Howl's Moving Castle is the WEIRDEST Ghibli Film | Blind Reaction 

Can we talk about the fact that Sophie tells howl to find her in the future and his first words to her are “there you are sweetheart I’ve been looking everywhere for you” LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME he spent his whole life searching for her 😭😭😭

“Can Christian Bale say anything without me being terrified or turned on?” No, no he cannot.

Just to clear up how confusing the political background of the movie is- Miyazaki made it partly as a critique of the Iraq War! He even rejected to show up at the Oscars when he won because of America's involvement. So a huge theme in the movie is how pointless and draining war is, something that roots back in Miyazaki's childhood during WWII

For whatever reason "Oh no, she got babushka'd!" made me absolutely lose it 😂

Love this movie. The books are even more batshit crazy, somehow. Howl's a narcissistic brat that was a rugbyman in Wales before deciding to isekai himself to this place and Sophie's a magical red head with one hell of a temper and even bigger self esteem issues. Also. Sweetie. EVERYTHING is hand drawn.

Danny's energy for Christian Bale, I'm here for it😆

Some fun facts about the movie: 1. It's based on a book that sort of parodies(?) (its not really a parody, but it points out a lot of tropes and cliches) the fantasy genre. I've heard the plot makes complete sense there. Ghibli basically took all the cool scenes and none of the plot lol. 2. As per the book, it's set in Wales! Like, modern-day Wales 3. The American release wanted to edit it heavily, like they often did back then, and Ghibli mailed them a fucKING KATANA WITH A LETTER SIMPLY SAYING 'No Cuts.' WTF??

I’m just saying, Christian Bale’s voice did something to me when I watched this movie for the first time as a kid and I have NEVER been the same since 😂

The whole "fantastic but people within the setting treat the fantastic as commonplace" is a genre called Magical Realism. It's a very fun genre to write, we covered it in writing class my freshman year of college.

It's weird because the book it's based on has a rather intricate plot that's only gradually revealed, and halfway through the story, Miyazaki went, "Nah, we're not doing that!" and completely changed everything in the second half.

Sometimes a family is you, a beautiful mess of a man that turns into a bird, his young apprentice, a man cursed to be a turnip on a pogo, the sentient fire demon he enslaved and a shadow of the witch that cursed you.

I love the 16 odd minutes of you just simping for Howl and his voice and the rest of it just you supporting Sophie absgajsks

At the beginning of the movie you can hear two men in the background saying something like “the prince is missing” and “looks like they’re gonna start a war” so thats essentially the war plot, the scarecrow was the prince all along and thats why the war stopped when he’s found

CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW DRAMATIC HOWL IS THRU THIS WHOLE ORDEAL LIKE🤣🤣🤣I love him so much

“A man dressed as a nutcracker” had me laughing out loud! It’s funny cause it’s true 🤣

It’s actually based off of a book by Diana Wynne Jones. The book goes a lot deeper into the political part of it and explains more about the curse. In the book Sophie is a witch herself she just doesn’t know it yet. It is her lack of self-esteem that truly puts the curse on her which is why the witch of the waste couldn’t undo the curse. In the end Sophie finding her confidence breaks both her curse and Howls. :)

"BACK OFF LADY HES MINE- I MEAN SOPHIE'S!" he never fails to make me laugh😂

Another surprising voice actor in this is the voice of Markl, the little apprentice boy. He's voiced by Josh Hutcherson who plays Peeta in the Hunger Games movies.

I read once that Miyazaki was a kid during WW2. He experienced the worst of times during what should’ve been his whimsy years. That’s why he’s so dang good at writing magical, serious, loving stories.

Dude you NEED to see Spirited Away. If you’re looking for wild ghibli movies, the character design and existence of the world is nuts. If you haven’t already, of course. Or even if you have! I’d personally love to see your take on that childhood favorite!

Did you know when Christan Bale applied to be in this movie, he wasn't expecting to play Howl. But thank God he did because his voice is amazing.

This is actually based on a novel which is honestly 1000% more nuts. Like the scarecrow is the product of almost Frankenstein like necromancy

"He sounds like a 40 year old in a 20 year olds body" Oh Danny, I think you would LOVE Aaravos

So fun facts 1) The movie is based off of a book by the same name written by Diana Wynne Jones. Howl and Sophie appear as minor characters in 2 more of her books. 2) Both Miyazaki and Diana Wynne Jones were survivors of WW2. Diana used her works to make a place for people to escape from the realities of war while Miyazaki made it a point to include the horror of war in his works so that people would not forget. The possibility of "war" was one line in the books and its inclusion in the movie skews a lot of character motivations. Howl especially is a lot less "tragic hero" and a lot more "hot mess/drama queen". 3) The book manages to be even crazier and has even richer world-building on account of being longer. If you are interested in learning more about the dog, the scarecrow, Calcifer, the magic portal door, and the witch getting her just desert go and read the book. 4) Diana loves both versions of the story despite them being so different. She said once that the book is how Sophie would tell the story and the movie is how book Howl would tell the story. So with a tone of scenes highlighting his attractiveness and a random background war thrown in for flavor.

"Sophie push her off!!" my mom said the same thing when she watched this movie XD

I love the little detail of Sophie gradually getting younger as the film goes on as she slowly becomes more confident in herself. At the beginning when the witch first curses her, she appears are 80-90 years old (possibly revealing how she feels on the inside) but as the movie goes on (like right after they face Soloman) Sophie appears around 40-50 years then returns to her normal age during the climax. It shows how she slowly grows more confident in herself. It could also pay homage to a plotpoint in the books. I haven't read them fully myself, but I do remember a friend explaining how in the books Sophie is actually a witch too and that's part of the reason the curse eventually fades without Howl or the witch doing anything. I personally like to think of it as a little mix of the two. 😁👍 awsome reaction and commentary man. If you like this, I highly recommend watching Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away.

Christian Bale’s voice was perfect for Howl’s character. Loved it! And Sophie’s voice is so soothing!

Love watching reviewers blame Gibblie and Japan for the insanity of Howl's Moving Castle while the novel readers are complaining that it could have been weirder and miss the Wales references.

2:50-3:00 My genuine reaction to that was, "Ya didn't check the cast list before watching? You think having Christine Bale in this flick is nuts, well we got a baby Josh Hutcherson playing Markl!" Ahahah love ya, Danny, keep being your wonderful self.

You’ve got to read the book too- in the book Sophie has magic that exists intrinsically so the more confidence she gets the more the curse starts to break.

Okay this is literally like my favorite movie ever so a few fun facts: 1: it’s actually based off of a book! The book us 10x more confusing, but I quite liked it. 1a:The entire war theme was not in the book, but was put in by miazaki for portraying anti-war themes. 1b:The author actually didn’t picture the castle having legs, but instead would float everywhere. 1c: howl was actually like a modern day college student lol. He created a portal to a new world, being the one we see him in. 1d: in the book, he carries around a guitar, and on one of the covers you can see it’s a bright red strata-caster electric guitar. 1e: in the book, Markl is actually called Michael, and is 15 instead of like 9. 1f: Sophie actually had 2 sisters, one being a half sister. 2: after my watching it (literally) 10 times, there are some scenes that hint at howl liking Sophie from the beginning, and Sophie falling for him gradually. For example, what’s the VERY first line he says to Sophie? “There you are, I’ve been looking for you everywhere” (or something along those lines). We know however that she went back in time and told child howl to “find [her] in the future”. Sooooo conclusion? He was looking for her this entire time. Additionally, the reason the war was going on(you can hear two background characters mentioning it towards the beginning of the movie) is because the neighboring kingdom’s prince had gone missing, and they had accused them of kidnapping him, when in reality, he had just gotten cursed and was turnip head. Oh! Also, the voice of Markl is the actor of Peta from the hunger games, but as a child. Anyways, seriously my favorite favorite movie. 10/10, would recommend!

Howl's Moving Castle is my comfort film, even when the world is going to absolute shit, Sophie never loses hers. She's such a great character and even though it is wildly different from the book, it is just a good. I'm surprised you didn't comment on the music since its such an iconic track for Ghibli, but the whole movie is a lot so that made sense XD

I love the type of shows that just throw into the middle of something and barely explain things, because that's just how the world goes. It isn't my favorite Ghibli movie, mine is Ponyo for nostalgia reasons, but I do love Howl's moving castle.

It’s interesting you said Howl has a “rockstar attitude” because that’s basically his angle in the book this movie is based on. I think In the book Howl even had a guitar

Danny: This word is really well fleshed out I feel like this could be part of a series Me: DANNY ITS A BOOK SERIES

If you’re going to do more Ghibli movies I recommend ‘Porco Rosso’. It’s fun and lighthearted with some great characters. Definitely one of my favourites, up there with ‘Princess Mononoke’ of course.

I cannot recommend enough that you listen to the Howl's Moving Castle audiobook narrated by Jenny Sterlin! It is the best audiobook in existence, and it's also different enough from the ghibli movie to be a whole new experience!

"Why is this lady growing armin's?" don't mind me as i cackle my way through this reaction XD

'Why is this lady growing Armins' caught me so off guard I somehow managed to slam my face into my desk and then proceeded to laugh hysterically for the next minute.

the turniphead twist is so badly foreshadowed lmao, there's like. one sentence said referencing the missing prince in the first five minutes of the movie and,,, that's it

"Oh! He's back for revenge!" 🤣🤣🤣 I was NOT prepared for that line. 🤣

It's hidden deep in the aside chats - The war was kicked off because "a prince in the neighboring country has gone missing" and all the finger pointing begins, so all the magic people get drafted. The prince was Turniphead, which is why he dropped the "I'll go stop the war now" at the end.

YES I LOVE HOWLS MOVING CASTLE I’m excited to see you watch it >:D(LOOK AT THE PICTURE IN THE BACKGROUND I LOVE IT LOL)

Fun Fact: One of the customers in Lettie's shop asks if they have "Lettie-shaped cookies"... What's worse is that she actually turns around to get some for the guy...

I’m this movie after watching it a few times, and I’ve watched it plenty, this whole movie is a time loop type scenario, where howl is searching for Sophie all of their lives and the time line repeats like a fated love, a cursed love… it’s unfortunate and tragic

If it feels like the two plots are entirely separate it’s because. They are. The war plot wasn’t in the original media The book is really quirky and Sophie’s narration is wonderful! I highly reccomend it in book form as well, even if I do love the movie

This has always been my favorite Ghibli film (and film in general, though I'm not much of a movie person). I love the casual magic, the found family, the strangeness, and I love how it manages to be small and huge at once. Its weirdness is a draw for me, but I do understand that disconnected plots like this aren't for everyone!

"Oh no she got babushkad!" Beautiful

they did sections of the castle on pieces of glass then layered them and moved them around to mimic motion

13:16 had me laughing so hard, i was wheezing, crying and clutching my stomach. Im still having random bouts of laughter as i write this, thats how hard it hit me 😂😂😂 I think bc its such a sweet touching moment ("cause we're a family!") followed by an unexpected dub of Danny casually thirsting over Howl as Sophie. Thank you for making this video Danny, and thank you for the inevitable random fits of laughter I'll surely have thru out the rest of my day thinking about ur commentary, but mostly 13:16😂

Dude, Danny THANKS MY BOI!!!!! Howl's Moving Castle is my favorite studio Ghibli movie. I didnt even know Christian was in this movie. I love it for the story and the amazing animation that was put into it.

"I've never been so intimidated by a man dressed as a nutcracker" 😂 I love your sense of humour

If you haven't seen it, you GOTTA see Spirited Away! It's my absolute favorite movie of all time with fantastic world building, characters, and themes!

This is my favorite all time movie. Your commentary is spot on. Thank you for this. I needed a good cackle with my coffee this morning.

I grew up watching Studio Ghibli movies in general but this one was always on in one way or another. I was giggling the whole time watching your reactions! This was honestly so fun, being able to watch this through your eyes and hearing your takes made my whole day!

I was wheezing throughout the whole video - especially with they alley scenes 🤣🤣🤣 Wolf Children might be something you're interested in reacting to, next. Keep Up The Good Work~!

8:02 Howl fr be like: "Feeling depressed. Might turn into a minecraft slime block"

It’s so trippy being named similarly to this character (Sophia), constantly being told to have better self esteem, and to suddenly hear that from the video too. There’s no problem with it! I just found it funny 😅

Hi Danny! Ugh this was such a good reaction video. I really didn’t want it to end😭 Your reactions and analyses were so on point; I absolutely agree with everything and I just kept laughing throughout. I'm probably going to bingewatch some other reaction series of yours tonight, like TGCF and others I recognise. Thanks for your hard work!❤❤❤

“It’s weird it’s not a franchise” BRUH ITS A BOOKK SERIES!

The scene where Howl first comes through the black door and stransforms back tho..

I didn't realise Mark Hamill was Muska in Laputa(Disney version) until this year and I've been watching it my whole life. So many good actors do voice acting in dubs

Farmin Armins is one of my favourite lines

I love this so much. This has made my day. I have had a bad day, so thanks.

Youre the 2nd video that popped up when i searched for a reaction to this. Glad to see the channel hyping up 😊

This is my absolute favorite movie of all time. Always hits me in the feels. Edit: For me, Sophie's low self-esteem is totally relatable, and that moment when she cries bc of Howl's breakdown bc of his hair, totally there with her the first time. Like, dude.

The war was literally About the missing Prince, aka turniphead. You can hear people discussing it in the beginning, the other country blaming them for the prince going missing, saying they kidnapped him.

One of the reasons the movie may seem quite confusing is that it is actually a remake of a book named howl’s moving castle but they could not include all of the political aspects in it because the movie would be too long

fun fact, this is miyazakis love movie to the book, which is the original. If you pick up a newer copy of the book you can read a cute interview that he and the author had on the back

I think I pulled a muscle in both of my sides laughing silently and long at "goopy carnival workers".🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Danny, you are absolutely the best!!

4:30 "oh no she got babushkaed" was hilarious haha (I hope that's in one of your youtube shorts clips)

It's based off of a series of books of the same name... There's a lot more details about why things are happening. For example, Sophie's curse is to look the way she feels on the inside. The curse never truly breaks. But she finds the confidence in her own skin and in her heart. So she looks on the outside the way she feels on the inside

2:23 I laughed way to hard at that😂😂😂 Edit: I don't think I have ever continuously laughed all the way through a blind reaction. Thank you😂 this was amazing!!

Saw your thumbnail and realized I've actually never seen the movie, despite hearing about it/having it on my watchlist for years, so I watched it before your review & I gotta thank you for that -- I was grinning like a little kid for almost the full 2+hrs! Great review, as always! ^u^

7:42 this scene in the book has Howl acting like so much more of a drama queen then he already is here & it cracks me up every time 😂😂

I like how throughout the movie Sophie progressively becomes younger.

What comes to mind when I think of Christian Bale is what should be his Oscar winning role: Newsies

I've watched this movie, I don't even know how many times and I still struggle to explain the plot. But I love it so much and WILL be watching it again. It's such a good movie and you catch so many little details on rewatches. I just love it😭😭

Also, side note, there are THREE BOOKS that explain all of the background. And if howl feels like a different myazaki character, its because he was written by a seasoned female author. Its a beautiful mix of their skills. Both the movie and books are fun!

the bean sheep at the beginning of the movie live rent free in my head

So excited to see this as video, I love Ghibli. Was wondering if you'd reacted to Nausicaa, scrolled down, and it's the 3rd next recommended video 😂. Excellent content, can't wait to support more.

Fun fact: this movie was based on a book. And the book is WILD. It's great

"It's very rare to see someone freaking out in a Miyazaki film." Can I introduce you to Spirited Away?

I love watching people react to magical movies like these, but your reaction to it is also SO funny 😆😆 you’re genuinely. hilarious

14:21 that "BASCUSE ME" got me

i haven’t seen anyone else say this, but miyazaki isn’t the og creator of howl’s moving castle. the movie is inspired by the book of the same name by diana wynne jones, and though they’re still different to each other, it explains why the movie feels slightly non-miyazaki-ish 😅

"Guuuurl, you walked down the wrong ally way." So many good lines from you after this one. Miyazaki can definitely be unhinged at times, but we get soot sprites, so it's not all bad. Lol.

I desperately need you to read the book if you haven't by now. I had the movie memorized by heart for years before I finally got my hands on the book and it is wildly different. Howl is super dramatic and Sophie is 1000% no nonsense. It's beautiful.

My favorite Ghibli moving is The Secret World of Arietty, it's so visually interesting and beautiful and just a cute movie of forbidden friendship. It's very sweet. Even if you don't want to react to it, I recommend you to definitely watch on your own at least once :)

"Calsophie" was right there and you went with "Sophalcipher"? Regardless, this is the best movie review I've ever seen and I was gasping for breath by the end with how hard I was laughing.

Christian Bale went from magical birdman to Batman 😂

Me as soon as I saw the title: “Oh thank god I’m not the only one.”

Princess mononoke is my favorite ghibli movie. San is tough and ashitama is really just trying to help everyone while trying to save himself...

Your reaction videos are quite enjoyable. The actual reactions are humorous and relatable. Also your breakdowns are well thought out. They are the reason I subscribed.

“You thought it was Danny, but it was me, FUTURE DANNY!”

I still can't fathom how he hadn't seen Howl's Moving Castle until the 2020s.

The opening is kinda perfect for the time travel shenanigans of this movie

Most of the confusion comes from the fact that this is based on a book. Like the scarecrows the prince of some kingdom that disappeared causing the war. Not to mention that Sophie actually has magic. And the whole three siblings thing

"Oh no she got babushka'd!" I come back to this video just for that like once every few months

I can't believe all these years you never seen Howl's Moving Castle, I love Howl's Moving Castle, calcifer is my favorite