Cinemark Howl's Moving Castle (2024)

FAQs

Can a 12 year old watch Howl's Moving Castle? ›

And although we recommend parental guidance for children aged 8-12 years because of the violence and scary scenes, the movie is likely to appeal most to this age group. The main message from Howl's Moving Castle is that youth and beauty aren't always a valuable blessing given to the young.

The movie's message of love and kindness resonates with audiences of all ages, making it one of the best films created by Studio Ghibli. Unlike its predecessors, Howl's Moving Castle is a love story. It is the story of Howl and Sophie falling in love and learning to accept themselves throughout the process.

Howl gains the abstract power of the supernatural landscape by symbolically swallowing a star, in exchange for losing a piece of his humanity by sacrificing his heart; Calcifer loses his abstract power by allowing himself to be consumed, in exchange for gaining tangible physicality by possessing Howl's heart.

He sees that the other wizards that joined the war lose control and become slaves to magic and Howl hates the idea of losing control. This fear of losing control is showcased in the scene where he has a breakdown over Sophie messing with his potions and therefore turning his hair black.

Howl's actual age isn't mentioned, but when he accosts Sophie on May Day and tries to buy her a drink we're told she thought he must be 'well into his twenties'.. but then, he's a Wizard so he could easily have been older. So, let's say that she was 18 and he was perhaps 24 or 25.. that feels about right to me.

Plot summary. 18-year-old Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters living in Market Chipping, a town in the magical kingdom of Ingary, where fairytale tropes are accepted ways of life, including that the eldest of three will never be successful.

Howl is in love with Sophie for who she is not what she is. Besides, she's only eighteen, so he's the cradle-snatcher! It is hinted throught the book that Howl knew Sophie was really a young woman from very early on.

Hayao Miyazaki, the director of Studio Ghibli, originally wanted to turn Sophie's hair back to brown after she was freed from her curse. However, he decided to keep it as grey in order to symbolize how Sophie has experienced many things during her journey.

However, he does keep his word when he promises to lift the spell of Sophie if she breaks his contract with Howl, doing it as soon as she nips Howl's heart off Calcifer's body.

Parent reviews for Howl's Moving Castle ...

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"Howl's Moving Castle" or "WTF did I just watch ...

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208 votes, 132 comments. I kept hearing that if you only watch X anime films, make sure you watch Howl's, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Grave…

'Howl's Moving Castle' Review – Geek Gals

Geek Gals

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Geek Gals

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Studio Ghibli Fest 2019 has begun! Our writer Keana reviews Hayao Miyazaki's classic animated film "Howl's Moving Castle."

Can a twelve year old watch you? ›

The show is officially rated TV-MA, or not necessarily suitable for kids 17 and under. Again, you know your child and what they can handle best, but just like with R-rated movies, there's a lot to consider about what your child will see and think while watching a thriller like this.

Like Disney movies, adults may want to share their favorite Studio Ghibli movies with their children. However, some films like Princess Mononoke aren't appropriate for a younger audience due to the violence and mature topics like death and political strife.

The story was fast paced and appropriate for younger and middle elementary school age kids.

Trigger warnings: death, parent death (off-page), mild body horror (if you find being trapped in a old woman's body horrifying), minor scares, some violence.