Howl's Moving Castle [Blu-ray/DVD] [2 Discs] [2004]

I have been waiting for this steelbook released in US long time back. The only version you can get is triple price on Marketplace. No thanks to BestBuy made my dream come true. The steelbook alone is so pretty, included booklet from Studio Gibil. I am happy customer

Many of you may be wondering the same thing I was when these releases hit stores. Are these Blu-rays an upgrade over the Disney releases? They are, in my opinion. However, are they worth purchasing again? Probably not. But, for hardcore fans, maybe. Here's why. First, picture quality. GKIDS has completed new 4K scans for these Blu-rays. In my opinion, it shows. The image is a bit cleaner. The details and colors do differ in some respects from the Disney releases. In comparing some scenes from Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky, and Princess Mononoke, I prefer the GKIDS releases. Is it a huge difference? No. But it is there. The reds are more intense and look red, not orange. And in Nausicaaa, the colors differ in scenes from the Disney Blu-rays. Actual color grading differences. Plus, the GIDS releases have more shadow details. The packaging and presentation on these releases tops Disney's with ease. The slipcovers are beautiful, with many of the releases using the same artwork as previous releases, with some exceptions, like Princess Mononoke. I also prefer the Nausicaa art here over Disney's. Each release is in a quality keepcase (not eco case) with art inside the back cover, so that when you open the case, you see a beautiful image from the film. The discs have art on them as well. I prefer the design on the GKIDS discs over Disney's, although, the Disney DVDs sometimes had very nice art as well. Lastly, the GKIDS releases also come with a small booklet that has some art and words from the creators behind the films. The menus on the GKIDS releases fall short of the Disney releases. They are not animated. There is no music. But, they are clean and simple. It would have been nice to have at least had music playing in the background like the Disney releases. Some releases include new extras. Many, if not all, extras from the Disney releases are ported over, but some may not be HD, as is the case on Nausicaa. As you can see from the descriptions, the Disney dubs are ported over to these releases as well. Plus, you get Japanese audio tracks, although, I have not confirmed if these are the original Japanese audio tracks, as I know that was a problem on some previous releases. Overall, I prefer the GKIDS Blu-rays, but if you have the Disney releases, you probably should save your money. However, if you're like me and you love the films and want the best presentation possible (video and packaging) and you find them on good sale, like they were on release at Best Buy, then it may be worth it to you.

What a very creative story!! It was a little hard for my kids to follow what was happening in the beginning, but they caught on soon enough and really enjoyed it! Great animation for sure!!!

Wonderful film! A treasure to share with my kid. We watched this over and over again. Best Buy needs to figure out how to care of Steelbook shipping...The box came a bit dented but no big deal.

Howl was the very first Miyazaki Directed Studio Ghibli film I ever watched, and Honestly can say, I have no clue why I waited so long. The film is based around our main character Sophie Who has been cursed by a witch and in her travles to find a way to break it comes across highly powerful and equally Eclectic wizard named howl. Although this movie was obviously made for a younger audience it doesn’t leave us in the older audience out of the equation. The curse that Sophie has put on her by the witch Affects our appearance making her look like an old woman, hence reflecting on the outside how she feels about herself on the inside. This message is definitely one that can be understood by all ages. There can be moments in time where we feel a lot older than we are and sometimes that can hinder the way we perceive ourselves. There can be moments in time where we feel a lot older than we are and sometimes that can hinder the way we perceive ourselves. And although we have our own way of thinking and perceiving ourselves sometimes it takes the observation of some one else to make you realize you’re worth. Overall this movie was amazing. The artwork was amazing the animation was amazing the music was amazing and to boot Howl himself was voiced by none other than Christian Bale (Batman in the Dark Knight trilogy). So do yourself a favor whether you buy it or stream it watch this movie it will not disappoint.

Wildly imaginative. Cool worldbuilding. Absolutely stunning animation.

That picture though. There's pretty, and then there's Howl's Moving Castle. Production levels for this one must have been 4x the amount for Spirited Away, and that's saying something! I think the studio had a lot more to work with after the formers earnings were collated. Howl's Moving Castle has yet to be trumped by anything I've seen in anime, yet. It's that detailed. Every. Single. Scene has something intricate and individually detailed and moving. The full ROYGBIV spectrum is utilized in this film. If there was a visual equivalent to the hypersonic audio effect on Blu-ray, Howl's Moving Castle would have shattered the analogous record. It's that wondrous. Christian Bales blesses us with his voice in this entry. I'm a Bale fan. I like the DKT, American Psycho, and yes I even like Terminator Salvation. This is another example of how Disney nailed the choices for the American dub. Bales deep, contemplative voice makes Howl more than just a tall Japanese pretty boy. It makes him sound like he knows what he's doing half the time, even though we know Howl is yet another one of Miyazaki's misunderstood troubled male trope protagonists. That's not the only gem, Billy Crystal, Emily Mortimer (Shutter Island), Josh Hutcherson and Jenna Malone of Hunger Games fame are also casted in the dub, and it's just so much fun to hear their voices when they were young and fresh in the industry! I get this same delight in hearing Claire Daines in Princess Mononoke, Shia LeBouf in Nausicaa, and Anna Paquin in Castle in the Sky. But it's the unsung heroine in this film who nails the voicing role; the late Jean Simmons. Jean plays Grandma Sophie after the spell has been sprung on her in the beginning of the movie. Jeans voice doesn't miss a beat, lips and sounds sync perfectly and inflection is perfect in every scene. Attitude by the protagonist never dithers and it demonstrates just how powerful and emotionally invested in feminism Miyazaki is. Extras on this release are more exhaustive than the other Ghibli entries. There's storyboard, Japanese and American trailers, video segments interviewing Bale and the other voice actors, and Miyazaki touring at Disney's Pixar studios. The extras honestly held my attention for about 12 minutes, and then I was ready to watch the movie again or put in another movie. I wish one of these days they'd release a director's commentary on one these films, but given the language barriers and Miyazaki's general demeanor, snippets are probably the correct choice. To bad, as the man clearly has a motivated and imaginative mind that we only get glimpses at. Anyways, TLDR: buy the movie! 5 stars!!

Recently started watching the Studio Ghibli films, this is another new favorite