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Plot

Market Chipping, in the strange and lonely town of Ingary, is where little Sophie lives. Here, everything is possible, especially when the Witch of the Wasteland loses her temper. Although Sophie yearns for a thrilling adventure, her days pass by even more quietly and routinely now that her sisters have left the house and she is left to work by herself at her father's hat shop. Up until the day the evil witch transforms the little girl into an elderly woman since she is not at all content with the hats Sophie offers her. Then Sophie is also forced to leave and begins an adventure that will take her inside the Wizard Howl's constantly shifting castle, allow her to tame a demon, and enable her to defeat the evil Witch.

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Why you should watch it?

Through a magic door, Howl's Castle can change its ambiance, allowing us to see a variety of landscapes, including the gloomier ones of war and the peaceful ones of Japanese villages.

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In all its ugliness, war makes a powerful entrance in this movie, yet it is always handled with the enchantment and fantasy that are so characteristic of Miyazaki's work. In this instance as well, the viewer develops along with the protagonist and feels the intense emotions of a life devoted to the adventure where nothing stays the same but everything is always subject to change. If everything is addressed in the proper manner, everything will improve. This is the lesson Sophie wants us to learn, and she teaches it to us by letting us join her on her adventure. When Sophie finally finishes a real journey of maturation guided also by the acceptance of her own emotions, she will have gained a growing self-confidence with a face wrinkled by years and a body sculpted by decades. It is undoubtedly no coincidence that Sophie periodically regains her original appearance at the points in which she expresses her feelings and points of view. Inner enlightenment will finally be realized when the curse is lifted and the main character regains her maidenly appearance while retaining the silvery hair color of her other self.

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Sophie uses her transformation to learn how to properly express herself. In fact, she is depicted initially as a quiet, dejected, and somewhat dull female at the beginning of the movie. A description that, would be more appropriate for an older individual, right?

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When the curse strikes, one might anticipate her to grieve uncontrollably at the loss of her youth and beauty; but, the girl only says that, as a result, her attire and appearance have changed to match her personality. The curse has revealed to the world what Sophie believes herself to be on the inside—a person who no longer has anything to marvel at. However, it is because of the witch's enchantment that Sophie takes the will to leave the small, claustrophobic chamber where she has always resided. Additionally, as we can see throughout the narrative, the old woman is given the opportunity to speak and express herself for the first time because of her appearance. Her arguments with Howl and Calcifer regarding damage control in the castle as a result of her cleaning are memorable in the movie.

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She can hide her concerns, such as the concern that she isn't a great beauty in other people's eyes, by presenting herself to them as the 90-year-old version of herself. Physical appearance is a contentious subject that will come up frequently throughout the movie. Sophie is able to break free from society's expectations of her role as a young woman and gain confidence by using her new appearance as an older woman. Children and older people actually enjoy the most social freedom because there are no expectations placed on them, allowing them to act however they like.

Talking about the other characters, Howl has numerous personalities since it was created to dwell on the continent under the banner of freedom, free from the restrictions placed on it by selfish and short-sighted leaders. The good Turnip Head is not just a scarecrow that has been animated by some strange enchantment, and the gorgeous Calcifer is not just a Fire Demon. Even Howl's castle, a strange, claudicant collection of steampunk-looking scrap metal that can travel freely among the valleys and regions of Ingary, is unclear. Its gateway system is similarly controlled by a potent enchantment, and depending on the situation, it may lead to either a pleasant coastal town or an impressive capital with martial architecture. The figures of the Heath Witch and Suliman are excellent examples of the continual fluidity that shapes the hazy boundaries between good and evil. The former, who is first seen in the movie as if she were meant to represent its darker side, quickly stops being a threat to Sophie, who even grows to care for her after she loses all of her power. Speculate about Suliman, the formidable court sorceress. Howl's former mentor is endowed with unfathomable power, which she doesn't hesitate to use to concoct twisted and vicious schemes.
This view that Miyazaki gives, is something that I really love... there is no black or white view of things, everything has it's shades of gray...

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Hayao Miyazaki also pays close attention to some of his themes in this movie, like flight, by giving it prominent placement in the scene where Sophie and Howl flee from the royal palace and the witch transforms into what appears to be a large crow, as well as by paying close attention to the various aircraft in the movie. Women, another theme familiar to the director, are a crucial component of this drama because they are the ones who move everything that occurs.

The Witch of the Heath is the one who makes Sophie go in quest of Howl and his castle; the sorceress Suliman is the one who makes an attempt to control Howl and ultimately succeeds in tricking the Witch; and Sophie, our main character, is what propels Howl's progressive and final "humanization." Miyazaki pays meticulous attention to each of the events mentioned above and meticulously follows his characters, which helps us experience the tension when it is called for and builds it up to the point where it melts away in the conclusion in a sense of attained peace and serenity.

Undoubtedly, Joe Hisaishi's music, which is present throughout and includes the most well-known Merry Go Round of Life song, adds a special shine to the narrative.

Conclusion

This is probably my favorite movie between the ones of Miyazaki and the Ghibli Studio (even though I like all of the movies so much that it is really difficult for me to say which one is the best for me)...
I love how the movie addresses a lot of very sensible themes, and especially how it shows that there is a very fine line between good and evil... indeed, it is probably wrong in the first place to define something with either meaning, since we are all such complicated beings that it is impossible to give precise definitions.
So, I strongly recommend to you to watch this movie if you haven't already done so.

Rating

My personal vote is:

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10/10

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