Beyond Words

(I did want to have pictures for this one, but I think it'll be easier if you just head to the official site, check out what they have, and go from there.)

I like to think of myself as a fairly articulate person most of the time, especially when I'm writing. But there are times when I'm so completely blown away by something that I'm quite literally at a loss for words. This seems to happen when I see Miyazaki films. I spent several minutes completely unable to say anything after seeing "Spirited Away" for the first time. I suppose that partially explains why it's taken me a few days after actually seeing it to try to write about "Howl's Moving Castle".

In the world of "Howl's Moving Castle", witches and wizards are common, but exist largely on the fringes of society. One particular wizard by the name of Howl travels about in a giant structure that walks about on spindly little legs and is rumored to devour the hearts of pretty young girls. Our heroine Sophie doesn't figure that she has much to fear from Howl; she's never thought of herself as pretty and her work at her late father's hat shop seldom leads her into danger. Nonetheless, she does end up getting mixed up with Howl, who seems much less dangerous than the rumors suggest. And shortly after, Sophie is transformed into an old woman by the much less pleasant Witch of the Wastes. Seeking a cure, Sophie leaves her home and ends up at the titular castle where she becomes Howl's cleaning lady.

So that gives you some idea of the story. But like a lot of Miyazaki's films, "Howl" is impossible to appreciate from just a plot synopsis. The story isn't just an excuse for the visuals as it tends to be in some anime. But it is definitely what makes Miyazaki's films truly breathtaking. Very few other animation studios so consistently show me things that I feel I've never seen before. Take the castle itself, for example. It looks like a mishmash of mechanical parts with occasional pieces of house sticking out of it and a vague face on the front. It's also the most convincing moving "background element" I've seen in animation. Its various components retain a 2D handcrafted look, unlike many oversimplified or overdetailed 3D elements in 2D films. And it has a very distinctive way of moving around, a trait which all of the characters seems to share. In this one film, you've got a fire demon with a mostly amorphous body, the grotesquely fat Witch of the Wastes whose rolls of fat are largely concentrated around her neck (or lack thereof), an enchanted scarecrow who bounces around on the stick that serves as his legs, and an aging dog who the elderly Sophie has to lug up a flight of stairs at one point. It's a very diverse cast of characters, yet they all still feel like they belong to the same world.

Another hallmark of Miyazaki's films is the level of detail. In "Howl" this ranges from the elaborate hats Sophie is working on at the start of the film (making her own plain hat seem all the more so), to the dust and cobweb strewn mess of most of Howl's castle that Sophie has to clean up, to the strange assortment of pendants and toys that clutter Howl's personal quarters. The result of all this detail is a world that you buy completely, one that you almost want to reach out and touch. I'd actually take deep breaths during scenes in wide open fields. The lushness of these places is just so convincing that I wanted to breathe it in on some level.

So to sum up my fairly obvious impressions, GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It's a work of art and an incredible experience.

Oh, and am I the only one who thinks that Howl is pretty hot?

Anyone?

hello?