Dagger Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 I think I made a thread about this sometime last year, but that was more of a general Miyazaki/Ghibli discussion, so I figured it would be better to start fresh. Anyway, the English Howl's Moving Castle trailer can be found [url=http://aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=19966][u]here[/u][/url]. Suffice it to say that this movie is pretty much guaranteed to become my favorite Miyazaki film--I've been in love with the book for years, and I can't imagine such a good director screwing up one of the most charming stories I've ever read. On that note, I really encourage people to go buy the book (it's by the British author Diana Wynne Jones); I'd be awfully depressed if the movie's June theatrical debut did nothing to boost sales. It's a delightful, romantic, charming piece of work--and incredibly funny, to boot. I hope some of Ms. Jones' sly comedy has been carried over into the film. Thus far I've seen nothing to keep me from having absolute confidence in the movie's creators. For one thing, the character artwork is [i]perfect[/i]. Miyazaki isn't known for filling his movies with bishounen, but Howl's design is excellent--almost exactly what I had first imagined when reading the book. So he gets major points for making Howl appropriately attractive. Sophie looks great as well--which is unsurprising, given how often eccentric old women have appeared in earlier Miyazaki films. And of course the animation in general is going to be ravishing. So who else is looking forward to Howl's Moving Castle? For me, at least, June can't come soon enough. ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Unit 100 Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 I'm looking forward too it. It's early reviews seem to be less excited compared to Spirited Away and Mononoke, but then again most critics skimmed over Laputa, so I guess I can have hope this will be one of Miyazaki's greatest. I liked the book it was based on, and the trailer looks beautiful, so I'll definately go see it. I guess any skepticism I have is just due to being spoiled by Steamboy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eleanor Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 [color=darkslateblue] *heehee* I actually came across this while I was reading Entertainment Weekly. I didn't read the whole article, but I hope it comes to theatres. If it's made by this guy, it's good enough for me... Miyazaki is a freaking genius. When I learned that he practically made Spirited Away in one job with no revisions, I was blown away. It's like writing an excellent novel without making any edits (although that analogy is also a bit redundant). Every Miyazaki film I've seen has been great. Once I went to a friend's house and watched Princess Mononoke and The Cat Returns for the first time... *0* (The baron from The Cat Returns is just plain sexy.) I meant to borrow Nausicaa, but I forgot to take it in the morning. >_> Ah well. And Totoro remains one of my favorite films ever. :3 [/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Posted April 23, 2005 Author Share Posted April 23, 2005 [url=http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/castle/][u]Here's[/u][/url] a link to the official English-language website. There isn't much content up yet, but oh well. It does confirm some information about the dub cast--Howl is played by Christian Bale, young Sophie is played by Emily Mortimer, old Sophie is played by Jean Simmons, the Witch of the Waste is played by Lauren Bacall, and Calcifer is played by Billy Crystal. I didn't really like how Howl sounded in the trailer, but I daresay I'll get over it (and there were also a lot of complaints about his Japanese seiyuu, so there you have it). ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Unit 100 Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Did anyone see it? Well, it was certainly better than any other movie to come out this year (this is coming from someone who hasn't yet seen Batman Begins). The animation is some of Miyazaki's best, and he stayed unusually faithful to the book it was based on. Also, it seemed to do an amazing job of combining Miyazaki's calmer slice-of-life style (i.e. Totoro) with his blockbuster on-crack style (i.e. Spirited Away). If anything, it was Miyazaki's strangest film, and thus his funniest. However, it was missing something. It's statement was muffled compared to past Miyazaki films, the plot less envolving and more predictable. It's by no means a greaty Miyazaki film, but it is still by all means a great film. And that is enough to make it and enjoyable way to spend an evening at the theater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapphire Flare Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 [SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]I definately need to see it... I saw his "Spirited Away" and his "Princess Mononoke" Which was bloodier than I expected but it was all good :D In my opinion spirited away was the better of the two but I think this new one may be the best yet.[/COLOR][/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo Tremaine Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 [COLOR=#503F86]Bearing in mind I've only seen a single trailer for the film so far, it strikes me that Miyazaki has almost identical character designs for every male protagonist in each film of his I've seen so far. Ashitaka looks almost exactly like Haku and the boy from Castle in the Sky, and there's little to no visible difference between him and Howl, too. The stories could hardly be further from each other, but I find the similarity of their designs (and character, usually) a little grating after a while. At least a change in hair colour?[/COLOR] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Posted June 25, 2005 Author Share Posted June 25, 2005 [QUOTE=Solo Tremaine][COLOR=#503F86]Bearing in mind I've only seen a single trailer for the film so far, it strikes me that Miyazaki has almost identical character designs for every male protagonist in each film of his I've seen so far. Ashitaka looks almost exactly like Haku and the boy from Castle in the Sky, and there's little to no visible difference between him and Howl, too. The stories could hardly be further from each other, but I find the similarity of their designs (and character, usually) a little grating after a while. At least a change in hair colour?[/COLOR][/QUOTE] What about the women? There are remarkable physical similarities between many of his female leads. And I think Miyazaki has some kind of weird fetish for braids. Maybe it's a gender perspective issue, but I can distinguish between the male characters you mentioned much more easily than between some of the girls, haha. Ashitaka and the boy from Castle in the Sky are tolerable to look at, but not at all attractive in the usual anime sense. Haku is very much a pretty-boy, approximately on the same level as, say, Akira from Hikaru no Go. Howl is a pretty [i]man[/i]. :animesmil As per the hair color thing, Howl [spoiler]goes through at least three different hair colors in the course of the film.[/spoiler] I really enjoyed the movie. I do recognize its flaws from an objective standpoint, but somehow it just clicked for me perfectly. I'm looking forward to seeing it again. [quote name='EVA Unit 100']...and he stayed unusually faithful to the book it was based on.[/quote] Come again? :animestun If by "faithful" you mean "he kept some of the same characters but made the plot completely and utterly different," then I'd have to agree. Many of the characters are very unlike their counterparts in the book. The storyline itself is something almost entirely new. I didn't mind it that much, as I loved some of the other plot elements Miyazaki introduced, i.e. [spoiler]Sophie meeting Howl when he was still a child.[/spoiler] I actually found it to be a huge relief that the movie's message or whatever was a little more muted. Miyazaki isn't as quite as preachy as some other anime directors, but sometimes it's nice to be able to ignore the moral lesson and just soak up the story. It almost certainly wasn't his aim, but I appreciate having that option. That's my take on it, anyway. For anyone who has seen the film: [spoiler]at what point do you think Howl recognized Sophie as the person he had seen in his childhood?[/spoiler] ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamui Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 I saw Howl's Movie Castle a few days ago in theater.:catgirl: I really like the movie, but I shouldn't spoil anything for those who didn't see the movie. If any one has any questions for me about the movie then send me a private message. :animesmil :D For those who saw the movie:[spoiler] I think Howl recognized Sophie as the person in his childhood when he first saw Sophie in the ally getting mistreated by the soldiers, while she was going to visited her sister at the bakery.:catgirl: [/spoiler] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Unit 100 Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 [quote name='Dagger']Come again? :animestun [/quote] Well, it's hardly faithful by general book-to-movie standards (although certainly more enjoyable than most adaptations). However, Studio Ghibli is infamous for completely changing the movies from the source material they're based on if they aren't based off of Miyazaki's own works (I haven't read Grave of the Fireflies, so that might be the main exception). The fact the movie even resembled the source material is actually very faithful by Ghibli's standards. While the plot and characterizations were heavily altered, whenever Miyazaki didn't seem to wander off with his own obsessions to make some design elements as wierd as possible, most of the character and setting design was nearly spot-on to how I had imagined it while reading the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Posted June 26, 2005 Author Share Posted June 26, 2005 Oh, I see. That makes sense. On that note, the [spoiler]green slime[/spoiler] scene was spot-on, which pleased me immensely, as it's my second-favorite part of the book (my absolute favorite part being the [spoiler]"Die, daffodils!"[/spoiler] scene). And speaking of awe-inspiring visuals--my jaw dropped to the floor when I saw the inside of Howl's room. Miyazaki really outdid himself with that one. ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo Tremaine Posted July 7, 2005 Share Posted July 7, 2005 [quote name='GreatBird']Totally awesome 2thumbs up :D[/quote][COLOR=#503F86]GreatBird, please put more thought into your posts in future; as this stands it's spam because it's too short. If you like a show, it's always a good idea to explain what it is about it you like (or even something that you didn't like- anything you can think of) to increase the scope for discussion in the thread and to make things more interesting for everyone else to read. [/COLOR] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RyuAijin Posted July 16, 2005 Share Posted July 16, 2005 [COLOR=Purple]I loved that movie! And the book. Howl is my all-time favorite guy now. lol. i'm serious too, lol. my favorite quote from him, "I'm dying of boredom. Or maybe just dying."..."I'm delirious, I'm seeing spots before my eyes"...lol...so cool![/COLOR] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Posted July 16, 2005 Author Share Posted July 16, 2005 [quote name='RyuAijin][COLOR=Purple']I loved that movie! And the book. Howl is my all-time favorite guy now. lol. i'm serious too, lol. my favorite quote from him, "I'm dying of boredom. Or maybe just dying."..."I'm delirious, I'm seeing spots before my eyes"...lol...so cool![/COLOR][/quote] I can hardly blame you. Howl is pretty awesome. I'm eagerly awaiting the DVD release (which hasn't been announced yet, has it?). I still haven't caught up with the last crop of Miyazaki films (Nausicaa, Porco Rosso, etc.), but for me HMC takes precedence, sacreligious though that may seem. I really wish I could see the movie in theaters again, although I'm almost positive it will have left my area by the time I get home--it seems like something which would play very differently upon a second viewing, if you know what I mean. I suppose I should just consider myself lucky to have seen it right when it came out. ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meggido Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 I'm seeing the Japanese Subbed version of this at The Melbourne International Film Festival. It's still a couple of weeks away but I can't wait to see it. My sister has read the book, but I haven't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceRose Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 I'm a fan of Miyasaki's work since I can remember. I loved My neighboor Totoro, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. This movie is centered around the same background as Kiki's Delivery Service which makes the movie familiar to Miyasaki's fans. Sophie is such an adorable character with being turned into an old lady and all that. Howl's pretty cute and powerful but at the same time powerless. Gotta love the movie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nobuT Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 I loved this movie! I especially love the part when Howl's hair is changing colors and he says, "I don't see the point in living if I ca't be beautiful!" So funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Blackrose01515 Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 [COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]I simply had a question. Does anyone know when the release date for the DVD is? By the way I loved this movie. I'm a huge Myizaki fan.[/COLOR] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilyholic Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 it is not bad actually. a beautiful story with a happy ending. just like myizaki always do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meggido Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 I just saw the subbed version of this at the Melbourne International film festival and I must say it was a marvelous film. In a way this was my introduction to Studio Ghibli as I haven't seen any of their other works. Also having not read the book gave me a great joy. My sister who saw it with me and has read the book said it was completely different in most aspects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Posted July 25, 2005 Author Share Posted July 25, 2005 [quote name='Meggido'] Also having not read the book gave me a great joy. My sister who saw it with me and has read the book said it was completely different in most aspects.[/quote] So what's stopping you from reading it now? If you enjoyed the movie, you'll almost certainly enjoy the book as well--in fact, you just may end up liking it better. Plus, it's interesting to go over the (often striking) plot differences between the author's version of the story and Miyazaki's version of the story. Although I suppose some would say that one can't really count them as the same story at all. ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Moto Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Anyone seen Hayao Miyazaki?s latest, "The Moving Castle", I might go see it down the cinema this weekend, anyone seen it? is it any good? :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminaire Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 [color=darkred]When I went down to Otakon, I read a random sign by the 35mm Theatre and it turned out the TBA movie on Sunday afternoon was "Howl's Moving Castle". I told my two traveling companions that we had to stay for it. They had wanted to leave on Sunday morning. We stayed and watched and enjoyed it thoroughly. Since I had been kinda disappointed with the convention...Howl's Moving Castle made it worth it. I really enjoyed watching it. When compared to the book, which I am a huge fan of, I thought things were done just right. I agree with you, Dagger, about Howl's room. I can't wait for this to release on DVD... ~Lumi ^_^[/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Moto Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 Ha, sorry bout before. Yes im new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Zofi Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 -I think it's the most wonderful and the most beautiful movie ever made!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE it! And I LOVE Howl, too! And the other characters, too, of course. I wish it would come out on DVD now, it's taking way too long. And I can't wait to buy the book! Hope it's as good some of you guys are making it sound ^_^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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