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Howl's Moving Castle

Hauru no Ugoku Shiro

2004

Hayao Miyazaki

Animation

7.8

60,602

Animation. Fantasy. Adventure. Romance Young Sophie is eighteen, and works tirelessly every day making hats in her deased father’s hat shop. One day, on a rare outing to town, Sophie accidentally encounters the Wizard Howl. Howl is dashingly handsome, yet as wizards go, he’s a bit of a wimp. The Witch of the Waste misinterprets the nature of the relationship between the two and casts a spell on Sophie, transforming her into a withered ninety-year-old woman. Sophie leaves ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	David Ansen Newsweek	"'Howl's Moving Castle' has the logic of a dream: behind every door lie multiple realities, one more astonishing than the next."	POS
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"While the movie contains delights and inventions without pause and has undeniable charm (...) while it has the Miyazaki visual wonderment, it's a disappointment, compared to his recent work (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
United States	A. O. Scott The New York Times	"Not that children are the only viewers likely to be haunted and beguiled by 'Howl's Moving Castle' -- all that is needed are open eyes and an open heart."	POS
United States	Ella Taylor LA Weekly	"Another soulful gem from the peerless Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki"	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"A touching parable about the transforming power of love and the scary burden of youth (...) It is a lovely film for all ages (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Andrew Osmond Empire	"An anime riddle wrapped in an enigma though with all his usual charm, wit and hand-drawn beauty (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"The movie's dreamlike spaces and characters are sometimes worthy of Lewis Carroll."	POS
United States	Ed Gonzalez Slant	"What the film lacks in backstory, subtext, even logic and emotion, it more than makes up in sheer force of invention (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Ken Tucker New York Magazine	"In the best moments of 'Howl's Moving Castle' and in his extraordinary body of work, Miyazaki teaches his viewers more valuable lessons"	POS

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