The only exposure I had to Hayao Miyazaki as a kid was watching 'Tonari No Totoro' over and over (in Japanese, without subtitles, on VHS) with my sister and having to figure out what was happening purely through the amazing visuals and sounds. Which I guess obviously indicates the magical appeal of film because ultimately it can be universally understood. So you can understand my slight disappointment in watching the English-dubbed 'My Neighbor Totoro' not too long ago and having a little of that magic doused out with the rather terrible English dubbing. Not that I don't laud Disney for attempting to and succeeding in bringing Miyazaki films to a wider audience. I think in this case though, just like any other foreign film I prefer to put on subtitles and try to view it the way it is seen in its home country.
Howl's Moving Castle features a girl named Sophie, who works hard to maintain her deceased father's hat business and, because she is a little plainer in features compared to her mother and younger sister, has low self-esteem. However she attracts the attention of Howl, the eponymous young wizard who saves and takes care of her in a chance encounter. This encounter breeds jealousy in the Witch of the Waste, who curses Sophie into an old woman (which is when the movie really starts), who then leaves her home to search for Howl and a way to lift the curse. Sophie meets a slew of colorful characters on the way - a mute but friendly and helpful scarecrow she dubs Turnip-head, the fire demon Calcifer that runs Howl's castle, and then of course Howl's castle itself (not that it is sentient), which personally was really a treat for me to see a magical, shape-shifting behemoth of a piece of architecture playing such an incredible role in what's probably my #3 of Miyazaki's films (1 and 2 being Spirited Away and Tonari No Totoro).
Enough talking now. This is why I don't really do film posts anymore...!
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