Contents A brief retelling of the plot. The fate of the heroes. What is the meaning of the cartoon. “Howl’s Moving Castle”: the meaning of the legendary cartoon Hayao Miyazaki.
Howl’s Moving Castle is a legendary anime by Hayao Miyazaki who created the masterpiece in 2004. The work remains relevant today, as it is filled with incomprehensible details.
Film critics greeted the anime with a standing ovation. Because the animation was recognized as the best in 2005. Miyazaki also won the award for best screenplay in 2007, nominated for prestigious awards.
Well, today we will talk about the meaning of the anime “Howl’s Moving Castle”, and also go through the plot and key characters.
Brief retelling of the plot
At the center of the anime is Sophie, a modest and quiet girl who lives in a bustling city and works as a hat maker. She has a measured life. However, she is worried about the proximity of the war and bloody battles, and constantly guarding the royal soldiers.
One day, when the girl returns home, she becomes a tasty morsel for two officers. But, Sophie manages to avoid the terrible, as she is saved by the mysterious wizard Howl. This is a handsome young man whom the girl immediately notices. He saves her from violence, and disappears without a trace.
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The Witch of the Waste is watching the scene. She does not like that her beloved Howl looked at another girl. She decides to turn Sophie into an old woman. The Witch of the Waste changes Sophie’s life forever. Her relatives no longer recognize her, and the girl in the guise of an old woman has to go in search of a cure for the curse.
Thanks to a magical scarecrow, she stumbles upon Howl’s castle (it was copied from a Russian hut on chicken legs). Here she arranges her life, gets acquainted with other heroes of the curse of the witch of the Wasteland: Mrs. Saliman, Markle’s student, the demon Calcifer. They invite her to live with them. In return, the girl should help with the housework.
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In a house that moves through different dimensions, the heroes are waiting for a lot of adventures that will reveal their real identities.
The fate of the heroes
Despite the fact that the plot of the picture is uncomplicated, the director reveals to the audience a magical world, and the originality of the main characters. The fact is that each hero has his own unique story, which intricately intersects, and creates a common motif.
The main characters face curses that they need to defeat. At the same time, we are talking more about internal torment that manifests itself in the world around us.
Sophie is a very shy 18-year-old girl who does not find herself beautiful, wants to “age” herself, denying her youth. Her task after the curse is to regain her youth, change her attitude towards her “I”, recognize beauty and originality. In the end, she becomes a girl, but the experience remains in her memory.
Howl is a wizard, the owner of a walking house, who must also defeat the curse. He made a deal with Calcifer out of stupidity, and gradually goes from good to evil. His task is to preserve the good in himself. The struggle with the inner “I” is expressed by the hero with an attempt to defeat his infantilism, vulnerability, hardness of heart.
Through love and affection for Sophie, Howl manages to stop the transformation of the hero into a winged demon. She helps him regain his good heart and get rid of the spell.
Calcifer is a small talking fire in the fireplace. At its core, this is a demon of fire, the heart of the castle, which wanders through the dimensions. In the past, he was a star. If not for Howl, who gave him his heart for the possibility of possessing magical powers, then the demon of fire would have died.
It tied the characters to each other. The treaty later became burdensome. Calcifer, in the former good star, began to turn into a monster, like his master. However, with the arrival of Sophie, he had the hope of terminating the contract.
Markle is a little boy who is the opposite of Sophie. He is self-confident, developed beyond his years, steadfastly endures everything that happens in the castle. His tragedy is in despondency due to the inability to resist the dark forces. As with other heroes, he changes after coming to Sophie’s castle.
The silent garden scarecrow is the last enchanted character who treats Sophie very carefully. His curse is related to narcissism, unwillingness to use his influence in the past to stop the war. The Witch of the Waste makes him a galloping, emotionless turnip in a costume to make him think about other people’s feelings.
Photo: en.wallpaper.mob.org
Ultimately, this is what happens when Sophie helps the scarecrow return to his appearance as the prince of the country, at enmity with Ingaria.
What is the meaning of the cartoon
The director focuses on individuals who are afraid of responsibility and do not want to decide anything in their lives. They have nowhere to move on, they do not want to grow spiritually, morally, physically.
Therefore, the author decided to bring them together and make sure that they can solve each other’s problem.
Sophie doesn’t get too upset after 10 minutes of screen time because of her old age. She quickly accepts changes, does not rejoice in new ones. She is happy that there is no need to solve the problems of adulthood, but you can jump straight to old age, where everything is simple.
Howl became a teenager forever. He likes the strength and power that comes with growing up, but he is afraid of responsibility. The same goes for the other characters in the picture.
The meaning of the cartoon is that everyone can get rid of their curse by understanding their internal psychological problems and choosing the path of responsibility, kindness, altruism, justice and honor.
On this, our analysis of the anime “Howl’s Moving Castle” came to an end. Do you have questions or suggestions? Be sure to write them in the comments. And if you want more of the best anime from famous studios, we offer our selection.
Peaceful sky above your head and see you soon!
