HOWL'S
MOVING
CASTLE
by Julia.A
Howl's Moving Castle is a 2004 Japanese animated
fantasy film written and directed by Hayao
Miyazaki, based on the 1986 book Howl's Moving
Castle by British author Diana Wynne Jones. Due
to Miyazaki's opposition to the US invasion of Iraq
in 2003, the film contains strong anti-war themes,
but this is not the focus of the film.
It's a very interpretive film, you
have to observe and interpret what
is implied. There are reflections in
the midst of the fantasy.
About the movie
The main characters in the film are Shopie, a simple young woman
who values only her appearance and works in a hat shop, and Howl,
a seductive magician of dubious character.
As the film opens, we see Sophie in the hat shop, looking after
herself, and then visiting one of her sisters in town. There are
whispers about the terrible magician Howl and his reputation for
stealing girls' hearts. However, on her way to her sister, Sophie is
harassed by some male officers, and a mysterious blond boy
appears to save her, saying that he has been looking for her
everywhere.
Another very interesting detail is that the boy's ring glowed when he
found Sophie.
The interesting thing is that Calcifer is
closely connected to Howl because he
Sophie returns to the hat shop and meets
made a pact with the demon, giving him
a witch who curses her, turning her into a
his heart in exchange for Calcifer's
90-year-old woman, so the protagonist
sets out to find the magician and his powers. In addition to being the demon
traveling castle to break the curse. that controls everything in the castle,
The animated castle (the castle is Calcifer allows Sophie to enter Howl's
animated because it doesn't stand still) is heart and make it her home.
visually ugly, it just looks like a pile of
garbage and metal. She finds and enters
the castle, meets a fire demon
(CALCIFER), and the demon makes a pact
with Sophie to break his curse so he can
be free of the castle, and thus he will help
her to break hers..
Howl and Sophie end up living together in the
castle, but you can still see that their existence
and living together change them, what they
think, how they feel. While Howl is all about
appearance, to the point where he spends
hours dressing up and being very vain, Sophie
doesn't think she's worth it. They both act
immaturely toward each other, but through all
these actions, they are also building their
relationship.
At various times, Sophie's curse seems to
disappear, and she regains her youthful
appearance. The moments when this happens
are the moments when she manages to stand
up for herself, respect her own boundaries,
and demonstrate her values to others.
At the end of the story, Howl is very In these memories, she understands what the
weak from trying to protect Sophie and curse is and the connection between Calcifer
the castle from the war, just as Calcifer and Howl, but with no time to help at that
is getting weaker because of his moment, she asks Howl to meet her in the
connection to him. Sophie destroys the future and returns, hoping to save him. This
castle by freeing Calcifer, but she point is very interesting, remembers Howl's
manages to find a door that leads to shiny ring and what he said to her when they
Howl's childhood memories. first met?
"I've been looking for you everywhere!"
The key point of their trajectories is about personal
development and self-esteem. Not only for Sophie,
but for Howl too the focus is on accepting who they
are, recognizing their qualities and their imperfections.
Miyazaki give us a glimpse of the character getting
rid of what weighed on his heart: insecurity,l and fear
of being himself.Although Howl is heartless and his
attitudes are selfish and narcissistic most of the time,
we also see attitudes that border on genuine concern
for those who occupy a place in the castle.
.
Miyazaki give us a glimpse of the character getting
rid of what weighed on his heart: insecurity,l and fear
of being himself.Although Howl is heartless and his
attitudes are selfish and narcissistic most of the time,
we also see attitudes that border on genuine concern
for those who occupy a place in the castle.
The movie has a great soundtrack that is deeply
connected to the scenes and perfectly complements
the magic of the story. The way the music is presented
is extremely detailed and mesmerizing. The animation
is impeccable, and the landscape is all detailed and
surreal, with vibrant colors that catch the eye.
.
Miyazaki, known for his female protagonists, describes them as brave,
independent girls who don't think twice before fighting for what they
believe in with all their hearts.
In the 80s and 90s, in the midst of countless children's films where the
prince saves the princess, Miyazaki brings a different perspective,
empowered women who don't need anyone to save them, but if there
is a "prince", he won't be the solution to the problem, but rather a
help, a support for them follow your dreams
.
THANK YOU
