Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

I can't call myself a fan since I have seen only four of his movies, but it doesn't take a genius to acknowledge that Hayao Miyazaki is a genius. He doesn't simply make movies, he makes art while addressing some important themes. Howl's Moving Castle is no different than his other movies.

The film follows Sophie (Chieko Baisho), a sweet but unconfident young woman who is cursed by the Witch of the Waste (Akihiro Miwa) and transformed into an old lady. Unable to continue living her life, she sets out to find Howl (Takuya Kimura), the handsome and narcissistic wizard who is her only chance of breaking the spell.

Adapted from a British children's book by Dianne Wynne Jones, the story is a little confusing (I haven't read the novel but I guess it's because some parts were left out) but nevertheless, it's charming, entertaining and appealing from start to finish. Also, the pace is wonderful, making the story always exciting and rather suspenseful. 

However, the way the story unfolds isn't the reason why Howl's Moving Castle is so engaging. That would be because of its important themes and messages. First of all, this film deals with freedom while addressing the issues of war and the havoc and cruelty of it.  

Second, it deals with old age and shows the importance of it. At the beginning of the film, before being cursed, Sophie is shy and submissive which prevents her from having her own life. Once she is transformed into the old lady, she stops whining, she becomes brave and capable of giving orders to others while still keeping her kindness and heart. And it's with the old age that Sophie learns to understand and love her inner beauty, that she becomes more confident.

Studio Ghibli

The film is also filled with wonderful characters, each with his/her own personality. They are a bit shallow and not so developed but they are charming. Among them, the one standing out is Calcifer, a fire demon. The scarecrow is pretty awesome too. 

At last but not least there's the animation. Like every other Studio Ghibli movie I've seen, Howl's Moving Castle is visually stunning. The colours are bright and vibrant. The settings, landscapes and the characters are all impressive. And the attention to detail is great as usual. 

Princess Mononoke (1997)

It's Sunday and the last day of Girl Week 2017 which means I could only write about an animated film with a strong female character, and I picked Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke. 

While protecting his village, a young warrior, Ashitaka (Yoji Matsuda in Japanese, Billy Crudup in English), is stricken by a deadly curse and his only hope is to travel to the far east. He eventually finds himself in the middle of a battle between Iron Town, led by the ambitious Lady Eboshi (Yuko Tanaka in Japanese, Minnie Driver in English), and the animal inhabitants of the forest, led by a Princess Mononoke (Yuriko Ishida in Japanese, Claire Danes in English), a human raised by wolves. 

Although it seems pretty straightforward, the story is far from being simple. It's actually quite complex, mainly because of its many elements of Japanese myths. Those elements, however, are what make the story so imaginative, interesting and engaging. I have no idea how a kid would feel about it, but I, as an adult, was more than satisfied with it. If only all animated movies had such deep stories.

Toho

It's a story of love and hate, war and peace, and they are combined beautifully. Most of all though, Princess Mononoke portrays the conflict between man and nature and delivers its ecological message very well. Although it's clear that the film sympathies with nature, I liked that there are neither good guys nor bad guys, just people. 

The characters play the most important role in this "war" and it's impossible not to fall in love with them. On the one hand, there are humans, not all but most of them, who take/destroy everything they can from the earth. On the other hand, there's Princess Mononoke who actively sides with the animals. The tenacity and determination of this young woman are to be admired. She is determined to destroy all humans or die trying, to save the earth. In the middle, there's Ashitaka, a young man who fights to bring peace between these opposing forces. 

However, I'm yet to mention my favourite part of Princess Mononoke, the visuals. This film is a visual feast. The drawings are simply gorgeous. The characters' expressions convey their feelings to perfection. And they make them feel real. And the settings, they are jaw-dropping beautiful. 

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Original Title

となりのトト Tonari no Totoro

Genre

Animation | Fantasy

Director

Hayao Miyazaki

Country

Japan

Voice Cast

Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto, Hitoshi Takagi, Toshiyuki Amagasa, Tanie Kitabayashi, Naoki Tatsuta

Storyline

After moving into a house in the country, two young sisters, Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka) and Mei (Chika Sakamoto), discover that the nearby forest is inhabited by magical creatures and soon befriend them.

Opinion

Anime isn't my favourite genre, and this is only the second film of Hayao Miyazaki I've seen, but I can see why people love his works so much. However, "Spirited Away" was a lot better than "My Neighbor Totoro", which is still an incredibly cute animated film, but it's definitely a less mature/more childish one.

Following the adventures of two sisters, the story is simple but engaging and keeps you wonder what will happen next. Also it is quite touching and uplifting without being overly sentimental.

Simplicity, however, is not limited to the story. The themes the film deals with are indeed banal and repetitive. Once again it's all about man's relationship with nature, about kids having more imagination - and morality - than adults, and about illness. That of course doesn't mean the film is less interesting. Actually, that's what makes the story suitable for everyone, especially for kids.

And that's it for the complains. Everything else is just spot on, starting from the animation. Even though it is a little bit dated at times - this film is almost 30-year-old though -, the animation is not just beautiful, it's stunningly magical. The Japanese scenery is beautifully filmed as well as the adventures of the two girls.

Also, Hayao Miyazaki's direction is top notch, and the characters are all memorables from the two sisters, Satsuki - in the film there's also her coming-of-age subplot, and the little and annoying Mei, to the magical Tororos.

Ultimately, this is not a masterpiece, but it's entertaining and makes you wish you had a neighbor like Totoro.

Spirited Away (2001)

Original Title

千と千尋の神隠し Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi

Genre

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy

Director

Hayao Miyazaki

Country

Japan

Voice Cast

Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Bunta Sugawara, Yumi Tamai, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono, Akio Nakamura, Tatsuya Gashūin, Yō Ōizumi, Ryūnosuke Kamiki, Takashi Naitō, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Koba Hayashi, Ken Yasuda

Storyline

During her family's move to the suburbs, sullen 10-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.

Opinion

I'm not an anime lover, therefore this movie has drawn my attention for no reason other than being the only anime that has won the Oscar for Best Animated Picture. What can I say, "Spirited Away" is a stunning, magical achievement in animation that really deserves all the good things that have been written about it.

Hayao Miyazaki addresses the problem of the transition from childhood to adolescence of Chihiro, a 10-year-old girl that has to face difficult choices independently, and he does it beautifully making use of a spectacular metaphor: the solitary one way trip; in fact, with her parents transformed into pigs, Chihiro can only approach this growth path relying on her own strength only.

In the film, loneliness is seen as the crucial moment needed to figure out who can be trusted and who can not be trusted, and as that essential step to reach maturity.

In addition unlike Americans, Japanese have a culture that embraces spirituality and they always manage - at least in the animated features - to blend together tradition, technology and spirit beautifully, and to give the film the ability of touching the audience. 

The animation gives a real sense of cinematography, and the drawing, and the colours make the film stand out in a way that American films rarely do. The musical score by Joe Hisaishi is spectacular and contributes to the creation of this masterpiece.

If you can, watch it in Japanese with subtitles. It's the best way to do it. 

Mention-Worthy Quotes

Zeniba: Once you do something, you never forget. Even if you can't remember.

When Marnie Was There (2014)

Original Title

思い出のマーニー Omoide no Mānī

Genre

Animation | Drama

Director

Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Country

Japan

Voice Cast

Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Hana Sugisaki, Hitomi Kuroki, Ryoko Moriyama, Nanako Matsushima, Susumu Terajima, Toshie Negishi, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Ken Yasuda, Yo Oizumi, Takuma Otoo, Hiroyuki Morisaki

Storyline

Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside, an emotionally distant young girl (Sara Takatsuki) becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and meets an unlikely friend in Marnie (Kasumi Arimura), a young girl with flowing blonde hair who lives there; a girl who may or may not be real.

Opinion

Upon getting an Oscar nomination for best animated picture, which, to be honest, really surprised me, I thought watching it was the right thing to do. Being this the first film from Studio Ghibli I've seen, I didn't know what to expect. My first reaction? I was astonished by every single aspect of it.

"When Marnie Was There" is a beautifully animated, and wonderfully crafted and told story about isolation and friendship with a tremendous emotional impact.

Dramatic and heartbreaking, the story has plenty of suspenseful moments that will make you want to watch the film till the end, and its unique storytelling makes this film unforgettable.

The first part of the film is quite shocking due to its realism in telling a story of depression and inability to interact with their own kind. In the second part is staged a friendship between two girls; this relationship that grows between them has all the characteristics of a romance, but those strong emotional bonds are eventually explained in the end, with an extraordinary psychological analysis, truly outstanding for an animated film.

What makes the story good, despite the lack of a real plot, is the characters. These latter, driven by deep if not self-destructive emotions, feel so real it's disturbing, and since the story is character-driven, every single character has a purpose, even if they appear for just brief moments.

While they both are independent yet fragile young girls, the two main characters, Anna and Marnie -- physically resembling Heidi and Clara from "Heidi, Girl of the Alps" -- are one the opposite of the other but they also are complementary as the yin and yang, and therefore they are attracted to each other in a world that does not accept them. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi did a wonderfully job in showing us their similarities and especially their differences.

All the previously mentioned combined with the stunning animation, the bright colors, the music and the oil-painting-looking and breathtaking landscapes makes the film really worth the time, and the nomination.