Wizard Howl and Sophie Hatter must race against their personal curses while trying to stop a futile war

Rating: 9/10 (9 June 2012)

Based upon the 1986 book by Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle was adopted into a movie in 2004 by Studio Ghibli. Beloved director Hayao Miyazaki, who is known for his other works including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, also worked on writing the screenplay and helped to design the famous Moving Castle. The English version is host to esteemed actors such as Christian Bale and Jean Simmons and has grossed $231,711,096 worldwide, appealing to everyone ages 1-100.
Focusing around the outspoken and cursed Sophie, Howl's Moving Castle brings in a collection of unforgettably witty characters. With some, such as Wizard Howl, anyone watching will roll their eyes. With some, the watcher will sympathize to their plight, like with the Fire Demon, Calcifer. With some, especially Madam Suliman, you may even want to scream, aghast at how they manipulate multiple people into risking their lives. Together, each of the characters play their own part in war of magic against magic as they race around small towns, big cities, and, of course, the Moving Castle.
At first, Howl's Moving Castle seems simple, a girl working in a hat shop while her family goes off to enjoy the evening. Eventually, however, everything changes. This girl, young Sophie, stumbles upon an arrogant coward, Wizard Howl and from there on out, she is hunted by the jealous Witch of the Waste. When Sophie, an old woman because of an encounter with the Witch left her cursed, barges into Howl's roaming castle, that is, it actually contains jointed legs and wanders around the countryside, she disrupts the Wizard's life almost as much as he disrupted hers. Together, wizard and cursed woman must try to stop the war while saving Howl and Calcifer from their contract.
Curses aren't simple and neither are their solutions. Both Sophie and Howl suffer in their own way, one from a false age and the other from the power he uses. Luckily for both of them, Howl is as confident as he is cowardly and Howl's Moving Castle clearly shows the importance of doing what is right and what is good, even if you wish to run away. Wizard Howl faces down Madam Suliman and even finds it in his heart to tell the truth even though he swore never to do either. Sophie, on the other hand, grows to realize that, just because she is the eldest and expected to become nothing, she can still make a name for herself. In the end, Sophie must use a courage she never knew she had and that came from her standing up to the fate chosen for her to save those she loves. Both characters must fight their natures to do what is right.
Howl's Moving Castle is both a book and a movie. When Miyazaki transferred the storyline over, he took a few creative liberties, including adding a war and changing the main antagonist over from the Witch of the Waste to Madam Suliman. Many parts of the script changed completely, but the core of Howl's Moving Castle remained the same. Sophie stars alongside Howl (whose true name in the book is Howell Jerkins and is randomly from Wales) and Calcifer. The contract between Howl and Calcifer functions as a large plot piece in both versions, but the terms and backlashes change between text and film, the main part being that the curse in the book does not slowly turn Howl into an animal. And, of course, no portrayal could ever change how self-centered Howl is even though he has his moments of absolute selflessness.
Overall, the movie is incredible. Not only are the characters lovable and relatable, but the storyline is something that hasn't been done a million times over. As a standalone (meaning watching the movie without reading the book), Howl's Moving Castle intrigues watchers while also being the kind of movie you can sit down and watch over and over and over. If you're looking for a flawless book-to-movie, then Howl's Moving Castle might irritate you, but the movie is still enjoyable as another amazing production by Studio Ghibli. Anyone can appreciate to movie, and, personally, I highly recommend watching Howl's Moving Castle sometime in your life.