Howl cartoon movie news

andrew osmond andrew at
Thu Dec 26 13:48:21 EST 2002

Please don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger... Anyway, a Nausicaa
Mailing-List person drew attention to the following report at Anime News
Toshio Suzuki is the president of the Japanese animation studio Ghibli. 

Toshio Suzuki recently discussed Miyazaki's new film (Howl's Moving
Castle) as well as Oshii's (Innocence: Ghost in the Shell) with
Shigesato Itoi. The original article can be read (in Japanese) at

Translated Excertps:

Suzuki: I’m currently discussing the next film with Miyazaki, Howl’s
Moving Castle, to be released in 2004. It is based on a British
children's novel, however Miyazaki usually alters the story for his
movies. First of all, he wondered what period the story should be set
in. One day, he said to me, “How about the end of 19th century?” He
knows a lot of artists drew "illusion art" in Europe back then.

Suzuki: They drew many pictures imagining what the 20th century would be
like. They were illusions and were never realized after all. Nowadays,
we look back at these pictures and see a world in which science exists
as well as magic, since they are illusion.

Suzuki: "That's the world the story is to be set in," he said to me.
While talking with me, his judgement waverered on one item whether or
not automobiles should appear. That's currently the most important
question for him. In a world where planes already exist, are automobiles

Suzuki: If you create such a world, it means that it’s rather hard thing
to fall in love in the world. “That’s what I’d like to depict,” he said
to me. Another important point in the film is that a war is occurring in
this world. The war affect the personal lives of the characters. When
someone is put in such circumstances, it makes it very hard to be in

Suzuki: In such hard situation, the protagonist faces more hard
question; “Which side should I stand for in the war?” Miyazaki and I
discuss such things these days. I came to think that the ‘condition’ is
an important thing to depict pure love.

[plus stuff on Ghost in the Shell]
andrew osmond

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