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Among the many other talented actors, Christian Bale has also ventured into the world of anime adaptations. TheDark Knightactor most recently did the voice-over for Shoichi Maki inThe Boy and The Heron. Notably, he resumed his partnership with Studio Ghibli almost two decades after he starred in the voice cast ofHowl’s Moving Castle.
Bale is a staunch supporter of Hayao Miyazaki’s works. This is evident by the fact that he has only worked in animations that have been directed by Studio Ghibli’s co-founder. That being said, his love for Miyazaki’s work doesn’t stem fromHowl’s Moving Castlebut rather from the award-winning 2001 filmSpirited Away.
Christian Bale Wanted To Get Cast inHowl’s Moving CastleAfter WatchingSpirited Away
BeforeDemon Slayer: Mugen Traindethroned it,Spirited Awaywas the highest-grossing Japanese animation film since its release in July 2001. It grossed a record ¥1.6 billion ($13.1 million) in just three days, beating the previous record set by Hayao Miyazaki’sPrincess Mononoke.
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Grossing over ¥31 billion at the moment,Spirited Awaycaptured the impact of Western consumerism on traditional Japan. Fear and anxieties of the main character Chihiro are depicted in the story as she is taken by Gods and made to work in a bathhouse. The animation film is based on a coming-of-age theme after the girl is separated from her parents.
According toIMDB Trivia, Christian Bale was enraptured after seeing Miyazaki’sSpirited Away. He agreed to play any role in theHowl’s Moving Castleanimation film to be a part of Studio Ghibli. Not only did Bale get cast in the English voiceover but also got the lead role of Howl, something that IMDB states that “he did not expect” to happen.
Bale became the secondBatmanmovie star after Michael Keaton in Porto Rosso to star in a Ghibli film. Moreover, he experimented with the unmistakably raspy voice that became iconic in Christopher Nolan’sBatmantrilogy during his time as Howl.
Also Read:“Maybe they should just grow up”: Sharon Stone Came to Christian Bale’s Rescue After Batman Star Was Blasted for His On-Set Explosive Rant
’s Moving Castle
Originally released in Japan in 2004,Howl’s Moving Castlecontained strong anti-war themes characteristic of Miyazaki’s works. It immediately struck a chord with the American audience the following year when it was released by Walt Disney Pictures. Miyazaki, a pacifist, was influenced by the 2003 Iraq War and felt that the English viewers would be uneased by the animated film but instead, it got good critical responses.
Howl’s Moving Castlewas adapted from the namesake novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones that was published in 1986. Although a loose adaptation, it obtained an 87% approval rating with an average rating of 7.5/10 by Rotten Tomatoes. The film grossed $190 million in Japan in box office sales, making it the third most successful film at that time afterSpirited AwayandTitanic.
Based on a fantasy universe, Ghibli’s animationdiffered from the original source in its depiction of the castle, omittance of certain characters, and major switches in the roles compared to the novel. The character of Sophie has no magical powers while in the novel, it is she who defeats The Witch of the Waste and the Fire Demon with her magical prowess.
While Christian Bale voiced Howl in the dub, the original Japanese voice was done by Takuya Kimura. Cheikho Biasho and Akihiro Miwa are also noteworthy voice casts forHowl’s Moving Castle.
Also Read:“Who’s that guy”: Christian Bale Fooled Robert De Niro After One of the Most Brutal Transformations of His Life by Gaining 43 lbs
Spandan Chatterjee
Articles Published :165
Spandan Chatterjee is a Freelance Anime Writer at FandomWire.Spandan, who has been in the content industry for over two years, uses his passion for anime in his writing. He delivers the latest news, theories, and facts about various manga’s including Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece, and Bleach.After completing his B.A. degree in English, Spandan is now pursuing a Masters degree in the same field.
