Howl's Moving Castle (film)
| Howl's Moving Castle | |
|---|---|
Japanese release poster
|
|
| Japanese | ハウルの動く城 |
| Hepburn | Hauru no Ugoku Shiro |
| Directed by | Hayao Miyazaki |
| Produced by | Toshio Suzuki |
| Screenplay by | Hayao Miyazaki |
| Based on |
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones |
| Starring |
Chieko Baisho Takuya Kimura Akihiro Miwa |
| Music by | Joe Hisaishi |
| Cinematography | Atsushi Okui |
| Edited by | Takeshi Seyama |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | Toho |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
119 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget |
¥2.4 billion USD$24 million |
| Box office |
¥23.2 billion USD$235.1 million (worldwide) |
Howl's Moving Castle (Japanese: ハウルの動く城 Hepburn: Hauru no Ugoku Shiro?) is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film is based on the novel of the same name by British author Diana Wynne Jones. The film was produced by Toshio Suzuki, animated by Studio Ghibli and distributed by Toho. The Japanese voice cast featured Chieko Baisho and Takuya Kimura, while the version dubbed in English starred Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall and Christian Bale.
The story is set in a fictional kingdom where both magic and early 20th century technology are prevalent, against the backdrop of a war with another kingdom. The film tells the story of a young hatter named Sophie after she is turned into an old woman by a witch's curse. She encounters a wizard named Howl, and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
Influenced by Miyazaki's opposition to the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003, the film contains strongly anti-war themes. Miyazaki stated that he "had a great deal of rage about [the Iraq war]," which led him to make a film which he felt would be poorly received in the US. It also explores the theme of old age, depicting age positively as something which grants the protagonist freedom. The film contains feminist elements as well, and carries messages about the value of compassion.
...
Wikipedia