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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Brand: Buena Vista Home Video EAN: 0786936296662 Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC Item Dimensions: Label: Walt Disney Home Entertainment Languages: Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Entertainment MPN: 04139900 Number Of Items: 2 Publisher: Walt Disney Home Entertainment Region Code: 1 Release Date: March 07, 2006 Running Time: 119 minutes Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: 2004 Editorial Review: Product Description: Acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki adapts British writer Diana Wynne Jones's popular fantasy tale for this animated feature adding his own unique and celebrated dreamlike spin. A young hat-maker named Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer) is turned into an old woman by the dreaded Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall) when she attracts the notice of Howl (Christian Bale) a young wizard whom the witch desires for herself. As the old woman (voiced by Jean Simmons) Sophie finds refuge as a cleaning lady in Howl's magical castle an impressively realized mishmash of anthropomorphic shafts and gears where she meets among other wonders a cantankerous fire demon named Calcifer (Billy Crystal). Howl's courage inspires her to seek a cure for her curse and vice versa and the two work together to prevent a major war as the castle roams the countryside on its mechanical legs. There's lots of magic afoot as well including travel through barriers of space and time and shape-shifting requiring full viewer attention to keep track of who where and when but this how dreams really are and the film engages on that same subconscious level. As with Miyazaki's previous work (SPIRITED AWAY KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE) the emphasis here is on creating a beautiful alternate reality where anything can happen and every frame is a breathtaking work of art. See it on the big screen if the chance presents itself; the elaborate intricacies and patiently realized alternate realities of Miyazaki's work makes him a true treasure.System Requirements:Running Time 119 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG UPC: 786936296662 Manufacturer No: 04139900 Amazon.com: Like a dream, Howl's Moving Castle carries audiences to vistas beyond their imaginations where they experience excitement, adventure, terror, humor, and romance. With domestic box office receipts of over $210 million, Howl passed Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke to become the #3 film in Japanese history, behind his Spirited Away and James Cameron's Titanic. Based on a juvenile novel by Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle marks the first time Miyazaki has adapted another writer's work since Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). Sophie, a 19-year-old girl who believes she is plain, has resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop--until the Witch of the Waste transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. In her aged guise, Sophie searches for a way to break the Witch's spell and finds unexpected adventures. Like Chihiro, the heroine of Spirited Away, Sophie discovers her hidden potential in a magical environment--the castle of the title. Using CG, Miyazaki creates a ramshackle structure that looks like it might disintegrate at any moment. Sophie's honesty and determination win her some valuable new friends: Markl, Howl's young apprentice; a jaunty scarecrow; Calcifer, a temperamental fire demon; and Heen, a hilarious, wheezing dog. She wins the heart of the dashing, irresponsible wizard Howl, and brings an end an unnecessary and destructive war. The film overflows with eclipsing visuals that range from frightening aerial battles to serene landscapes, and few recent features--animated or live action--offer as much magic as Howl's Moving Castle. --Charles Solomon The Many Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki
Stills from Howl's Moving Castle (click for larger image)
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Completely and utterly beautifulI prefer the voices of the Korean version better than the English, but other than that, the movie excels in the movie department. In each of Miyazaki's movies, a beautiful score is written, but Howl's Moving Castle's score is especially excellent. While listening to the music, watch the scenery: clouds, lush pastures, a day in a fantastical European city...The story also, though quite different from the book, is pure with a wonderful love. Miyazaki again produces a wonder, and give meaning to cinematographic ... Read More Rating: - For some reason, I usually call it Howl's Flying CastleThe Score has pure magic in it; it's Joe Hisashi's best work The Voice Acting of Christian Bale and Jean Simmons fully personifys the characters The way the love story develops feels just like some classic Golden Age movie Rating:  - coudn't be more annoying i watched the first half of this movie trying to understand and enjoy it but it was so boring and meaningless that didn't allow me to watch it to the end. The story line doesn't make sense, the characters are depicted awfully and weird, a boy with long beard, an old woman cleaning a house over and over again, a young man who looks like a girl but has a deep manly voice; all confuisiing and nonsense. but to be totally fair there was one positive point in this move, the beautiful backgrouds ... Read More Rating: - The Wizard of Oz meets Manga but still like nothing you have seen beforeWhile this is Anime it contains Manga moments but is for children and adults alike will love it too. The animation is sublime and the visuals are like a dream come to life. You have never seen anything like this before. It is hard to describe the story because the fantasy really is thick and at least ninety percent of the film takes places in a dreamlike vision, yet it still manages to gel together and you know that you are witnessing something not quite like anything you have ever experienced before. A ... Read More Rating: - Loved it....I absolutely loved this movie. I'm not really into anime and don't even know why I decided to watch this....but I'm really glad I did. This is now one of my favorite movies. It's so magical and fantastical and romantic. I love Sophie's attitude. I love that she is such a positive person, even if she doesn't think she's beautiful on the outside. I love her reaction to being cursed into an old lady...she didn't panic, or get hysterical...i love how she decided to look at the positive, commenting on how her dress ... Read More |
