Howl’s Moving Castle

After the success of Spirited Away Hayao Miyazaki didn’t rest on his laurels. Howl’s Moving Castle, which premiered three years later, is another triumph of his imagination which is able use any source (this time it was Diana Wynne Jones’s novel of the same name) to make an autonomous and unique work of art. Motifs typical of the director’s work are easily recognizable: an independent child protagonist, journeys between worlds, an anti-war message. What makes his ninth film unique is the fantastic setting of the castle which walks on mechanic legs, and a particularly moving story about trying to understand a young person’s identity. The premise is the transformation of the young Sophie into a ninety-year-old lady. The girl escapes to the castle to remove the mysterious curse. Together with the magician Howl whom she meets along the way, they form one of the most moving relationships in the whole of Miyazaki’s ouvre.

Igor Kierkosz

Hayao Miyazaki (b. 1941) is a Japanese director, animator and manga artist. Shortly after completing his studies in Economics and Political Science at Gakushuin University, he was employed as an animator. That was also when he met Isao Takahata, with whom he founded Studio Ghibli in 1985. His work is recognized and acclaimed all around the world, as evidenced by the Oscar for his animated film Spirited Away (2001).