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Having specifically gone to the movies for this (despite being aged 30+) I was very impressed and would recommend it to anyone. The quality of the "animation" and the spot-on casting of the "voicers" (Bill Crystal, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall) cannot be faulted.
The movie was based on the "children's" book (which I read aged 27) by Dianna Wynne Jones, well known fantasy author - The Power of Three, The Dark Lord of Derkholm and The Nine Lives of Christoher Chant may be familiar. I was worried about it being turned into an animated film because the book is very good - but subtle, and basically inverts a lot of the "fairytale" traditions (similar to how Joss Whedon inverted the scantily-clad blonde slasher victim into the scantily-clad blonde superheroine).
In HMC, Sophie lives in a country that is almost but not quite like our own - Rowling did something similar in Harry Potter in how the magical and "normal" worlds co-exist in the same space/time but remain largely oblivious to each other (e.g., in the Christopher Chant universe, the monarch of (still) Great Britain in James VII not Elizabeth II because the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when James II was usurped by his daughters Mary II and then Queen Anne never happened). This country has a lot of fairytale traditions - only the youngest of 3 same-sex siblings will prosper, ogres never live at the top of beanstalks anymore because every homicidal musclebound meathead hero kept chopping them down. As the eldest of 3 sisters, Sophie is resigned to a life of mundanity, when her father dies and her stepmother (funnily enough, not wicked) appoints Sophie managaress of her father's hatshop so she can concentrate on finding "good" positions for Sophie's full sister, and their half-sister, her own daughter who as youngest of the 3 is "destined" for greatness. But Sophie unknowningly has the power to create destinies for people - out of loneliness, she talks to the hats she makes, and what she tells the hats they are comes true, such as when she tells one fancy hat "you will marry money" and the girl who buys it elopes with a duke. Unfortunately, Sophie fails to realise an unpleasant female customer is really the Wicked Witch of the Waste and is cursed. Sophie attempts to find Howl because he is the only Enchanter powerful enough to remove the curse, and inadvertantly ends up being taken on as his cleaning lady.
The romance between Howl and Sophie in the book is very understated - which is exactly as it should be because no matter how much PC nonsense you parrot, men fall in love with young, pretty women, not pensioners. The movie does rather labour the romance bit, but not obnoxiously so. It also stays close to the book in that the war is not as important as the exploration of how power corrupts and how the things we want often do us more harm than good. Both Howl and the Witch wanted more power, which they obtained by catching a falling star before it died (Calcifer in Howl's case) and binding it to them. The Witch has been made wholly evil, but Howl and Calcifer struggle along in an almost-friendship but which is tainted by the fact that Calcifer is Howl's prisoner.
The reason this has only 4 stars is because it does lack clarity in certain parts - the scarecrow/turnip head are really the missing Prince Justin, which not explained. DWJ did write a sequel to HMC, Castle in the Air, and hopefully this will be filmed too, as together, the arcing storyline is much more fleshed out and coherent.
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Spirited AwayOscar Award winner Spirited Away is a remarkable fantasy adventure film quite unlike any other. It tells the story of Chihiro, a headstrong 10-year-old girl, who’s family have unwittingly strayed into the Land of the Spirits. Chihiro must use all her energy to overcome her fears and join an epic battle for her family’s freedom. |
Neighbour TotoroWhile their mother recovers from an illness, Satsuki and her little sister Mei get away from it all in an idyllic rural retreat. Far from the bustle of the city, they discover a mysterious place of spirits and magic, and the friendship of the Totoro woodland creatures. My Neighbour Totoro is a masterpiece for the whole family, a feel-good tale of childlike wonder and true originality. |
Grave Of The FirefliesThis extraordinary animated film is set in Japan during World War II and follows Seita and his little sister Setsuko as they struggle to survive after their mother is killed in an air raid. Directed by Isao Takahata, Grave of the Fireflies is a visually stunning and emotionally powerful film that meditates on the devastating consequences of war. |
Find your next Ghibli adventureFind your next Ghibli adventure on the Official Studio Ghibli Amazon Store. From fairy tales such as Totoro to the Oscar Award winning animation Spirited Away, there are films for every generation. |
Shameful yet worth it if you're a sucker like me.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 March 2021
For such awesome special anniversary editions it's a real shame that they have not been packed with care. 2 out of 3 (Totoro, Kiki and Howl's) have had the same damage, which has clearly been caused by the items being forced into the packaging. Everything inside is in perfect condition, its just the box containing it all has suffered being packed with little care. Seeing as they are amazon exclusives I will continue to buy them as I'm a sucker, however I hope amazon takes notice of my and the many other reviews with the same issue.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 March 2021
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