Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle

2DCSU
Director:Hajao Mijazaki
Cast:Takuja Kimura, Čieko Baišó, Akio Ócuka, Rjúnosuke Kamiki
Premiere:4. January 2024
Length:118 minutes
Genre:Animated

Director: Hajao Mijazaki  •  Cast: Takuja Kimura, Čieko Baišó, Akio Ócuka, Rjúnosuke Kamiki, Jó Óizumi, Šigejuki Tocugi, Akihiro Miwa, Haruko Kató, Makoto Jasumura, Majuno Jasokawa

Hayao Miyazaki's geysers of imagery have always built on a core of principled values and thought-provoking ideas carried by elaborate characters. In one of his most celebrated works, fittingly set against the backdrop of a lavish fantasy world of wizards, he develops a subtle romance and a sensitive treatise on how appearances are not everything. Miyazaki's adaptation of the young adult fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones is set in a world full of magic and steampunk technology, but also chaotic, ambiguous and contrasting. Sophie, a humble hatter, is turned into an old woman by the curse of a capricious witch. She finds refuge in the bizarre walking castle of the renowned wizard Howl, where she meets the fire demon Calcifer and the little boy Markle. While the dashing and handsome Howl regularly sets out on nocturnal expeditions from which he returns ragged and exhausted, Sophie admits to herself that there is more than just a curse cast on her in the strange abode. On the one hand, Miyazaki enchants the audience with baroquely opulent scenes, while slowly revealing the individual husks enveloping the insides of the characters here. To this day, one of the most audience-successful Japanese films of all time deals with appearances and externals that mask the true essence and interiority of people and things. But above all, it is about the power of love to overcome any obstacle.

Length: 118 min

Year: 2004
Local premiere date: 4. January 2024

Country of origin:

  • Japan

Director: Hajao Mijazaki  •  Cast: Takuja Kimura, Čieko Baišó, Akio Ócuka, Rjúnosuke Kamiki, Jó Óizumi, Šigejuki Tocugi, Akihiro Miwa, Haruko Kató, Makoto Jasumura, Majuno Jasokawa

Hayao Miyazaki's geysers of imagery have always built on a core of principled values and thought-provoking ideas carried by elaborate characters. In one of his most celebrated works, fittingly set against the backdrop of a lavish fantasy world of wizards, he develops a subtle romance and a sensitive treatise on how appearances are not everything. Miyazaki's adaptation of the young adult fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones is set in a world full of magic and steampunk technology, but also chaotic, ambiguous and contrasting. Sophie, a humble hatter, is turned into an old woman by the curse of a capricious witch. She finds refuge in the bizarre walking castle of the renowned wizard Howl, where she meets the fire demon Calcifer and the little boy Markle. While the dashing and handsome Howl regularly sets out on nocturnal expeditions from which he returns ragged and exhausted, Sophie admits to herself that there is more than just a curse cast on her in the strange abode. On the one hand, Miyazaki enchants the audience with baroquely opulent scenes, while slowly revealing the individual husks enveloping the insides of the characters here. To this day, one of the most audience-successful Japanese films of all time deals with appearances and externals that mask the true essence and interiority of people and things. But above all, it is about the power of love to overcome any obstacle.

Year: 2004
Local premiere date: 4. January 2024

Country of origin:

  • Japan