If you haven’t seen Spirited Away yet, stop reading this, go out to a video store and rent it now. It’s a magical piece of story telling that apparently creator Hayao Miyazaki has transfered into his latest project “Howl’s Moving Castle“. This marks the first animated film to be entered in the Venice Film Festival’s main competition in 30 years. Reuters reports:
In the film, a bewitched Sophie seeks refuge in Howl’s fantastical moving castle – a walking, snorting contraption which can open onto four different worlds. Pretending to be a housekeeper, she befriends the cranky fire demon and Howl’s pint-sized assistant as she tries to break the spell cast on her.
In the end it is her love for Howl that frees them both from witchcraft and from incessant bombing and war. Marco Muller, director of the Venice Film Festival, called “Howl’s Moving Castle” “possibly the strongest anti-war statement we have in the entire festival.” I can’t wait to see this one.
To read the full Reuters story go here.
