"The one big, strange fact about Howl
is that almost every young woman who reads about him
wants to marry him."
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio that is located in
Koganei, Tokyo. They have produced multiple animated films, short
subjects, TV commertails, and one TV film.
Howls Moving Castle was adapted from a novel of the same name written by
Diana Wynne Jones, it's a tale about a young hat maker called Sophie who
is turned into an old woman by a witches curse. She then encounters a
wizard named Howl, which gets her caught up in his resistance to fight for
the king. It explores the theme of old age, depicting age positively as
something which grants the protagonist freedom. The film contains feminist
elements as well, and carries messages about the value of compassion.
In 2013, Miyazaki said the film was his favourite creation,
explaining, "I wanted to convey the message that life is worth living, and
I don't think that's changed." However, the movie's them is significantly
different from the book. The book focuses on challenging class and gender
norms. Whereas the film focuses on love, personal loyalty, and war's
destructive effects.
See how different the book and movie are here!
"They say that the best blaze burns brightest,
when circumstances are at their worst."