It's about change and growth for Sophie as she journeys to find her own beauty and love, but also Howl, the lonely wizard thrown into a human war he never asked to be a part of.
When the topic of Studio Ghibli comes up, Howl's Moving Castle tends to be a polarizing. The 2004 film, about a young woman cursed with old age who finds herself keeping house for a wizard in a roaming fortress, got a lot of love at the time, but there are those who find it doesn't quite match up with Miyazaki's other works. Nevertheless, it remains one of the filmmaker's most enthralling, inventive pieces. The movie is based on the kids book by Diana Wynne Jones, but when you think of Howl's Moving Castle, you think of Miyazaki. That's because he made it his own. It's his now. Howl's imagines a fully realized world of magic, demons, and whimsy, but also the horrors of violence and war. It's about change and growth for Sophie as she journeys to find her own beauty and love, but also Howl, the lonely wizard thrown into a human war he never asked to be a part of. Miyazaki brings a vibrant palette with enough creative reimagining to dazzle and evoke childlike awe even in adult audiences. — N.R.