Howls Moving Castle is perhaps Miyazakis most phantasmagorical film yet, surpassing even Spirited Away in its astonishing imagery and supernatural logic. Thats the best way to become a great creator thats what Mao Tse-tung said.) When asked if he was surprised by the acceptance and acclaim his work has garnered in the U.S., Miyazaki replied they may change their minds when they see this film. (An aspiring animator was advised to be poor, be young and have no name. His (or his interpreters) English-language responses were concise and tended on occasion towards the tongue-in-cheek. The Japanese media had the edge in sharing the directors language, and were rewarded with longer and presumably more nuanced answers to their questions.

First in line was Miyazaki himself, followed closely by his translator and his producer Toshio Suzuki. Howls North American premiere at New York Citys Museum of Modern Art on June 6, 2005, was an opportunity for its creators and American adaptors to run a media gauntlet of microphones, video cameras and tape recorders.

And like those films, it centers on a young woman who resolutely faces a challenge that might leave a conventional movie hero dazed and confused. Howls Moving Castle, like several of Miyazakis other films, takes place in a world where magic is commonplace and Edwardian-era technology has spawned massive aerial warships.

For everyone else, it is a visit to a world of marvels. All rights reserved.įor Hayao Miyazaki, it is a return to a land he knows very well. But will Americans get it? All images © 2004 Nibariki. Howls Moving Castle is perhaps Miyazakis most phantasmagorical film filled with astonishing imagery and supernatural logic.

Howls moving castle movie visuals