# Howl's Moving Castle - How can this be a movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2020, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781 "2020-05-31T07:46:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/1 "2020-05-31T07:46:31Z")
[Howl’s Moving Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl%27s_Moving_Castle_(film)) is a Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Despite its beautiful scenes and evident drawing mastery, the movie doesn’t make sense. I was watching it last night and couldn’t stop wondering how this movie was ever produced. There are nonsensical occurrences from the beginning to the end. There is no actual plot. Characters lack development and motivation. It must be the most incongruous piece of escapism I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/2 "2020-05-31T13:27:07Z")
You might try [this](https://www.polygon.com/animation-cartoons/2020/5/28/21273827/howls-moving-castle-studio-ghibli-movies-diana-wynne-jones-adaptation) comparison between the book and the movie. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/3 "2020-05-31T14:42:55Z")
Yeah. I didn’t expect too many people to have watched this movie. The little people in our family are familiar with both the book and the director’s previous work. I did listen to their explanations although I don’t think they sounded particularly convincing. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/4 "2020-05-31T15:03:36Z")
I remember liking it well enough, but I don’t remember much about the plot. At the time, I didn’t think it was any sillier than the average Japanese cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/5 "2020-05-31T15:38:13Z")
I don’t understand the objection - the film has a plot, a main character who is changed by the events in the story (and also quite literally changed), and it addresses both war and feminism. It has fantasy and science fiction elements in that very peculiar Japanese way that a lot of anime does. Hayao Miyazaki doesn’t bash the audience over the head like a Hollywood movie does but in my opinion that improves it. He did later write that he expected the film would be poorly received in the US because one of the more obvious themes in the movie is its anti-war stance motivated by his disgust with the Iraq War. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/6 "2020-05-31T17:10:38Z")
I am a huge Miyazaki fan and have seen all 11 of his films but yeah I did find this one a bit baffling and incoherent though there was enough great artistry to partially make up for it. IIRC Ebert who was also a big Miyazaki fan gave it a poor review. I have noticed though that in online discussions of the best Miyazaki/Ghibli films Howl’s Moving Castle often ranks higher than I would expect, so clearly it does appeal to some. I will probably give it another shot some time and I don’t think I have actually watched it the whole way through since I first saw it on release. I will also say that you shouldn’t let Howl dissuade you from watching other Miyazaki films. While they seldom have clear-cut plots like Pixar films, they are usually more coherent than Howl and the best of them like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away are masterpieces IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/7 "2020-05-31T17:23:41Z")
Miyazaki’s animated films are generally non-linear in their plots, reflecting a fantasy sensibility where sometimes things just happen. I would say this is true generally of a lot of Japanese anime, although I am not a connoisseur myself. It always strikes me as odd that people who like magic in their films (from Snow White to the latest Marvel epic) nevertheless want the magic to be somehow logical. If magic existed I don’t see why it would work that way. Such a world would be chaotic and full of horror. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/8 "2020-05-31T17:25:08Z")
I don’t watch Howl for sense. I love it because it’s beautiful and funny. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/9 "2020-05-31T18:00:55Z")
Reading the synopsis, it doesn’t sound any sillier than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland or The Phantom Tollbooth. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/10 "2020-05-31T18:15:02Z")
Since Netflix recently obtained a bunch of Studio Ghibli movies, I’ve been rewatching them and catching up on the ones I’ve missed. A few weeks ago, I rewatched _Howl’s Moving Castle_ and had much the same reaction. In movies like _Spirited Away_, events are kind of random, but _Howl_ is exceptionally so. But as always I enjoy the beauty of the animation. > [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > I don’t understand the objection - the film has a plot, a main character who is changed by the events in the story (and also quite literally changed), and it addresses both war and feminism. It has fantasy and science fiction elements in that very peculiar Japanese way that a lot of anime does. It has a plot in the sense that events follow one another, but there is little logical connection between them. Events seem to happen at random for no particular reason and without any motivation. Why does the Witch of the Waste cast a spell on Sophie? Who enchanted Turniphead and why? Who the hell is Markl? Now I don’t insist that everything in a fantasy movie be spelled out, and maybe it’s supposed to be just impressionistic rather than make logical sense, but most of the time I was just going WTF? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/11 "2020-05-31T18:21:55Z")
I don’t understand, what didn’t make sense? the Witch curses Sophie because she was in contact with Howl earlier. Turniphead is cursed because of the war. Markl is Howl’s apprentice. That’s all pretty obvious in the movie, without even reading the book. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/12 "2020-05-31T18:22:24Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Reading the synopsis, it doesn’t sound any sillier than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland or The Phantom Tollbooth. In the first three (I haven’t read the last), although there are a lot of silly and somewhat random incidents, the plot is fairly linear and mostly moves toward a singular clear goal. That’s not the case in _Howl’s Moving Castle._ (And if you haven’t actuall seen it, I don’t think you’ll have insight into what we are talking about.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/13 "2020-05-31T18:22:49Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I don’t understand, what didn’t make sense? Right!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/14 "2020-05-31T19:09:33Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > Yeah. I didn’t expect too many people to have watched this movie. [Then you are badly miskaken](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=22121024). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/15 "2020-05-31T19:45:29Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > the Witch curses Sophie because she was in contact with Howl earlier. That doesn’t make sense. > [@](#): > > Turniphead is cursed because of the war. That doesn’t make sense. Actually, it seems the war started because he was cursed and disappeared. But who cursed him and why? Did they want to start a war, or did they curse him for some other reason and the war started because he couldn’t be found? > [@](#): > > Markl is Howl’s apprentice. It’s not evident that he’s learned very much. He hardly does anything magical. He disguises himself as an old wizard, but that’s about it. He functions mainly as a choreboy. He’s pretty much a pointless character in the movie. > [@](#): > > That’s all pretty obvious in the movie, without even reading the book. You’ve pretty much given non-explanations so far. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/16 "2020-05-31T20:08:08Z")
I have enjoyed both. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/17 "2020-05-31T20:26:38Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > I don’t watch Howl for sense. I love it because it’s beautiful and funny. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the movie. Like all of Miyazaki’s films, it’s stunningly beautiful and has some incredible images. But I just prefer something like _Princess Mononoke_, which is equally fantastical but has a reasonably clear plot, and the motivations of most of the characters make some sense. I love _Spirited Away_, even if it has a lot of things that seem to be random; it’s just more coherent than _Howl_ is. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/18 "2020-05-31T20:35:31Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Reading the synopsis, it doesn’t sound any sillier than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland or The Phantom Tollbooth. That is about what I was thinking. Honestly - it isn’t much different than a story about a girl and her parents visiting an amusement park, and the parents end up as pigs, or a fish girl. His films just are not Hollywood style films. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/19 "2020-05-31T20:42:45Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That doesn’t make sense. She had a love/hate prior-rejection thing going with Howl, apparently. So - jealousy, as far as I could tell. > [@](#): > > That doesn’t make sense. Actually, it seems the war started because he was cursed and disappeared. Yes, that’s what I mean. > [@](#): > > But who cursed him and why? Clearly someone who didn’t like him, or his country. Didn’t need to know that for the rest of the story to make sense, especially as that revelation only comes at the end. > [@](#): > > Did they want to start a war, or did they curse him for some other reason and the war started because he couldn’t be found? I would have thought specifically to start the war, given the story as presented (it’s different in the book). But the specifics aren’t important to the story. > [@](#): > > It’s not evident that he’s learned very much. Do we have any idea how long he’s been an apprentice? > [@](#): > > He’s pretty much a pointless character in the movie. Characters don’t have to have a “point”. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781/20 "2020-05-31T20:45:08Z")
I’ve always really liked it, One of my favorite animated films. The only thing I don’t like is that Billy Crystal’s voice(yeah I prefer to watch Dubs. 😉 ). For some reason It breaks the immersion for me. I like him in general but not here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howls-moving-castle-how-can-this-be-a-movie/854781.md?page=2)