Howl's Moving Castle

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Howl's Moving Castle

PG

Released Jun 10, 2005

1h 59m

Fantasy

Anime

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88%

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184 Reviews

93%

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25,000+ Ratings

Sophie (Emily Mortimer) has an uneventful life at her late father's hat shop, but all that changes when she befriends wizard Howl (Christian Bale), who lives in a magical flying castle. However, the evil Witch of Waste (Lauren Bacall) takes issue with their budding relationship and casts a spell on young Sophie, which ages her prematurely. Now Howl must use all his magical talents to battle the jealous hag and return Sophie to her former youth and beauty.

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Critics Consensus

Exquisitely illustrated by master animator Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle will delight children with its fantastical story and touch the hearts and minds of older viewers as well.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Howl's Moving Castle has the logic of a dream: behind every door lie multiple realities, one more astonishing than the next.

Mar 13, 2018

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

[Miyazaki] may have made better films than Howl's Moving Castle, but it still exhibits his amazing imagination and astonishing detail.

Dec 8, 2014

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John Lyttle

New Statesman

Howl's Moving Castle is Japanese and anime, and therefore automatically more artistic than its US counterparts. The right cultural cachet gives you a lot of leeway.

Dec 8, 2014

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Lisa Laman

Culturess

Howl's Moving Castle's blending of 2D animation and CG firmly solidifies it as a mid-2000s hand-drawn animated affair.

Oct 7, 2024

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Mary Kassel

Screen Rant

20 years later, Howl's Moving Castle is still a thrilling and gorgeous addition to Miyazaki's filmography and will continue to connect with viewers.

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 2, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A combination of hand-drawn animation and Miyazaki’s most obvious use of computers appears onscreen, dispelling some of the film’s magic through the excessive presence of the medium’s needless modernization.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 22, 2023

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Kaitlyn R

The best. All I need to say

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/18/25

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MBSC

Absolutely fantastic visuals! Good story!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/25

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yep

Loved it theater was clean staff was friendly and move was awesome

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

Full Review

Giselle F

A Hayo Miyazaki classic!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/13/24

Full Review

Mike M

It's amazing how well these movies hold up. It is definitely a must see if you love Studio Ghibli.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/29/22

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Paola Estrada

Such a wonderful movie! I had the pleasure to watch it on big screen for the first time and it's such a wonderful experience

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/29/22

Full Review

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Hayao Miyazaki

Director

Jean Simmons

Old Sophie

Christian Bale

Howl

Lauren Bacall

Witch of the Waste

Blythe Danner

Madam Suliman

Emily Mortimer

Young Sophie

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Synopsis

Sophie (Emily Mortimer) has an uneventful life at her late father's hat shop, but all that changes when she befriends wizard Howl (Christian Bale), who lives in a magical flying castle. However, the evil Witch of Waste (Lauren Bacall) takes issue with their budding relationship and casts a spell on young Sophie, which ages her prematurely. Now Howl must use all his magical talents to battle the jealous hag and return Sophie to her former youth and beauty.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Rick Dempsey, Toshio Suzuki, Ned Lott
Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures, Studio Ghibli
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 10, 2005, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 15, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.7M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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