Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne-Jones

5th grade and up

Usually, I don’t like to watch a movie after reading the book, as film so rarely lives up to the visions I’ve conjured on my own. I’ve learned, however, that if I view the two versions of a story as separate creatures, I can enjoy both, even if they turn out to be as far apart in content as they can be. Such is the case with Howl’s Moving Castle.

What I found so fun about Diana Wynne-Jones’s novel was the way it seems to fly in the face of conventional fairy tales while it simultaneously immerses itself in those conventions. Nineteen-year-old Sophie lives in a world where seven league boots are manufactured for armies, wizards are conscripted, and magic is spoken into sewing thread. As the eldest of three sisters, Sophie believes the accepted path of her life is one of mediocrity simply because no eldest sister has ever had a happy ending in a fairy tale. When Sophie unknowingly bewitches the hats she makes, thus creating a series of lucky coincidences for her customers, she incurs the jealousy and wrath of the Witch of the Waste, whose spell turns her into an old woman. Unwilling to burden her family, she sets out on her own, where she meets the mysterious wizard Howl and his fire demon Calcifer. Vain to a fault, but generous and kind, Howl is a man who follows no accepted path, but seems determined to outrun destiny despite his own curse from the Witch of the Waste. Their adventures and subsequent romance are like no other fairy tale; theirs is as much a coming-of-age story as it is a fairy tale, with the 27-year-old Howl growing far more than even Sophie, whose transformation from a mousy wallflower to an outspoken and strong woman comes of fulfilling the role of a cantankerous old woman. They must see past each other’s facades – Howl’s “heartlessness” and Sophie’s wrinkles – to see the real person beneath in a sort of twist on the Beauty and the Beast story.

Because the movie retains this relationship despite changes in the plot that can sometimes make it unrecognizable, I truly was able to enjoy it thoroughly. An anime feature by the famed director Hayao Miyazaki, this version of the story takes quite a few liberties so that the tale becomes as much Miyazaki’s as the original author’s. Anti-war sentiments shadow what was in the book a fun romp to maturity and self-knowledge; nevertheless, the original themes are not lost, and the beautiful, rich animation even serves to highlight aspects of Howl’s character that in the book are only allusions. The scene in his bedroom is particularly telling: amid the talismans and charms are children’s stuffed animals and toys. Howl is still a scared child, unable to move past the egocentrism of youth so long as the pact between him and Calcifer remains unbroken. Jean Simmons and Emily Mortimer lend weight to Sophie’s simultaneous innocence and wisdom as both old and young Sophie, and Christian Bale’s portrayal of Howl gives him material I’ve seldom seen him tackle. His voice is smooth and endearing when Howl is serious or melancholy, moods Bale has practically patented, but his voice becomes unrecognizable and shrilly over-the-top when vain Howl panics at having his hair dyed the wrong color, a vocal choice that makes the scene hilarious in its ridiculousness. Yet it’s easy to fall in love with this Howl, despite his childish tantrums and cowardice, because underneath it all, he is finally becoming a man.