Howl%27s Moving Castle Movie
Howl's The Moving Castle

Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle is one of the most fun middle-grade fantasy stories I’ve ever read. I’m going to talk about the book and movie separately because well, they’re quite different…but in a good way, honestly. I liked the book a *bit* more, but they’re both enjoyable for their different merits. I saw an interesting take that I don’t think I completely agree with, but like I said, it’s interesting: The book and the movie tell the same story, but the book is how Sophie remembers it, and the movie is how Howl tells it.

the book

Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城 Hauru no Ugoku Shiro) is a 2004 Animated Adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' novel Howl's Moving Castle. It was directed by Hayao Miyazaki and made at Studio Ghibli, which accounts for the many lovely visuals in the movie.
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Sophie Hatter, the eldest of three, is apprenticed to make hats for the people of Ingary, a place where spells, magic cloaks, and seven-league boots exist. She and all the young girls are warned to stay inside or be taken by Howl.

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Howl's Moving Castle. 84,768 likes 49 talking about this. THIS WILL SPOIL THE FILM FOR YOU! The film starts off with Sophie, an 18-year.

Howl’s Moving Castle is a gem of a story, exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for when I pick up a middle-grade novel. Reading it was insane…mostly in a good way. I adored the quirky characters (especially Howl(!!!), Calcifer, and Michael) and the vivid world that sucked me right in. I loved how the story is set up as a typical fairy tale, but turns out to be SO much more. My main complaint was how surprisingly confusing and complicated the plot turned out to be for the audience, especially the ending. I felt like I didn’t get as much out of it as I could’ve because it all moved really fast by the end and I wasn’t completely following. But this little story was truly magical, and I hope to re-read sometime soon to get as much out of it as I possibly can. (:

✦ 4.5/5 ✦ recommended for fantasy lovers 11+ ✦

the movie

Howl’s Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城), written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is a Japanese animated fantasy film distributed by Studio Ghibli. It’s loosely based on the 1986 novel by Diana Wynne Jones.

The story is set in a fictional kingdom where both magic and early 20th-century technology are prevalent, against the backdrop of a war with another kingdom. The film tells the story of a young, content milliner named Sophie who is turned into an old woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

This was my first Studio Ghibli movie, and now I understand why people kept telling me that these are my kind of movies…they really are! The aesthetics are gorgeous (the visuals! the music!), the story and characters are compelling, and the fantasy elements are amazing. I was pretty impressed by “Howl’s Moving Castle,” so I’m eager to watch other Ghibli films that I think I might enjoy even more (“My Neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service” are two I hope to watch soon)!

changes in the movie I LOVED

Sophie’s character arc. The visuals of Sophie changing back to her original age when she’s in certain situations and moods gave you the idea that the curse might have been part of her own doing, which I thought was a really neat concept.
The Witch of the Waste’s true motivations. Honestly, the book’s thing with her *spoiler* combining people was so creepy and didn’t really make sense with Howl? I was really glad they kind of lessened the complexity of the plot on top of that. And the Witch of the Waste in her harmless, (mindless) grandmotherly state of mind was pretty hilarious.
The relationship between Howl and Sophie was so much more compelling for so many different reasons (another reason why they had Sophie go back in forth from her age), so I’ll just leave you with one scene I loved…so *spoilers* a huge part of the plot is how Howl gave and lost his heart to a fallen star (Calcifer), he’s heartless afterwards. But in the movie’s final scene, Howl compares Sophie to starlight, which makes her his new star–his new heart.
Not a change, but I was so relieved that they included Howl’s tantrum. THE tantrum. If you’ve read or watched before, you’ll know what I’m talking about. 😂 Howl’s such a drama king and I was so glad they kept his character so accurate to how he was originally written. Also, not a change, but I adored how they did Calcifer!

Howl%27s Moving Castle Movie

changes in the movie I COULDN’T STAND

Michael isn’t Michael, he’s…*shudders* Markl. Why?! He’s also 9 instead of 15, which completely changes things (and not to mention how Martha isn’t even in the movie which removes a lot of the drama with her and Lettie swapping places and their respective relationships with Michael and Howl).
Instead of Howl going through the door from the world of Ingary to a town in Wales (which was one of my favorite parts of the book), he goes to this weird dimension to fight in a war as a giant bird thing. The whole war sideplot (which is a huge part of the movie) was an interesting addition, but I wasn’t a fan.
Sophie and Howl’s relationship was absolutely hilarious in the book…and as much as I loved it in the movie, it just wasn’t in the same. I missed the complete and utter drama.
The king isn’t a character which takes away the big plot point with Prince Justin. The character replacing him isn’t a king, it’s…the wizard Suliman? Except it’s Madame Suliman. Who’s a mixture of Wizard Suliman and Mrs. Penstemmon. *shrugs*
Don’t get me wrong, because I loved Turnip-head in the movie, but I missed the scenes with Sophie being absolutely horrified of the thing perpetually hopping towards them and then being flung miles away only to hop back.

Howl's The Moving Castle

Have you ever read Howl’s Moving Castle or any of Diana Wynne Jones’ other books, or watched any Studio Ghibli films? What did you think? Talk to me in the comments! (: