The Art of Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki)

I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend whose taste in books and film is actually really good. So I bought this book from Amazon UK knowing I could trust in the opinion I was given, and as it turned out it really is a good book. Being a fan of anime and in particular Studio Ghibli films coupled with me already owning a number of art books it was unfortunate I never knew about this book previously. From cover to cover it is filled with scenes from the creative process of producing "Howl's Moving Castle" and also includes a complete script. It doesn't just show the creative process, it tells the story of how they went about developing this animated movie starting with them going on location to Alsace in France, moving on to drawing rough concept artwork and then moving on to design particular set pieces and characters and some of the final pieces. It really is amazing to see how they produced this fun film and to see what they come up with along the way.

When I first saw Howl's Moving Castle I was immediately taken by it. But I had a lot of questions about some of the film's symbols, which prompted to me buy this book. Though the answers to my specific questions were not to be found in these pages, there were a number of other answers to questions I never thought to ask that took their place. In fact, even after just a cursory walk through the book I found myself appreciating the film even more. Now that I've had a chance to read all of the interviews with Miyazaki's team I consider "Howl" to be a definite masterpiece. Everything from considerations about color, mood and the subtle arc of the characters is discussed here. I was most impressed with the observation that the With of the Waste is not an "evil" character nor does she consider herself to be evil. This certainly comes through in the movie when you find yourself being endeared to the poor old woman who, despite her age, maintains her naughtiness. I wish books like this were do... Read more

Is the second time I order a book from amazon and I'm satisficed with the service, I live in other country and i never had a problem.

The Art of Howl's Moving Castle is a large, hardback book, and is chock full of information and pictures from the amazing movie by Hayao Miyazaki. This book begins with hundreds of concept sketches by Miyazaki, containing location scenes and characters with notes. The concept sketches go in order of appearance from the movie, so the concept sketches for Sophie come at the beginning, for example, while the concept sketches for Human Turnip show up near the end. There are thousands of gorgeous location scenes as well plus short bios on some of the creators of the movie and a few articles that discuss the creaters' experiences working on the film. Also, at the very end is the complete final screenplay to read through. The screenplay has a few minor changes in it from where the English actors improvised a little (especially Billy Crystal), but otherwise, is exactly from the movie. Being a student of film and the arts, I found this book extremely helpful and interesting, because i... Read more

This book opens a world of anime art like none other. Primary characters & secondary characters are carefully drawn out and walk through a world & story created for them. As a professional artist, I found great interest in the prelimiary drawings straight through the setting concepts. This is also a great book for fans of the movie. If you loved the movie, you will love this book.

I totally enjoyed the layout and discussion in this book. I have been a Miyazaki fan ever since, "My Neighbor Totoro" which I saw when I lived in Japan. If you relish animation and all the details of this art form, you'll like the format and attention this book gives. Janine Bolon, Financial Coach, Radio Talk Show Host, author of "Money...It's Not Just for Rich People!" available on amazon. Money...It's Not Just for Rich People!