Howl's Moving Castle Trailer Review

        One of my all time favorite animations is the movie Howl's Moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki from the famed Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki is best know for his movies like Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Academy Award winner, Spirited Away.

        I decided to watch the Walt Disney trailer for HMC and review it.

Trailer:






       I love this style of 2D animation. Hand-drawn animation is always very special because of of the level of difficulty. I've seen the entire movie and it's just as good as the trailer.

       The story takes place is a fictional monarchy called Ingary. Think of a mix between Olde England and Treasure Island.It's about a young girl named Sophie Hatter who is a hat maker. She is turned into an old woman by the Witch of the Waste. Along with aging, part of the curse is that she can't tell anyone about the curse. The only person who can change her back is the elusive, narcissistic wizard Howl. This is the story of the war in Ingary and the curse on Sophie.

        Being a first year animator, I can't critic a professional piece very much considering I don't know much.

       One element that I would definitely add to my own work is the authentic feeling of hand drawn animation vs computer modeled animation. This was actually animated on a computer, but hand-drawn.

        Though it fits the tone slightly, I wish some of the more light-hearted scenes would have been lighter in colors. The entire trailer gives me an anxious feeling with all the vibrant shadows.

        Miyzaki is truly a master of his medium. He brings these stories to life with his artwork and animating.

Source:

MadmanOnline. "Howl's Moving Castle - Official Trailer." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.