To celebrate the new release of Howl’s Moving Castle, which is now available in a special limited-edition boxset to celebrate the film’s 15th Anniversary, we thought we’d look back at the movie, along with four other classics from Studio Ghibli that we recommend a visit to over the Christmas break. The special edition of Howl’s Moving Castle is the third in an exclusive collector’s series from STUDIOCANAL following the recent releases of My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Howl’s Movie Castle
Howl’s Moving Castle has long been regarded as a masterpiece from Studio Ghibli. Based on the book by British author Diana Wynne Jones and directed by the Oscar®-winning Hayao Miyazaki, the spectacular English language cast features Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, Emily Mortimer, Josh Hutcherson and Billy Crystal.
Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl’s wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world.
Spirited Away
Spirited Away is probably the most known Studio Ghibli film to Western audiences, having won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2001. This beautifully made and powerful tale of family, loss, and perseverance, about a girl who travels to the spirit world to save her parents, is a landmark piece of animation and often quoted to be one of the greatest films of all time.
10-year-old Chihiro and her parents stumble upon a seemingly abandoned amusement park. After her mother and father are turned into giant pigs, Chihiro meets the mysterious Haku, who explains that the park is a resort for supernatural beings who need a break from their time spent in the earthly realm, and that she must work there to free herself and her parents.
Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke is perhaps the Studio’s film that is most aimed at older audiences, with heavy themes of ecological destruction and often shocking scenes of violence, but it’s also one of the Studio’s biggest cult classics for all those reasons. Breaking the mould of Studio Ghibli’s more whimsical side, it powerfully addresses the timely topics close to Miyazaki’s heart: the difficult relationships between humans and nature and between humans themselves. The film smashed Japan’s box office record until it was beaten by another Ghibli masterpiece – Spirited Away – in 2001.
In the 14th century, the harmony that humans, animals and gods have enjoyed begins to crumble. Young Ashitaka, infected by a demon god’s attack, seeks a cure from the deer-like god Shishigami. In his travels, he sees humans ravaging the earth, bringing down the wrath of wolf god Moro and his human companion, Princess Mononoke. Together they must save the world they know and love.
My Neighbour Totoro
A classic for the whole family, and delightful especially for the youngest, My Neighbour Totoro is a heartfelt film, beautifully addressing the pain of family separation with the joy of loved ones coming together.
This acclaimed animated tale by director Hayao Miyazaki follows schoolgirl Satsuke and her younger sister, Mei, as they settle into an old country house with their father and wait for their mother to recover from an illness in an area hospital. As the sisters explore their new home, they encounter and befriend playful spirits in their house and the nearby forest, most notably the massive cuddly creature known as Totoro.
Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind
Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind was the first Studio Ghibli movie, and many agree, one of the Studio’s best. As with many others of Ghibli films, it takes place in a world devastated by war and ecological destruction, with a brave and smart young female protagonist at its centre, as she navigates the brutal world to save those she loves. The film has an incredible voiceover cast, with Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart, and a young Shia LeBeouf.
Far in the future, after an apocalyptic conflict has devastated much of the world’s ecosystem, the few surviving humans live in scattered semi-hospitable environments within what has become a “toxic jungle.” Young Nausicaä lives in the arid Valley of the Wind and can communicate with the massive insects that populate the dangerous jungle. Under the guidance of the pensive veteran warrior, Lord Yupa, Nausicaä works to bring peace back to the ravaged planet.
