Howl’s Moving Castle (Japanese animation 2004) by Hayao Miyazaki

[cranefly]

Another movie on the 366weirdmovies list. I had trouble finding it at the library, until I double-checked the listing and realized it’s in the children’s section.

Which is fine. I’m up for a good children’s movie.

But now having watched it,I have to say it seems a bit too much for children -- in pacing, complexity, and subject matter. There are also some frightening scenes. But I suppose it depends on the child and having appropriate supervision.

Lady Cranefly watched it as well. We were both mildly disappointed. The visuals are outstanding, as one comes to expect from Miyazaki. I loved the castle, the morphing black blobs of evil, the scarecrow, and many other elements. But as Lady Cranefly pointed out, the story isn’t cohesive enough. Too many things are left up in the air, or characters take actions without any clear motivation.

The film is based on a novel of the same name by British writer Diana Wynne Jones. As Lady Cranefly puts it, “Miyazaki should stick to his own storytelling.”

I think it’s a very good movie just for the visuals; and yes, it’s full of weirdness. But Miyazaki set such a high standard for himself with earlier films like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away that this just seems a lesser work.

Still worth the watch.

[Drunk Monk]

The demon spirits were visionary in both films.

But still, his greatest spirit ever remains Totoro.

[cranefly]

Ahhh, My Cousin Totoro. I suppose I should check that one out.

Regarding the darkness of his other works, I remember in particular the scene very early in Spirited Away when the parents turn into ugly squalid pigs. This transformation of something familiar, loving and to be trusted into something monstrous is just the thing to freak a child out. It even rattles grownups. Very powerful stuff.

[Drunk Monk]

It's delightful - and rather random as the forest spirits don't really map on to anything, particularly the Catbus. It's a sharp contrast to the other films mentioned here. Not much really happens in the film actually - it's a rather modest tale - but the scenery is beautiful. I saw an interview with Miyazaki where he said his main mission with that film was to depict the beauty of the Japanese countryside, which he felt was vanishing from the world. It's a loving tribute, not dark at all really. And the impact of Totoro remains strong. You can go to Hot Topic and get Totoro memorabilia, new stuff as they have the official U.S. license now. It's still hugely popular. It's achieved cult status.

The 'rents turning into pigs in SA was harsh, but I think the river demon was creepier. I saw that with T when it came out and we had to leave the theater during the river demon scene. She was really young then, like 3 or so.