The Art of Howl's Moving Castle (Studio Ghibli Library)

thick book with lots of information and illustrations

This is another book in Viz's series of Studio Ghibli English editions. The other's are 'Porco Rosso' and 'Spirited Away'. Happily I now have all 3 and they are excellent quality. The paper is a good weight and the print quality very good: the colours are vibrant. The books are not illustrated stories, they are artwork used in the movies, including frames, backgrounds, storyboards and CGI. If I say that nearly every page is frameable then you will perhaps get the idea. As an insight into Miyazaki's production process they are invaluable and they are beautiful things in their own right. Get them while you can because I doubt Viz will keep copies in print for ever and a couple are only available from the USA (via Amazon UK). NOTE: the 'paperback' claim on this item's description is inaccurate because the cover is hardback. It matches the covers of the other two books in the series which ARE described as hardback.

Howl's moving castle is a beautiful movie, the artistic design of everything in the world is incredible and original and this book only helps emphasis this. Any "The art of..." is great and if your a fan of a series, you really need to get these kind of books. Quotes from the artists are in here and it came in great condition.

Brilliant book with ton of fascinating production art.

Bought for my daughter who's a Studio Gibli fan and it's a great gift. Well set out with great illustrations and pictures and some background on the film development. A good purchase

This is an excellent book with lots of example of screenplay drawings and a full script. It was a present for my Granddaughter who was delighted with it. Of course it only makes sense if you have the film on DVD or other format. Very good value. All the music for the film is available as piano music free on the internet.

The book is like THE book that collects absolutely EVERYTHING any fans and critics can ask of, such as the production processes, character development and aesthetic philosophy of Hayao Miyazaki carried out by his creative staff. All the interviews of each responsible staff in juxtaposition of the visual indulgence captured from the animation produce exciting coherence of Miyazaki's humanistic and environmentalist world-views in both fantastical worlds and social realities. You can literally feel how happy the Studio staff work in each project from their positive 'testimonials' of Miyazaki. Love this Christmas present for dissertation writing!

This book is divided in 3 chapters: Part I - Hayao Miyazaki's Concept Sketch Collection The first part of the book works as an Introduction, containing a brief production diary and sketched storyboards. It is of particular interest to be able to see Miyazaki's work in its sketching phase. Part II - Concept Art, Background Art, Character Designs and Character Sketches This second part is where the book really comes alive. Character Designs and Concept Art are wonderfully detailed, and are accompanied by statements from Miyazaki's crew. I suppose it's a little disappointing that there are no words from Miyazaki himself, but this absence does not come as a surprise. Part III -. Final Screenplay Self-explanatory, the last 50 pages or so contain the final screenplay, in text. Probably the least interesting part of the book. Overall, it's a beautiful book, filled with wondrous artwork and insight into what is probably Miyazaki's most enigmatic film, and to me, one of his best.