As written in my last post HERE, I could not watch Howl’s Moving Castle in theaters for this year’s Ghibli Fest. I mean, I was going to but chose not to as the lax CDC guidelines the theaters were following made me feel really uncomfortable. Not enforcing social distancing and masks were odd, considering the fact that we are still very much in the middle of the pandemic.

So instead I decided to purchase the DVD and watch it from home. To be honest, it seems much more cost effective to buy the movie than to watch it in theaters. The ticket was $15 (with tax/fees, it was over $17) per person (even for children) while the cheapest price for the DVD is from $9 to $10.

But instead of spending $9, I purchased the Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray + DVD of Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle that cost about $20 (with discount). Because…

1) As a huge fan, I wanted to purchase the limited edition. It includes:

• The Blu-ray + DVD discs
• An Exclusive Booklet
• Feature-length storyboards (in Blu-ray)
• The Birth Story of the Film Soundtrack (in Blu-ray)
• Behind the Microphone (U.S. dubbing)
• Interview with Diana Wynne Jones
• Miyazaki’s Visit to Pixar
• Original Japanese TV spots and trailers
• Video explaining the CG behind Howl’s moving castle
• and other bonuses I can’t double check as I don’t have a Blu-ray reader. 😔

2) I really don’t like the other DVD jacket design with the blue bird monster Howl in the front.

Here’s my honest, detailed review of my second favorite Studio Ghibli film, Howl’s Moving Castle!

Overview of Howl’s Moving Castle

Howl’s Moving Castle was directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki. And by written, it means that Miyazaki wrote the screenplay. The movie is actually based on the novel of the same name written by the British author, Diana Wynne Jones. The film premiered in Venice back in the September of 2004 while it was released in theaters in Japan on November 20, 2004.

Plot Summary

According to the description written on the Steelbook DVD case, this is the plot of the movie:

“Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious young wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl’s wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world.”

– On the back cover of Shout! Factory and GKids’ Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray + DVD.

The above summary written on the Steelbook is pretty accurate. But to simplify it further in my own words:

It’s a story about a young girl named Sophie Hatter who gets turned into a 90-year-old woman by the Witch of the Waste. To break the spell, she hires herself as a cleaning lady of the moving castle owned by the notorious Wizard Howl. With her new friends, she forms a family, finds love, and protects her loved ones from the perils of war and dark magic.

The Original Story by Diana Wynne Jones

I first watched Howl’s Moving Castle back when I was in middle school. I think. And after discovering that it was based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones, I purchased and read the novel. My first impression after reading the novel was that it was entirely different from the movie. Yes, there are Wizard Howl, Sophie, Calcifer, Witch of the Waste, and etc. But their personalities differ. Plus, in the original book, Howl’s assistant is a teenage boy named “Michael,” not the cute little kid named “Markl.” Michael also falls in love with Sophie’s sister Lettie who is actually Sophie’s other sister Martha.

There are a bunch of other differences that I will not list here. (Mainly because it’s been quite some time since I last read the novel.) In short, the book has more details, magic, and incidents; it also, I believe, has many more characters.

But the biggest difference between the original story and the screenplay written by Miyazaki is that *SPOILER ALERT* Howl is a modern guy who left Wales to become a wizard in the fantasy world. And Sophie turns out to be a witch herself!

Howl and Sophie’s relationship is different from that in the movie, too. I think this image online sums it up really well:

I’d say the book and the movie share some characters but are separate stories that have different messages behind them.

*I think Director Miyazaki also tied his movie to Diana Wynne Jones’s sequel, Castle in the Air, as the movie ends with Howl’s castle flying.

My Review of Howls’ Moving Castle – The Good

Maybe it’s because I watched the movie first, but I have to say I like the movie better. I like the original novel, too. I guess I like the Studio Ghibli version a tad bit more. From my observation, there weren’t too many things going on in the movie as opposed to the novel. The movie does have much going on, but it’s less than what happens in the book. And I honestly would like Howl to remain a character from fantasy, not some dude who crossed over from our own world. It kind of ruins the escapism.

In my opinion, the first part of the film, from the beginning to the part where Howl gifts Sophie with the beautiful garden, is flawless. The plot is interesting, the music phenomenal (as all music by Joe Hiaishi generally are) and the art is just…. The art of the castle and its movement to the characters and their movements are artistic triumphs.

And the scene where Howl and Sophie walk in the sky and the breakfast scene with the bacons and eggs are just delightful! They are some of my favorite scenes out of all the animated scenes created since the invention of animation.

My Review – The Bad

When I first finished watching Howl’s Moving Castle, I could not understand the second half of the movie. I didn’t get why Howl became a bird monster or why there were black blobs that were attacking him. Most importantly, I had no clue as to why and how Sophie suddenly accessed the past, i.e. his memory, talked to his younger self, and.. I just couldn’t comprehend the last part of the movie!

Now that I’ve watched it multiple times, I think I sort of get the second half of the plot. But it’s still kind of messy. This is the furthest I can organize for myself:

Howl made a deal with Calcifer the magical fire demon, who took his heart in exchange for granting Howl any magic. ➡️ Howl used that magic to live freely, not participating in bloody wars that he so detests. (But sometimes participating in fights to sabotage both warmongering sides.) ➡️ Doing that has side effects, so he becomes more and more like a monster (giant blue bird). ➡️ His old teacher, Madame Sullivan, wants him to quit the dark magic and participate in the war. ➡️ He refuses; she hunts him down with black blob minions who are supposed to be wizards? ➡️ He becomes a monster and is near death while protecting his castle & his loved ones from the dark blobs. ➡️ His heart (embodied by Calcifer) is accidentally extinguished and his castle is completely destroyed. ➡️ With Heen, Sophie enters through the castle’s front door to Howl’s memories. ➡️ She witnesses the contract being made between Calcifer and young Howl. Tells him to find her in the future. ➡️ Comes back to present and inserts Calcifer (Howl’s heart) back inside Howl. ➡️ Howl lives & Calcifer is freed.

My Review – The Ugly

But I still have questions. Earlier on in the movie, Calcifer says to Sophie that the only way that he can be freed is if Sophie can figure out the deal made between Calcifer and Howl. So if anyone knows the deal made between the two, then the deal is broken? But the Witch of the Waste seems to have known. as in her note to Howl, she said something about his swallowing a falling star.

How did she know? Why wasn’t the contract between Calcifer and Howl broken if there was someone who knew?

And if the contact would have ended and all problems solved by Sophie’s putting back Calcifer inside Howl… Why didn’t they try that before? Wouldn’t that be the first thing to try when attempting to undo the contract between them? As the contract was formed when Howl gave his heart to Calcifer?

One moment I think I get the plot. But then right after I don’t think I do. I think there are plot holes. According to the web, I’m not the only one having trouble understanding Howl’s Moving Castle. I wish the latter half of the film had made more, immediate sense to the audience.

**Final note on the plot: though I liked Miyazaki’s message about war, the theme didn’t quite go well with the central plot. When I first watched the film, I found the war to be quite random and shoved in here and there. Instead of including the message about war that starts and ends randomly, I wish the movie had focused on the themes of vanity, growing up, compassion, and those that are more closely related to the characters.

Conclusion

The aesthetics, character design, environmental art, music, and animation of Howl’s Moving Castle are wonderful. But the plot can be confusing, especially towards the end. Nonetheless, the movie is still enjoyable. It’s just difficult to understand even after viewing it more than once.

If you haven’t watched it yet, you’re definitely missing out!!! It’s an artistic triumph, a must-see animated film. 😉

In my next post, I will continue talking about Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle, about the voice acting and some other interesting details not mentioned in this post.

I’ll leave you with the beautiful soundtrack of the movie! 🎠🎠🎠

P.S. I came across some beautiful artworks of Howl’s Moving Castle done by fans online: