He gets to be grumpy, critical, fussy, and even show bits of elation (notably when he reacts to Sophie's compliment, "She likes MY SPARK!" - which brings some echoes of his role from Monsters Inc.). (What next, Robin Wright Penn for The Borrower Arriety?) The tone of voice he uses for this little guy is somewhat similar to Phil Hartman's tone for Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service, only his character is less of a zany smart aleck and more of a down-to-earth type. All told, both versions of this character are voiced excellently.ĬALCIFER (Billy Crystal) - Yet another alumni from The Princess Bride gets to be in a Ghibli dub, this time it's Miracle Max himself as the film's truly memorable character, Calcifer, a self-proclaimed "fire demon" who mostly resides in the hearth of Howl's castle. It's unfortunate that Simmons isn't with us anymore, but her voice will definitely live on as Old Sophie. Her crying scene, too, is very effective and doesn't sound strained. Issue aside, Jean sounds like she is really into her character, obviously relishing such funny moments as when Sophie expresses her frustration over being cursed ("If I ever get my hands on that witch, I'm going to ring her fat neck!" before responding with a very sharp "Finish your breakfast!" to the surprised Markl) and very relaxed when she is saying softer, less forceful dialogue.
One strange oddity is that Mortimer speaks with a somewhat light British accent, and Simmons does not. Interestingly, in the Japanese version, the actress voicing Sophie plays both versions of her character, but here, her older "form" is portrayed by the late Jean Simmons. The film is barely halfway through when our heroine is transformed (by the Witch of the Waste) into "Grandma" Sophie, an aged woman with an aching back and an arguably fiestier nature than her younger counterpart. (One of my personal favorite parts from him is the scene where he throws a tantrum after his hair is "sabotaged"-Bale lets loose in this scene without overacting, and it's all the more funny for it.) Nonetheless, these are only minor quibbles of an otherwise fine performance. There are a couple of places where some of his lines sound a little too monotonous, and it is somewhat curious that Bale decided not to use his natural British accent for the character after all this is a British fantasy. In at least two scenes, Howl speaks as a fearsome, gryphon-like creature-the gritty, raspy tone that Bale brings to these moments will remind viewers of his work in Christopher Nolan's Batman movies. He intones his lines in a very deep voice, which effectively conveys both the character's sensual appeal and unusual nature. Divided views aside, Bale has voice acted before as a minor character in Disney's Pocahontas, but Howl is quite different. Ironically enough, this choice has drawn the typical split reaction that most lead characters in Ghibli dubs often face - there were viewers who found him to be an ideal choice and effective, but there were others who declared that he was miscast and ultimately underwhelmed the character. It was decided to cast Christian Bale for the part. He is very charismatic and has a charm that enchants many a lady, but he can also be, at other times, tormented, childish, self-centered, caring, cowardly, and courageous. HOWL (Christian Bale) - The title character of Miyazaki's interpretation of Diana Wynne Jones' beloved fantasy is a dashingly handsome but enigmatic wizard.