Howl's Moving Castle (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Howl's Moving Castle
Japanese theatrical release poster
Directed by	Hayao Miyazaki
Produced by	Toshio Suzuki
Screenplay by	Hayao Miyazaki
Starring	Chieko Baisho Takuya Kimura Akihiro Miwa
Music by	Joe Hisaishi
Cinematography	Atsushi Okui
Editing by	Takeshi Seyama
Studio	Studio Ghibli
Distributed by	Toho
Release date(s)	5 September 2004 (2004-09-05) (Venice) 20 November 2004 (2004-11-20) (Japan)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	¥2.4 billion US$24 million
Money made	¥23.2 billion US$236 million (worldwide)

Howl's Moving Castle (Japanese: ハウルの動く城, Hepburn: Hauru no Ugoku Shiro) is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film. It was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The movie is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by British author Diana Wynne Jones.

The film was made by Studio Ghibli. It was released in Japan by Toho. The Japanese voices included Chieko Baisho and Takuya Kimura. The English version had famous actors like Christian Bale and Billy Crystal.

The story takes place in a magical kingdom. Here, both magic and early 1900s technology exist. There is a war happening between two kingdoms. The movie is about a young hat maker named Sophie. A witch turns her into an old woman. Sophie then meets a wizard named Howl. She gets involved in his efforts to avoid fighting in the king's war.

Hayao Miyazaki was against the war in Iraq in 2003. This influenced the film. It shows strong anti-war messages. Miyazaki said he felt "a great deal of rage" about the war. He wanted to make a movie that showed this feeling. The film also explores what it means to grow old. It shows old age as something that can bring freedom. The movie also has messages about being kind and caring for others.

In 2013, Miyazaki said this film was his favorite. He wanted to show that "life is worth living." The movie is different from the book in many ways. The book focuses on challenging social rules. The film, however, focuses on love, loyalty, and the terrible effects of war.

Howl's Moving Castle first showed at the Venice Film Festival in Italy on September 5, 2004. It was released in Japan on November 20, 2004. The movie earned $190 million in Japan. Worldwide, it made $236 million. This made it one of the most successful Japanese films ever. Critics loved the movie. They especially praised its amazing visuals and Miyazaki's way of showing important themes. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2006. It also won several other awards, like four Tokyo Anime Awards.

Story of Howl's Moving Castle

Sophie is a young hat maker. One day, she meets a wizard named Howl. This happens while she is going to see her sister, Lettie. When Sophie gets home, a witch called the Witch of the Waste visits her shop. The witch curses Sophie and turns her into a ninety-year-old woman.

To break the curse, Sophie leaves her home. She walks through the countryside. She finds a living scarecrow and names him "Turnip Head." He leads her to Howl's moving castle. Sophie enters the castle without an invitation. Inside, she meets Howl's young helper, Markl. She also meets a fire demon named Calcifer. Calcifer is the source of the castle's magic and makes it move.

When Howl appears, Sophie tells him she has "hired herself" as a cleaning lady. Actually, Calcifer made a deal with Sophie. He will break her curse if she can break his connection with Howl.

Meanwhile, Sophie's country is at war with a nearby kingdom. The king wants Howl to fight in the war. But Howl sends Sophie to the King instead. She pretends to be his mother. She tells the King that Howl is too afraid to fight. Before she leaves, Howl gives Sophie a special ring. This ring leads her to Calcifer and keeps her safe.

Sophie meets Suliman, the king's main sorceress. She also sees the Witch of the Waste there. Suliman punishes the Witch by taking away all her magic. The Witch turns back into a harmless old woman. Suliman warns Sophie that Howl will face the same fate if he doesn't fight for the king.

Howl then arrives to save Sophie. Suliman tries to trap him by turning him into a monster. But with Sophie's help, Howl remembers who he is. He barely escapes death. They escape with the now-harmless Witch of the Waste and Suliman's dog, Heen. Soldiers from both kingdoms break into Howl's other homes. But they only find empty places. This is because the castle's magic lets it travel between four different places.

Sophie learns that Howl's life is connected to Calcifer's. She also finds out that Howl has been turning into a bird-like creature. He does this to stop both sides in the war. But each time he changes, it becomes harder for him to turn back into a human.

Howl then connects the castle magically to Sophie's old home. He parks the castle on the edge of the town. A few days later, enemy planes bomb the town. Suliman's helpers attack the house and Sophie's hat shop. Howl goes out to protect everyone. Sophie then moves everyone out of the house. She takes Calcifer from the fireplace, which makes the castle fall apart.

The Witch of the Waste realizes that Calcifer has Howl's heart. She grabs the fire demon and catches fire herself. Sophie gets scared and pours water on the Witch. This puts out Calcifer. The rest of the castle then splits in two. Sophie falls down a deep crack and gets separated from the group.

Following the magic ring, Sophie finds herself in the past. She sees a young Howl catch a falling star, which is Calcifer. Howl gives Calcifer his heart. Sophie calls out to them to find her in the future. She is then sent back to the present. She finds Howl, and they reunite with the others.

The Witch gives Howl's heart back. Sophie puts it back inside Howl, which brings him back to life. Calcifer is also freed, but he decides to stay with them. Sophie's curse is broken, but her hair stays white. This shows that she has learned and grown from her experiences.

Sophie kisses Turnip Head on the cheek. He turns back into a human. He is Justin, the missing prince from the enemy kingdom. He says that only his true love's kiss could break his curse. Seeing that Sophie loves Howl, he goes home to stop the war. Suliman, watching through a crystal ball, also decides to end the war. Later, bombers fly under dark skies. But Sophie, Howl, and their friends travel in a new flying castle, heading away from the war.

Characters and Voice Actors

Chieko Baisho, who voiced Sophie in the Japanese version of the film

Emily Mortimer, who voiced the young Sophie in the version of the film dubbed into English

Here are the main characters and the actors who voiced them in both Japanese and English:

Film vs. Book: What's Different?

The movie Howl's Moving Castle is different from the book it's based on. This is because movies and books tell stories in different ways. The book by Diana Wynne Jones has many characters and complex storylines. Some of these were too hard to put into the film. For example, Sophie's second sister, Martha, is not in the movie. Also, the story about Markl (who is called Michael and is older in the book) is left out.

Diana Wynne Jones talked with people from Studio Ghibli. But she did not help make the movie. Hayao Miyazaki went to England in 2004. He showed Jones the finished film privately. She said it was "fantastic" and that it was okay for it to be different from her book.

The book describes Howl's castle as a tall, dark, and scary wizard's tower. This is very different from the castle in the movie. The movie's castle is a round mix of chimneys, roofs, and pipes. It moves on mechanical bird legs. It looks a bit like Baba Yaga's hut from fairy tales. It seems almost alive. Calcifer is also different. In the book, he is a scary demon. In the movie, he is a much more friendly character.

Both the film and the book show magical things as normal. Even though they are in a fantasy world, the characters do everyday things. They cook breakfast or wash dishes. This is different from many fantasy stories where characters only do heroic actions. In the book, characters sometimes travel to the real world, like Wales. The movie, however, stays in its fantasy setting the whole time.

Miyazaki's biggest change was adding the war to the story. In the book, the war is only mentioned a little. The king just wants Howl to find his missing brother, Justin. Justin's fighting skills are needed for a future war. In the book, Howl often disappears because he likes to flirt with women. This makes Sophie think he is shallow and a coward. But in the movie, Howl disappears to turn into a giant bird. He does this to stop the war plans of both armies.

The roles of some characters also changed because of the war plot. The Witch of the Waste is the main bad guy in the book. But in the movie, Madame Suliman's magic weakens her. She becomes a harmless old woman. The audience and Sophie feel sorry for her. In the movie, Madame Suliman combines two characters from the book. She is the closest thing to a villain in the film. But her reasons are not always clear. Some people say the real villain in the movie is war itself.

Howl is less of a flirt in the movie than in the book. Sophie also becomes a more typical character in the film. She is less grumpy and shows her love for Howl earlier. In the book, Sophie is a powerful sorceress herself. This part of her character is less clear in the movie. But she still has some control over her curse.

The main message of the story also changes between the book and the film. One reviewer said watching the film was like reading good fan fiction. The characters and setting were the same, but the story was different. In both versions, Sophie starts feeling trapped by her life. But the challenges she faces are a bit different. The book uses Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer to talk about challenging social rules. Miyazaki uses the same characters to tell a story about loyalty, love, and the effects of war.

Movie Music

Joe Hisaishi, who composed the music for the film, in 2011

The music for the movie was created and led by Joe Hisaishi. The New Japan Philharmonic orchestra played the music. The movie's music CD was first released on November 19, 2004.

Joe Hisaishi also made another album called Howl's Moving Castle: Symphony Suite. This album came out on January 21, 2004. It has ten re-arranged songs from the movie's music. He also worked with Youmi Kimura on a CD single. This single was released on October 27, 2004. It includes the movie's main song, sung by Chieko Baisho (who voices Sophie in Japanese). It also has a karaoke version and a piano version of the main theme, "The Merry-Go-Round of Life."

Images for kids

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  Japanese theatrical release poster

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  Chieko Baisho, who voiced Sophie in the Japanese version of the film

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  Emily Mortimer, who voiced the young Sophie in the version of the film dubbed into English

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  Joe Hisaishi, who composed the music for the film, in 2011

See also

In Spanish: Howl no Ugoku Shiro para niños