Hayao Miyazaki - Ranking His Movies From Worst To Best

10. Howl's Moving Castle

Miyazaki took Diana Wynne Jones' novel, Howl's Moving Castle, as the inspiration for his movie of the same name, but avoided adhering strictly to the source, removing characters and drastically altering some of the major plot points. 18-year-old Sophie works as a hatter until one day she refuses to serve the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her and transforms her into an old woman. Setting out to find the witch and ask her to reverse the transformation, she instead encounters Howl, a powerful sorcerer whom the witch just happens to have a crush on. From a tale about love - unrequited and otherwise - Howl's Moving Castle soon expands into grander themes of war and identity. A pacifist himself (something which contradicts the criticisms raised concerning The Wind Rises) Howl's Moving Castle was for Miyazaki as much a commentary on the folly of the Iraq War as it is a sweet and charming fantasy tale. On a more anecdotal note, it marked Studio Ghibli's continuing foray into the use of CG, with the moving castle made up on over 100 digital elements, independently animated.