Bohemian Cinema By Jonathan Pacheco

“Up” and “Howl’s Moving Castle”: Grandpa Carl’s Flying House

Tags: Pixar, CG, Animation, Up, Howl's Moving Castle, Hayao Miyazaki, Pete Docter, The House Next Door

As part of Pixar Week over at The House Next Door:

If you read interviews or Wikipedia pages regarding director Pete Docter’s inspirations for Up, you’ll find an emphasis on lovable, grumpy actors, childhood fantasies, and real-life grandfather figures. I have no doubt that these all helped shape Docter’s vision for Pixar’s latest film, but I feel a particularly strong influence has been relegated to a footnote or an afterthought. Pixar garners comparisons to director Hayao Miyazaki with every new film, and I notice that the Japanese filmmaker’s influence on Pixar’s staff is perceived in the same way as Martin Scorsese’s influence on an entire generation of directors: “How could he not have influenced them?” Yet, Up presents a special case, as the entire film can be seen as an homage not only to Miyazaki’s work, but specifically to Howl’s Moving Castle, the 2004 film for which Pete Docter directed the English voice talent.

To finish reading my contribution, head on over to The House Next Door.