All movies Studio Ghibli They have a special charm. Hayao Miyazaki’s way of telling stories is unique. We can see it in works such as Ponyo on the Cliff, Chiriro’s Journey and also in The Moving Castle. Born as an adaptation of the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, this film presents us with an adventure full of magic, fantasy and romance.
Its level of detail, its underlying messages and the wonderful animation it features are just some of the elements that make this film an essential not only for lovers of Japanese animation, but also for lovers of fantasy. And, no matter how much we have seen it several times, we will always find new things to look at. Therefore, now that it is available through Netflix, it is a great opportunity to talk about everything that makes it special and learn about some of these aspects. Come on!
Where to see Moving Castle
In The moving castleWe will meet Sophie, a young hat maker who one day falls prey to a curse placed by the Witch of the Wasteland. Thus, she sees how her appearance is transformed into an old woman, leaving her with no choice but to travel the world in search of someone who can help her. It is in this way that she ends up finding a moving castlewith bird legs that move from one place to another. But the castle is not empty and strange beings like Calcifer and howla mysterious wizard.
Despite being an adaptation that tells the story of the novel, Studio Ghibli likes to add deeper messages, messages that are shown through small details or sometimes dreamlike representations. In this case, we can find references to war, which Miyazaki usually mentions in order to show its brutality. Howl is a character that embodies destructive values, while Sophie represents a much more peaceful part that, in the end, converge in some way. In the same way, there are plots that have been removed from the film in order to make the story more accessible to the viewer. For example, in the book we can go much deeper into Sophie’s family and in the film it is barely referenced.
Now, there is no doubt that the story of The Moving Castle is one of its strong points, even more so when it is accompanied by exceptional music that is always cared for. However, it is the animationand the way the studio brings this story to life is what makes you fall in love with the film. In that sense, Ghibli’s style is totally recognizable, leaving us landscapes of extreme beautysome inspired by France, but also in the representation of everyday scenes under a constant aesthetic steampunk. The part where Calcifer is cooked on top could be a good example of attention to detail, not only because of how succulent the food is, but because it demonstrates the care that is put into the details. In the same way, just as in Spirited Away we could see Bo’s room with a special and colorful design, the scene in which Howl’s room is shown could be a painting. I invite you to pause it and look at all the design details there are.
Ghibli is quality seal, there is no doubt about that and The Moving Castle came to drink from the success that Chihiro previously achieved in 2001. In this way, this film was nourished in some way by the renown that its predecessor obtained, although we already knew many of the studio’s works through international level as Princess Mononoke. Although the official premiere of this film was in 2004 in Japan, it was in 2006 when it was nominated for the Oscarsas Best Animated Film. Unfortunately, he did not receive the award and it went to Wallace and Gromit, also competing against Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.
However, not winning an Academy Award does not mean that the film does not have unbeatable quality. Furthermore, although close to 2 hours, at no point does it falter in terms of pace, knowing how to keep the viewer attentive to what is happening and this is amplified when we reach the last third of the film. Therefore, now that we have it available on Netflix, it is always a good option for any day when we don’t know what to watch. If you have already seen it, then I recommend that you stop and look for new details.
Far from entering into the spoiler, those of you who already know what happens will be able to find tracks that give you signs about Howl’s nature, for example. In the same way, you will also understand the dialogue that he says to Sophie the first time he sees her. What’s more, have you ever realized that this she was a witch with powers? I encourage you to take a good look at their capabilities.
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