Even the director’s personal favorite, Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle, has burned itself into our hearts with its heartwarming story and meaningful statements about life and youth. It’s heartbreaking that it’s not possible to erase our memories and watch the film for the first time. Also, now that we’ve seen all of Miyazaki’s films, we need more movies like Howl’s Moving Castle. So if you’re a fan of Howl like we’re, check out this article and find 6 movies like Miyazaki’s beloved Howl’s Moving Castle.
1. Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride is a well-known animated film directed by Tim Burton and the director’s first stop-motion film. Set in a fictional Victorian-era village in England, the film’s story centers on a shy groom who, while practicing his wedding vows in the woods, is accidentally married to a skeletal creature named Emily, who whisks him away to the land of the dead. The film’s voice cast includes Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Christopher Lee and others. You can watch Corpse Bride on Netflix.
2. Stardust
Stardust (2007)
The 2007 romantic fantasy adventure film Stardust, based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, is one of the movies like Howl’s Moving Castle. The film follows a young man from the fictional town of Wall in the United Kingdom who enters the magical world to collect a fallen star to give to his beloved Victoria in order to obtain her hand in marriage. Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Ricky Gervais star in the film while Ian McKellen narrates the story. Don’t miss this fairy tale love story and watch it on Netflix.
3. Maleficent
Maleficent
A retelling of Walt Disney’s 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent tells the story from the point of view of the eponymous antagonist and depicts her conflicted relationship with the king and princess of a corrupt kingdom. As the Fairy Queen of the Moors, Maleficent is quite different from the original evil fairy from the original fairy tale. Although she curses the king’s daughter and condemns her to a never-ending sleep in revenge, she’s not a thoroughly evil character. On the contrary, Maleficent has a tragic backstory. Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning play the lead roles. The film is available on Disney+.
Also read: Maleficent 3 Release Date, Trailer – Is it Canceled?
4. Bubble
Bubble (2022)
2022 Japanese animated film Bubble is one of the movies like Howl’s Moving Castle that continues the legacy of its predecessor. Directed by Tetsurō Araki, the post-apocalyptic film depicts a world where bubbles that break the laws of gravity rain down on the world. Cut off from the outside world, Tokyo then becomes a playground for a group of young people who’ve lost their families. The film was released in April 2022 and is available to stream on Netflix.
5. Enchanted
Enchanted
Alongside other movies like Howl’s Moving Castle, Enchanted is a bit different and… postmodern. A live-action Disney film, Enchanted is both an homage and a self-parody, with numerous allusions to earlier works through a combination of live-action footage, traditional animation, and computer-generated imagery. The film revolves around a Disney princess-to-be who’s banished from her cartoon world to the live-action world of New York City. It stars Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey and Susan Sarandon. Watch the multi-award-winning film on Disney+.
6. Kimi no na wa
Kimi no na wa
When talking about movies like Howl’s Moving Castle, you can’t leave out Kimi no na wa, also known as Your Name. The film is very similar to Miyazaki’s legendary Howl not only with its love story and interesting plot, but also with its success. The romantic fantasy film is about a high school boy in Tokyo and a high school girl in the Japanese countryside who suddenly and inexplicably start swapping bodies. The critically acclaimed film Your Name was praised for its music, visual effects, animation and emotional weight of the story. It also became the third highest-grossing anime film of all time. You can watch the movie on Amazon Prime Video.
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