A young woman named Sophie is cursed by the Witch of the Waste, turns into an old woman, and is unable to tell anyone of her plight. Unable to continue her job at her mother's hat shop, she goes to the ambulatory castle of the notorious wizard Howl and insinuates herself into his household. Sophie befriends Calcifer, the fire demon who powers the castle and who is bound to Howl by a contract, the terms of which Calcifer cannot reveal. They promise to help each other with their problems. Like Calcifer, Howl can also see through the Witch's spell, and he and Sophie fall in love. Sophie helps Howl confront his former teacher, and the Witch of the Waste. (from IMDB)
Written by aefields on October 13, 2015 at 5:33 AM
Overall Rating
Excellent
Story: 5
Dialogue: 5
Animation: 5
Entertainment: 5
I am glad I watched the movie before reading the novel. They are very different. Both are excellent. Both Miyazaki and Diana Wynne Jones are superb artists. I like the comment I read at the end of Ms. Jones' book about how she didn't know the castle walked (as Miyazaki's castle does). She had always imagined it floated slightly above the ground when moving. :-)