Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Starring (voices) Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Tatsuya Gashûin, Haruko Kato, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Yayoi Kazuki, Yô Ôizumi. [PG]

Another charming and visually inventive film from master animator Miyazaki, but expectations can be a curse sometimes, and such a curse plays into why this effort feels so underwhelming and impactless. The castle of the title is an elaborate, eye-filling gem of a contraption, a bulging and shape-shifting patchwork of parts and spaces, galumphing across the land on mechanical legs; the Howl of the title is far less intriguing even as an enigma, a wizard who can take on many forms and inspires great jealousies and affections from the other characters without meaningful foundations or motivations. The murky, symbol-heavy story is as much a mishmash as the castle, borrowing from various fantasy/fairy tale junkyards, and not only is the plot hard to follow, but it never fully gets off the ground, not even during the final act. The anti-war message rings true, but was handled more clearly and effectively in Princess Mononoke (those brand new to Miyazaki’s work may find the film to be fresher and more original than those who have been following his career for years). Miyazaki’s screenplay is based on a book by Diana Wynne Jones.

69/100