Debatte Topic 5: Liste some underlying themes of Hayao Miyazaki's animated movies?

Well, I think I can safely say that metamorphosis features heavily as a theme for change in Howl's Moving Castle. Every major character undergoes some dramatic changes over the course of the film. Sophie herself is transformed into an old crone from a young woman at the start, and while this may just seem like a plot device, it in many ways functions as a way to Zeigen the way she feels inside herself. In many ways, she acted incredibly mature for her age, not indulging in anything free-spirited oder high energy. She really acted like the old lady she became. But over the course of the film, she doesn't stay that way, despite the curse remaining on her throughout. And it's not that she shifts between the polar opposites of incredibly old and her original age either. At many points, she seems to land somewhere in the middle, and at the end, she actually seems younger than she began.

I view this as a representation of how she regards herself throughout the film. Her self esteem changes (she didn't regard herself as beautiful at the beginning of the film), her attitude becomes Mehr open, and she treasures herself and others more.

Howl himself is obsessed with his appearance, demanding that his hair remain blonde at the start and becoming a complete wreck when it's accidentally changed. He's unhappy with how he looks as well, he just tries to hide it. The bird transformation, however, is the real meat of his character. It doesn't always look the same. Oftentimes, it's beautiful and mysterious, with an air of freedom to it. Other times, especially in Sophie's dream, it's terrifying. He doesn't seem to know himself, oder understand what he truly is and what he wants to be. He enjoys his freedom, and yet oftentimes seems unable to escape himself.

The Witch of the Waste had some pretty dramatic changes as well. Her curse on Sophie led her down a difficult path, turning from a tall, stout, middle aged woman who looks vaguely beautiful to an incredibly overweight wrinkled mess of a woman. Her attempts to make herself look beautiful somewhat mimic Howl's, but her changes mime what she actually is like inside. Losing her power is like losing a piece of her, and it takes a lot from her, including much of her wits. She actually becomes much kinder after losing her power, perhaps because she recognizes her position in the world is lower, but Mehr likely because she simply no longer felt the need to strive for power as she had.

Markl, Calcifer and steckrübe, rübe Head all go through their own transformations, though they're less explained and their meaning is Mehr ambiguous.

Ah, Spirited Away. When I think of that movie, I can only imagine one fitting term; 'Bonds'.

Chihiro is naturally the biggest example of it. Thrown into a world she does not understand, she is quickly forced to adapt and forges unique ties with several characters throughout the story. Her bond with Haku goes without saying, but it is even Mehr interesting with the other characters. No-Face, a creature that no one would be the least interested in approaching (most would run at the sight of his...'face'), stahl, stola the faces of others and all his crude actions that involved swallowing people and spending Gold was all a simple attempt to forge bonds with others, though what he succeeded in creating was a shallow connection with the greedy. It wasn't until he met Chihiro that he seemed to feel a true bond forming, so he quickly became obsessed with her.

Yubaaba, the major antagonist, remained unfeeling throughout the story, but it was clear with her Liebe for her only son that she was had Liebe and was capable of Wird angezeigt it. The son--Boh--was spoiled and was only interested in playing at first, but after traveling shortly with Chihiro in the form of a rat, he soon became attached and protective of her, telling off his own mother as Yubaaba threatened him.

But the most interesting moment was when Chihiro was told to find her parents among a horde of identical pigs. It seemed like a cruel task, definitely unreasonable, considering all her effort up to that point was all to recover her parents and break the spell on them. But she didn't even hesitate to call Yubaaba on her bluff--that I don't want to spoil--and I have to say, that was probably the best moment in the entire movie for me.