Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle Open in Japan

blamanj writes ""Howl's Moving Castle" (Howl no Ugoku Shiro), is the latest animated epic from Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli. In a departure from his usual sources, this time Miyazaki has adapted a story by British author Diana Wynne Jones. The reviews look good." CT: Apparently Howl's opened a few weeks ago.

Comments

That's all well and good but

[Omicron32]

I'm not watching it if it's not digitally signed.

Re:Well

[Anonymous Coward]

In Korea, only old people have slow news days.

Wow, his "Lastest" Movie.

[Wandering Wombat]

For reals this time!

The biggest concern...

[JossiRossi]

I didn't see anything on it, but have they done any dubbing? I personally prefer subtitles, but they may try to pull a "Must appeal to a wider audience" when they pull it over to the states. Will the English speaking version suck? Who knows.

Re:The biggest concern...

[aardvarkjoe]

I didn't see anything on it, but have they done any dubbing? I personally prefer subtitles, but they may try to pull a "Must appeal to a wider audience" when they pull it over to the states.

Howl will almost certainly be released in the same way that Miyazaki's other movies have been here in the states: the DVDs have both english and japanese audio tracks, and English subtitles as well. As for whether the dub will suck or not -- so far, most of the dubs have been very good. The only exception, in my opinion, was Castle in the Sky, which had a pretty poor dub.

Re:The biggest concern...

[UWC]

Disney has exclusive US distribution rights to all Ghibli work (note that the Miramax label, under which Princess Mononoke was released, is owned by Disney), so there shouldn't be a problem with signing. I think Spirited Away was in US theaters within a year of its Japanese release, wasn't it? I hope this sees a similarly speedy release. Spirited Away's critical success bodes well for a fairly wide release.

Re:The biggest concern...

[colmore]

I prefer dubbing in the theaters and subtitles at home.

Reading text on a big screen takes my eyes off the visuals for a moment, and in a Ghibli movie, that's unforgivable.

Miyazaki's films always have a moral

[BillsPetMonkey]

The moral in Sen to Chihiro no kamikaukushi ("Spirited Away") is basically "Don't destroy the environment" and "Children should learn manners".

Sounds very simple, but how many Hollywood films teach kids this stuff? It's subtle. I wonder what the moral is for this one.

Re:Miyazaki's films always have a moral

[Scrameustache]

The moral in Sen to Chihiro no kamikaukushi ("Spirited Away") is basically "Don't destroy the environment" and "Children should learn manners".

Er, the moral is always "good little japanese girls work hard and don't complain".

Every, single, time.

He'll tack on additional morals, if need be, but "work hard" is the moral of everything I've seen with Miyazaki's name attached.

Re:Miyazaki's films always have a moral

[MightyMartian]

> I hate movies with a moral, I watch to be entertained, not talked
> down to with a tone that the director needs to educate me. If you want
> children to grow up with some morals, talk to their parents, not
> Hollywood.

Good grief. Most children's stories throughout history, heck most stories in general, have morals to them. That's rather the point, to entertain and educate.

I agree that the idiocy of American cartoons, where there are 22 minutes of violence (without bloodshed, of course), 7 minutes of commercials many of which advocate violence, and then a 1 minute value lesson:

"Grimy the Psychotic Robot helped his arch-enemy Bullwipe the Satanic Frog of Doom, so we should always help people."

However, Spirited Away's lessons were subtle and did not come off as preachy. I think it's much better to have films such as this then to have them watching endless volumes of violence on TV and in theaters. Nothing wrong with violence, but let's face it, Hollywood doesn't do a good job of showing the other side of it.

Re:Miyazaki's films always have a moral

[Lemmy Caution]

That's not the "moral," that's the background of Japanese culture from which it's created. It may be shocking to you, but working hard and not complaining are actual values (for both genders) that are very much embodied in Japanese child-rearing.

From the Japanese perspective, the moral of American media is "slack off and whine a lot."

Re:Miyazaki's films always have a moral

[Scrameustache]

What was the moral in Totoro?

I believe it was "two little girls and a grown man naked in the same tub is not creepy"...

Or, if you want to be serious, for a change ;-)
The moral was that the japanese country side is a wonderfull place and that there is still room for spirituality and a child's innocence in this world.

Also: Work hard. They sure had to, to clean up that old house. Didn't they?

Re:Miyazaki's films always have a moral

[david.given]

The moral in Sen to Chihiro no kamikaukushi ("Spirited Away") is basically "Don't destroy the environment" and "Children should learn manners".

There's more to it than that. Other themes I spotted:

• Evil is a matter of perception. (The shadow-creature, Yubaba, and Yubaba's sister are all initially portrayed as evil until Chihiro learns more about them; and then they're not, they're just people.)
• Law is fundamental to society. (There are laws and rules everywhere, and they can't be broken: if you don't cross the river before sunset, you're trapped. Yubaba must give you a job if you ask for it. Chihiro's boyfriend whose name I forget stole the charm, therefore it must be returned.)
• Everything has its place. (The shadow creature doesn't belong in the bath-house; it's evil there. But it's not when it's outside. Chihiro doesn't belong in that world, where she's considered disgusting and dangerous; she belongs in the mundane world.)
• Work is important. (There is no free ride. You have an obligation to society --- and, therefore, society has an obligation to you.)

Hollywood tends to push the blatantly false and downright dangerous True love conquers all (and don't put up with anything less) and You can do anything if only you want it hard enough. Frankly, I find Miyazaki's themes of social responsibility and the benefits of hard work far more suitable for children.

I love Howl's Moving Castle (and it's sequel Castle in the Air, which I think is even better). I'm eagerly awaiting seeing what he's done with it.

Re:Miyazaki's films always have a moral

[Scrameustache]

There's more to it than that. Other themes I spotted: Evil is a matter of perception.

You betcha!
Aku, the "name" of the character who at first says he will help her escape, but later turns out to be (deceptively) cold and mean, is a japanese homophone that can mean "to become free", or "evil" (as in Samurai Jack's intro's last line "The evil that IS... Aku!").
: )

Re:Miyazaki's films always have a moral

[Neop2Lemus]

Your post is a little unclear on his motivation for why he would concentrate on "working hard".

IIRC Miyazaki feels that japanese women are undervalued in modern Japanese society. Hence he always develops 'strong' female leads in his films, leads who go places because they work hard, which is the only way you'll ever go places.

He's not perpetuating a system of exploitation for women but giving them a lesson in how to live successfully. It's also why his films are better than hollywood dreck, working hard is an alien concept to hollywood movies, but in the end, it's all that counts.

Re:Miyazaki's films always have a moral

[leuffi]

Actually, the main character boy's name is Haku, which has nothing to do with the word "aku". Maybe you're refering to someone else, but I can't remember anyone who fits your description.

Opens today?

[delirium_9]

You're kidding right? This thing has been out for a month. Before it came out there was a lot of hype but from the people I know who've seen it the movie wasn't very good.

But it did do well in the box office:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5 ?nn20041124b1.htm

Funny, I thought it opened on Nov 20th...

[relayer]

http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/newspro/latest_ne ws.shtml#newsitemEEpEEFukyFuAXaDnpx

November 22, 2004 "Howl" Breaks Japanese Weekend Box Office Record
From Kyodo Press Flash24:
Toho announced :
'Howl' earned 1,400 million yen (~$13.5 million USD) at the box office in the first day of release and its next day (Nov 20, 21). This is the highest new record at a Japanese movie.

Awesome, will DL

[OverlordQ]

I'll just hop over to suprnova and . . oh wait . . . NoooooOoooo! ;)

It opened in November

[Glog]

I was in Japan in November and the movie was in theaters! How did you come up with "yesterday was the opening date"?

Trailers

[Andorion]

Website

Quicktime 4 Trailer

XviD Teaser

~Berj

Re:I'll skip it

[MightyMartian]

I despise Disney, but I'll still watch it. Miyazaki is just too good for minor things like principles to get in the way. I finally got to watch Spirited Away last year, and as far as I'm concerned, it blows Pixar away (and I think Pixar's pretty awesome , too).

Same girl?

[Woogiemonger]

Is this Sophie going to be the same girl that appears in his other movies? (Nausicaa, Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, etc.)

No, that's barely scratching the surface.

[DeadVulcan]

The moral in Sen to Chihiro no kamikaukushi ("Spirited Away") is basically "Don't destroy the environment" and "Children should learn manners".

Chihiro, at the beginning of the film, seems somewhat spoiled and incessantly whiney.

By the end, she has had to set her own goals, make her own decisions, accept responsibility, and carry through on a long-term plan. All without the guidance of her parents. It's the process of growing up and leaving the nest. Sorry, but "children should learn manners" just doesn't cover all that.

Re:No, that's barely scratching the surface.

[badasscat]

Chihiro, at the beginning of the film, seems somewhat spoiled and incessantly whiney.

By the end, she has had to set her own goals, make her own decisions, accept responsibility, and carry through on a long-term plan. All without the guidance of her parents. It's the process of growing up and leaving the nest. Sorry, but "children should learn manners" just doesn't cover all that.

Well, you're a bit closer than the post you're replying to, but still not quite right.

Spirited Away is about greed and gluttony. Now, learning to be humble and respectful and responsible and all that is part of that lesson about greed and gluttony, so you're not wrong. Spirited Away suggests a return to a more traditional way of thinking as part of the solution, but the main issue in the film is greed.

This does not quite come through in the English translation as well as it does in the original Japanese. Still, it's fairly obvious, I think, right from the beginning of the film (when her parents literally turn into pigs through their gluttony) until the end (when Sen's purity returns them to humanity).

The only Miyazaki film I'd say even specifically deals with the environment is Princess Mononoke. (I'm calling these films by their English names because I'm speaking English, btw - I don't really see the point in mixing languages up when there is a proper, official English title available.) Lots of his films are misunderstood in this country - Spirited Away has nothing to do with the environment at all, and even Nausicaa (another film people think has an environmental lesson) is an allegory for the real-life Cold War that was going on at the time, and what would happen if it turned hot. The environment is used in these films as a vehicle to make a point.

Obviously nature and the environment are common Miyazaki themes, but don't confuse his common themes with the message in any particular film. He uses things like nature, tradition, history, etc. to make his points - but they are rarely, if ever, the point in themselves.

Foreign Films

[MightyMartian]

> They're cartoons, and therefore for kids. That's a pretty definite correlation.
> If he wants the Japanese movie industry to be taken seriously like the
> American one, try making films with *real* actors and scenes. Oh, no, that
> would require a budget. Take a look at the movie listings at your local
> picture house ... see any Japanese films? Nope ... or maybe just one. Compare
> and contrast to the vast number of American films that make it out there.

Well, the US only has a relatively small fraction of the world's population, and believe it or not, these sorts of movies become huge successes making their producers and backers big bucks, even if some Yankee who's looking for the latest blow-em-up-real-good Hollywood splashganza doesn't even know they exist.

Miyazaki is an artist, and his animated films tell compelling stories in a manner that I doubt most Hollywood junkies could appreciate.

As to movie theatres in North America, they are pretty much dominated by the Hollywood system, and unless you live in a bigger community with theatres that can afford to run relatively unpopular films (foreign films, silent films and black and white films), the average movie-goer is sadly out of luck.

I've been watching a lot more older and foreign films lately. I watched Renoir's The Rules of the Game a month ago, borrowed it from my local library. What a brilliant film, but I doubt that most of my fellow Canadians and most Americans know it even exists. There's a whole ocean of great films out there, but the only way most North Americans ever know they exist is if Hollywood remakes it.

I'm not bashing American film making. I mean, Hollywood is perfectly capable of making great films still, but it's just very sad that someone like Miyazaki is condemned because he doesn't use live actors. What exactly does that mean nowadays in CGI filmmaking anyways. I mean, I consider movies like the Star Wars prequels to be basically cartoons. At some point in the not-so-distant future CGI will have evolved to the point that real-looking people on the silver screen will be completely constructed.

Whether it's animated, black and white, foreign and dubbed or subtitled into English, or a Hollywood film, I want a good story told well.

Re:Spirited Away was overrated

[UWC]

From a 2002 interview with Roger Ebert (emphasis mine):

When I went to talk with Miyazaki, who is 62, I reminded him that in 1999 he said he was going to retire. Now here was another film. "I wanted to retire," he said, "but life isn't that easy. I wanted to make a movie especially for the daughters of my friends. I opened all the drawers in my head they were all empty. So I realized I had to make a movie just for 10 year olds, and 'Spirited Away' is my answer."

If you can't wait for the latest Miyazaki movie

[flyingsquid]

...pick up the four volumes of _Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind_. It's the graphic novel's answer to _Lord of the Rings_. Miyazaki creates technologies, ecologies, empires, religions... and really, really cool villains: there's the vixen princess who lives on hatred, a bored, psychotic immortal king, and a three hundred foot tall cyborg. And I'm not a big fan of most Japanese comic art, but Miyazaki has a very organic drawing style heavily influenced by Moebius, and his art is incredible.

Tonari-no Totoro

[InThane]

My ex-girlfriend (who was Japanese) told me that he made the film to show that there are wonderful things in nature that need to be preserved - and apparently, a good chunk of the proceeds from the film went to buy up some forests near Tokyo, or something like that. It's been around 10 years, so I'm not real clear on it, but I kinda sorta remember that much...

Once again, "don't damage the environment" is the message.

Re:Spirited Away was overrated

[shawb]

Did anyone else think Spirited Away was overrated?

I dunno. whenever I heard about Spirited Away, people basically said "It's a neat children's movie. Looks really pretty." Sounds like an apt description to me.

Let's start with the box and the liners...

Yeah. That's called hype. Or maybe "advertising." That's become expected in the industry. It's expected in EVERY industry. Not a good thing, but nothing that Miazaki should be called on without caling the whole industry.

I sat there, searching for absolutely anything that would appeal to people over the age of twelve

Now I see why you didn't like it. It _IS_ a children's movie. To enjoy it you don't go in searching for deep meaning or whatever. You just watch the pretty pictures and maybe follow the characters and worry about what will happen to them next. Trust me... that will make the movie watching experience so much better in a lot of instances.

Does love that young/cross-species even make any sense?

Wrong kind of love, dude.

I doubt whether any academic exegesis

As I've been saying, this _IS_ a children's film. I actually think it's refreshing to see a film made for children, not some demographically researched piece of work that tries to appeal to every market segment possible AND make a big stir in academia. No, this guy just wanted to tell some kids a story that will keep their eyes held wide open with amazement. And I think he did that.

Although, yeah. Pixar has some really great films too. But I really doubt that any of them are are worthy of an "academic exegesis."

I mean, we all know the kind of people that would try to blow this films up into the proportions that you are talking about. Capital "A" Art students who try to attach all sorts of meaning to things that just isn't there. They're trying to snow job people into thinking that their painting is worth $50 Million dollars or whatever. They're just practicing on this particular movie.

Finally!

[Mr. Bad Example]

It's good to see Ginsberg's work getting some recognition, although I'm not sure where the moving castle comes in, and the Japanese schoolgirls will prove problematic.

"I saw the schoolgirls of my generation
Assaulted by tentacles, hentai and otherwise..."

Howl's Moving Castle Official Website

[echocharlie]

You forgot to link to the Official Japanese Website for Howl's Moving Castle For those who are Japanese-impaired, the first 4 links along the bottom edge of the letter read thusly: Info | Story | Character | Staff&Cast | ...

Re:I'll skip it

[tdelaney]

Buy it from Australia when Madman releases it here.

Madman does a superb job on their discs, at very reasonable prices. They're currently in the process of releasing 10 Studio Ghibli shows. The first four - Kiki, Laputa, Mononoke and Spirited Away - have been out for a couple of months now. Actually, Spirited Away was released about the same time it was released in the US, but it was re-released with the other three.

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[account_deleted]

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Totoro?

[interactive_civilian]

so far, most of the dubs have been very good. The only exception, in my opinion, was Castle in the Sky, which had a pretty poor dub.

I'm guessing that either a.) you haven't seen My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari No Totoro) or 2.) you don't understand Japanese, because that was one of the worst dubs of any anime that I have ever seen.

The quality of the English voice-acting was terrible, and the things they were saying were nowhere near the original Japanese dialogue. I guess I can understand a little bit because a lot of things in that movie are VERY difficult to translate to English and a lot of things don't make much sense if you don't know anything about Japanese culture.

Don't get me wrong. I loved the movie. Totoro is one of my favorites. Howl's Moving Castle, on the other hand, was IMHO the worst Miyazaki Hayao movie ever made. It wasn't a bad movie at all, but his other movies are just so excellent and it doesn't even compare (saw it in the theater in Shinagawa last week).