Howl’s Moving Castle
Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki
After getting HBO Max solely to see the Studio Ghibli films (unseen to me before now!) and weeks of going back and forth where to start I jumped right in with Howl’s Moving Castle and honestly think I made an excellent choice!
Now I can worry I started at the top!
Howl’s is lovely film about a young hat maker called Sophie who is cursed by a witch to become an old woman and takes refuge in the cool moving castle of the mysterious wizard Howl.
Which I got to say after she cleaned it up was a darned nice place to live.
It’s even got a magic sentient fire and a rather adorable random kiddo.
While overall I liked the characters especially the fire and the kid. Howl was a bit more iffy probably because at one point he has a breakdown because he accidentally dyed his hair orange and was “no longer beautiful.”
Me: Good Lord drama Queen!
It did take a bit to get into the film but as the story unfolds and the layers get peeled back we get this wonderful fairy tale, war drama, found family, coming of age tale that was absolutely lovely.
A film that’s both beautiful to look at and listen to as I enjoyed the score very much as well.
Though I freely admit it took me until the end to appreciate the relationship between Howl and Sophie but it was worth the ride 🙂
I’m very happy I finally watched it and can’t wait until I get into the rest of the films. Hopefully it won’t take me months to decide this time! I am completely open to suggestions on which one to watch next.
Recommend: Yes.
This movie and Princess Mononoke are my favorites from Studio Ghibli. This movie has a lot to give, characters, the gorgeous settings, the amazing Calcifer, that ending! It was everything, I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Thank you! Princess Mononoke is definitely one I want to get to soon!
I really need to get to watch it!! The only one i’ve seen is Princess Mononoke 😅
I’ve been torn between howl’s or kiki delivery service for which one I shall watch first
Those were pretty much the ones I as going back and forth on. Now it’s Kiki or Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away? So many great choices!
Iknow eh, there’s so many! 😅
I also love this movie! I am dying to watch Princess Mononoke soon since everyone keeps on recommending the movie!
Yes! I hope to get to that one soon!
Ahhhh ghibli movies have my heart. I’m so glad you liked Howl’s moving castle! I really like whisper of the heart as well. Great review ❤️❤️
Whisper of the Heart is not one I was familiar with even by name so I will definitely move that one up the list 🙂
I haven’t seen this one yet either, but recently all of studio Ghibli’s film have been made available to us on Netflix, so I hope to get into a marathon watch of these myself in the near future. I’m glad you enjoyed it😊And it has only made me more curious to watch it now😊
I wish we got it on Netflix! I did not need another streaming service 🙂
I’m doing the same thing with HBO Max. Prior, I had only seen Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro so I’m starting to watch the rest as well. I loved Howl’s Moving Castle. It’s easily #2 after Spirited Away for me and my favorite of the three new ones I’ve watched so far.
Those are two I definitely want to get too soon and Kiki and Princess Mononoke! It’s like I’ve waited years kept missing them in theaters and now it’s gluttony! I hope you enjoy them!
Currently i am a super fans of Mr. Hayao Miyazaki,you can’t believe these made more than ten years ago. So i am watching his moives one by one,The vally of the wind,Castle in the sky…
Hope you enjoy watching them! So far I’m really loving the whole selection!
I’ve seen all of the well known Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki movies. They’re the kinds of movies I don’t expect to enjoy (because I’m not big on Anime), but end up enjoying every time. Since you’ve watched Howl’s Moving Castle first, I recommend this viewing order:
1. Spirited Away
2. Castle in the Sky
3. Kiki’s Delivery Service
4. My Neighbor Totoro
5. Princess Mononoke
6. Ponyo
7. Porco Rosso
8. The Wind Rises
Those are the ones I’ve seen at least. Still need to see more.
Thank you for the suggestion! The top 5 are my big ones to watch!
What a drama queen Howl is… I love him already. Howl’s Moving Castle has been ok my tbr forever, but as long as I have enough time, I’ll get to it one day because I know it’s right up my street.