Casting coups for Howl's Moving Castle

[Michael Hopcroft]

I got to see one of the anime magazine and saw some of the people who were doing voices for Disney's release of the new Miyazaki film, Howl's Moving Castle.

Wow.

Christian Bale as Howl. You'll also be able to see him as Bruce Wayne in the upcoming Batmna Begins. Plus he has such spectacular prior credits as Empire of the Sun, American Psycho, and many more.

Billy Crystal as Calcifer. Crystal was one of three people, along with Robin Willams and Whoopi Goldberg, who redefined comedy in America in the 1980's and beyond. As an actor and writer, hiw best work obliterated the line between comedy and tragedy. He broke ground not just with his work on Saturday Night Live (particularly his collaboration with Christopher Guest) but also with his role as Jodie Dallas, prime-time's first gay character who was allowed to be a human being, in Soap. Animation fans will remember him from Monsters Inc.

But it was one of the other voices that blew me away, and the fact that her casting was considered an afterthought by the author of the article showed me that the writer of that article had no sense of history. For one of the voices in the film will be provided by Lauren Bacall.

Yes, that Lauren Bacall.

The woman who taught the world how to whistle.

Mrs. Humphrey Bogart.

One of the finest actresses, sultriest sirens, and most prominent icons in the history of cinema.

And she's doing A MIYAZAKI FILM.

This utterly blew me away.