Howl’s Moving Castle is set in a magical world where magic and technology are everyday present. But most from early twenty century technology. The kind of flying artifacts and planes that Miyazaki Hayao loves. Old cars and that feel of an old time we miss. Like a criticism from the director about the use of technology these days. Maybe he thinks it is out of hand today? The film is loosely based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, 1986.
Miyazaki Hayao went to Europe for Locations to draw inspiration from. The same way he did with Laputa: Castle in the Sky and other films. This time to France. The communes of Colmar and Riquewihr in the eastern region of Alsace. And one prodigy son of France was the inspiration for most of the retro technology in the film: Albert Robida, 1848 – 1926. A less known Jules Verne that illustrated and wrote about the future twenty century and everyday technology.
Miyazaki Hayao and Hosoda Mamoru
Hosoda Mamoru was studying oil painting at the Kanazawa College of Art in 1989. He was involved into the film club, producing short works sometimes with an avant garde feeling. But that same year he came across an article in the popular Animage magazine. Studio Ghibli was recruiting trainees for the production of a new anime film. Only yesterday, released back in 1991. He failed the recruitment test, but Miyazaki Hayao wrote a letter to him pricing his talent. After majoring in oil painting he joined Toei Animation as an animator, but secretly wanting to become a director one day.
In September 2001, Studio Ghibli announced the production of Howl’s Moving Castle. The film started development in 2000 and Hosoda Mamoru was appointed as director. At the same time, Ghibli was producing The Cat Returns, announced back in 1999 as The Cat Project. But the production of Howl’s Moving Castle fell into development Hell. Meanwhile, the production was halted, prompting Hosoda Mamoru to step down the film.
It’s not easy to tell what happened. Suzuki Toshio believed that there could be pressure by the presence of Miyazaki Hayao himself, who usually made suggestions about the story. “Maybe Hosoda was tired of having his advice everyday?”. Or maybe the difference of working culture between Toei and Ghibli. Hosoda Mamoru said “they wanted the anime to look like a Miyazaki’s film. I was trying to make my film”. Rumors also pointed to the studio producing two films at the same time. With most of Ghibli working with Miyazaki while Hosoda even gathered staff himself. Finally he stepped down in 2002 and Miyazaki took the role of director. And Hosoda went back to Toei Animation and later created his first movie as a freelancer, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
Howl’s Moving Castle: against the oppression of war
Miyazaki Hayao is auto defined as a pacifist and against the rearmament of Japan. He is often influenced by wars and geopolitics. The same way as the Yugoslavia War shaped the tone in Porco Rosso, this time it was the invasion of Iraq in 2003 that created the anti-war theme in the anime film. He even spoke out about the war, “I was filled with rage”. This generated a backlash of the American public against the anime film. But the director usually depicted war in his movies. And Studio Ghibli also produced the excellent Grave of the Fireflies back in the days, directed by Tahakata Isao.
Miyazaki Hayao has an interest in war and weaponry machinery particularly of the first half of the twentieth century. This is seen as a paradox sometimes by his fans and critics as well. “Drawing and designing those war vehicles is a hobby”. He often uses war to show the feelings of those in between a conflict that is bigger than themselves, like he did masterfully in Mononoke Hime. They showed how the good heart of the characters can defeat the evil of war. And they survived by mutual compassion.
The Merry-Go-Round of life
The backgrounds for the film were painted by hand. And old fashioned technique. Even when the anime was produced digitally. And Hisaishi Joe composed the score once again for a Miyazaki’s film. He conducted the New Japan Philharmonic to create the best thing about Howl’s Moving Castle, its main theme “The Merry-Go-Round of life”. It is still today one of the best pieces from all the Ghibli’s productions and a piano best in almost any of the composer’s collections. Baisho Chieko, voice actor for Sophie, sung the film’s theme song. Hisaishi later composed a Symphony Suite arranging ten pieces from the film. Howl’s Moving Castle released in Japan on 20 November 2004. It is by 2024, the sixth anime in the highest grossing Japanese films of all time.