrap it up and just did it.
The voice work was top notch. Most notably Christian Bale as Howl, he strikes the right balance needed to make this character real. There is also some playful work from Billy Crystal as Calcifer, the fire demon who powers the castle and also provides the comic relief.
Bottomline. For as flat as the ending left me, this is still a magical film that the whole family can enjoy. Gorgeous animation, fun characters, a story that doesn't insult any age group. It is definitely something to track down and see.
Recommended.
Also at Blogcritics.org.
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