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torquillI could analyze the hell out of why I love Howl's Moving Castle, but I don't have the heart. (Oops, sorry.)
Still: a self-controlled young woman, who puts her own needs behind those of others, gets singled out by a beautiful wizard; is cursed by a witch to look as old as she feels, which is ancient, though she's still quite sharp; finds that the wizard is kind to her (because, she believes, she's too plain to meet the fate of the beautiful girls whose hearts he dines on); also finds that he accepts her, even with the curse revealing who she really is at heart; is taken in as family, in the first place she's ever belonged, by this man she's falling for; and despite the fact that he's slowly becoming a black beast, she loves him anyway, enough to go through dark places to find his heart and help him heal.
No, nothing to appeal to me there. Howl is even my type. :P
It's a comforting movie for me, with Miyazaki's customary light touch and attention to detail. A perfect fairy tale, where it all turns out right in the end. And along the way are all the characters; I love the dubbed version, as it gives me Lauren Bacall, and Billy Crystal hasn't had a role so well suited to him since The Princess Bride. Christian Bale does the teenage angst beautifully; it cracks me up every time.
Everyone in it has such a big heart, too. Even the Witch of the Waste turns out all right; the only real villain is the King's wizard, and she just seems manipulative, not truly evil. I love watching Sophie draw them all into caring for each other, even Calcifer... and she ends up young at heart as a result. Not a bad way to end up.
Still: a self-controlled young woman, who puts her own needs behind those of others, gets singled out by a beautiful wizard; is cursed by a witch to look as old as she feels, which is ancient, though she's still quite sharp; finds that the wizard is kind to her (because, she believes, she's too plain to meet the fate of the beautiful girls whose hearts he dines on); also finds that he accepts her, even with the curse revealing who she really is at heart; is taken in as family, in the first place she's ever belonged, by this man she's falling for; and despite the fact that he's slowly becoming a black beast, she loves him anyway, enough to go through dark places to find his heart and help him heal.
No, nothing to appeal to me there. Howl is even my type. :P
It's a comforting movie for me, with Miyazaki's customary light touch and attention to detail. A perfect fairy tale, where it all turns out right in the end. And along the way are all the characters; I love the dubbed version, as it gives me Lauren Bacall, and Billy Crystal hasn't had a role so well suited to him since The Princess Bride. Christian Bale does the teenage angst beautifully; it cracks me up every time.
Everyone in it has such a big heart, too. Even the Witch of the Waste turns out all right; the only real villain is the King's wizard, and she just seems manipulative, not truly evil. I love watching Sophie draw them all into caring for each other, even Calcifer... and she ends up young at heart as a result. Not a bad way to end up.
