“Howl’s Moving Castle” is a stunning film with gorgeous animation and a recognizable, sweeping score. However, the film disappoints in its writing, despite creating lovable and multi-faceted characters. 

“Howl’s Moving Castle” tells the story of Sophie (Jean Simmons), an old-soul hat maker, who gets thrust into the middle of a war with a handsome wizard, Howl (Christian Bale), after getting cursed by the Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall). Like many other Hayao Miyazaki creations, a story of magic and whimsy is undercut by the devastating effects of a pointless war. The movie opens with a view of the titular residence, an eccentric hodgepodge of many metal rooms revealed to be held together by a fire demon named Calcifer (Billy Crystal).

Sophie is a character you continue to root for throughout the film. Her relationships with the other inhabitants of the castle are the highlight of the movie. The moving castle becomes a place that welcomes all of the misfits, creating a dysfunctional family where everyone is accepted, from a cursed scarecrow to a disgraced witch. The family scenes are heartwarming and are easily the best part of the film. 

But unlike other Studio Ghibli films, the writing in “Howl’s Moving Castle” falls flat. The film tries to juggle two different stories at once: Sophie’s development and the devastating war. It is largely unsuccessful, as it spends too little time on either aspect to fully delve into the social commentary being made. From wizards and witches giving their souls up for the fight to civilians being bombed as a proxy for the government, Miyazaki makes a halfhearted point about the horrors of a war being fought for no reason. However, the message is too underdeveloped to make an impact. 

The film seems incomplete. The romance between Sophie and Howl, despite their scenes together being touching, blossoms from out of nowhere. The Witch of the Waste is treated with respect and kindness after her transformation into a mundane elderly woman, her decades of evil actions simply forgotten. The devastating and violent war is called off as soon as Howl’s character transformation is completed. Many of the characters function solely as plot devices to further Howl’s development, making the conclusion of the film seem rushed with too many loose ends. 

While the film falls flat in writing and pacing, Miyazaki continues to excel in visuals and cinematography. Overall, the film is enjoyable if one can appreciate the animation and the music while ignoring the many issues in the plot.