Howl's Moving Castle
by Hayao Miyazaki
List Price:
Our Price: $23.99
You Save: $6.00 (20%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $20.99 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Akihiro Miwa, Chieko Baisho, Ry?nosuke Kamiki, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya GashuinDirector: Hayao Miyazaki
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: John Lasseter
Producer: Ned Lott
Producer: Rick Dempsey
Producer: Tomohiko Ishii
Writer: Diana Wynne Jones
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled)
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-07
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Howl's Moving Castle
Movie Review: Well done, but sometimes I wonder if Miazake read the book.
Summary: 3 Stars
You see, I LOVED the book. It's one of my favorites, right up there with Hollow Kingdom, Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Chrestomanci. So I had high hopes for the movie. And it was good. But several things bothered me.
~*~SPOILER WARNING FOR BOTH MOVIE AND BOOK BEYOND THIS POINT!~*~
#1: In Jones' world, the simple fact is, there isn't any technology. Yet some of the first scenes in the movie show street cars, trains, airplanes, etc. That would have ruined the quirky little scene in which Howl, Sophie and Michael visit Wales and ride in a car, if not for...
#2: In the book, the black setting on the door leads to Wales, which is where Howl used to live, until he somehow got to the fairytale land. In the movie, it leads to...I'm not sure what. I *think* it leads to the air above Sophie's town. But I'm not sure. There seems to be a lot of fire and bombs. Which leads me to...
#3: In the book, the main plot is Sophie trying to break Howl and Calcifer's contract, while they try to escape the Witch of the Waste and the curse she put on Howl. I know, confusing. Though not as confusing as Shakespeare. But I digress. Anyhow, in the movie, Howl spends most of his time not hunting girls (including Sophie's sister) as he does in the book, but turning into a winged bird-thing and stopping planes from dropping bombs. The Howl I know wouldn't do that-- he'd run away at top speed.
#4: Names drove me crazy. In the book, Sophie had two sisters, Lettie and Martha. Howl fell in love with Lettie. Michael, his fifteen-year-old apprentice, fell in love with Martha, who was under a glamour that made her look like Lettie, and so was calling herself Lettie as well. Also, Howl was taught by a lady named Mrs. Pentstemmon, who is later killed by the Witch. And the royal wizard is named Wizard Suliman. The movie ignored most of this. Martha disappears. Michael's name becomes Markl and he loses about seven years of his age, making him around eight. Mrs. Pentstemmon steals Wizard Suliman's name(he's vanished too) and becomes evil. I was so confused. And finally...
#5: The Moving Castle is a bug. A giant mechanical bug. In the book, it's a castle that floats. In the movie it's a bug.
All in all, I liked the movie, but it seemed more like a reliving of Hiroshima than a movie about Howl, Sophie, and all my other friends from Ingary.
Summary of Howl's Moving Castle
In Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated masterpiece, journey beyond imagination and enter a "breathtaking fantasy world" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) filled with adventure, humor and heart. Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell. Featuring the voice talents of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, and Billy Crystal, Miyazaki's artistry comes to life on DVD with inventive characters, unique storytelling and richly detailed animation. (c) 2004 Nibariki . GNDDDTLike 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
 The works of Miyazaki |  The Book |  The Art of Howls' Moving Castle (book) |
Stills from Howl's Moving Castle (click for larger image)
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Animation DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Studio Ghibli (alphebetical)
Whisper of the HeartBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2006-03-07; DVD
Best price: $20.84
Price in other shops:
Miyazaki's Tales From Earthsea: Double Disc EditionPublished: 2007; DVD
Best price: $25.45
Spirited AwayRelease date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $21.17
Price in other shops:
Princess MononokePrincess; Release date: 2000-12-19; DVD
Best price: $14.48
Price in other shops:
Porco RossoRelease date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $17.98
Price in other shops:
Pom PokoRelease date: 2005-08-16; DVD
Best price: $20.99
Price in other shops:
Panda Go Panda (Geneon Signature Series)Release date: 2004-01-06; DVD
Best price: $39.95
Nausicaa of the Valley of the WindRelease date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $21.17
Price in other shops:
My Neighbors the YamadasRelease date: 2005-08-16; DVD
Best price: $20.83
Price in other shops:
My Neighbor TotoroRelease date: 2006-03-07; DVD
Best price: $21.17
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
Whisper of the HeartBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2006-03-07; DVD
Best price: $20.86
Price in other shops:
The Cat ReturnsRelease date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $20.90
Price in other shops:
Howl's Moving Castleby Diana Wynne Jones
HarperCollins; Published: 2008-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.61
Price in other shops:
Porco RossoRelease date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $17.88
Price in other shops:
Castle in the SkyRelease date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $20.90
Price in other shops:
Kiki's Delivery ServiceRelease date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $21.16
Price in other shops:
Nausicaa of the Valley of the WindRelease date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $21.11
Price in other shops:
My Neighbor TotoroRelease date: 2006-03-07; DVD
Best price: $21.16
Price in other shops:
Princess MononokePrincess; Release date: 2000-12-19; DVD
Best price: $14.50
Price in other shops:
Spirited AwayRelease date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $21.14
Price in other shops: