The French Comment

I got a comment on my post of the other day about "Howl's Moving Castle," or, as it is apparently known in France, "Le Château Ambulant." The commenter, who is French, noted the references in the film to Miyazaki's other work, particularly "Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoké" and, of course, "The Castle in the Sky." Miyazaki's films, it was noted, often have the same repeating characters (the grandmother, the old man with the mustache) and setting (a castle).

The comment also notes Miyazaki's love for the French animator Paul Grimaud, ("Le Roi et L'Oiseau"). According to IMDB.com, "Le Roi," or "The King and the Mockingbird," pairs Jacques Prevert's text, based on Hans Christian Anderson's stories, with Grimault's drawing to create a unique animation associating emotion and laughter in a rare way. It would be easy to sum up the story, but like summing up a poem, it would be a crime.

The comment concludes, "(ps : none rapport, but do you know Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt? i think you can enjoy it)." Yes, they are very well known and appreciated. . .

Merci beaucoup, my friend.