Howl's Moving Castle (Japanese: ハウルの動く城, Hepburn: Hauru no Ugoku Shiro) is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is loosely based on the 1986 novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones. The film was produced by Toshio Suzuki, animated by Studio Ghibli and distributed by Toho. The Japanese voice cast featured Chieko Baisho and Takuya Kimura, while the English dub version starred Jean Simmons, Emily Mortimer, Lauren Bacall, Christian Bale, Josh Hutcherson and Billy Crystal. The film is set in a fictional kingdom where both magic and early twentieth-century technology are prevalent, against the backdrop of a war with another kingdom. It tells the story of Sophie, a young milliner who is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

Influenced by Miyazaki's opposition to the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003, the film contains strong anti-war themes. Miyazaki stated that he "had a great deal of rage" about the Iraq war,[1] which led him to make a film which he felt would be poorly received in the United States. It also 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. The film is significantly thematically different from the novel; while the novel focuses on challenging class and gender norms, the film focuses on love, personal loyalty and the destructive effects of war.[2]
Howl's Moving Castle

Theatrical release poster

Japanese name
Kanji ハウルの動く城

showTranscriptions

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki
Based on Howl's Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones
Produced by Toshio Suzuki
Starring
Chieko Baisho
Takuya Kimura
Akihiro Miwa
Cinematography Atsushi Okui
Edited by Takeshi Seyama
Music by Joe Hisaishi

Production
company
Studio Ghibli
Distributed by Toho

Release dates
5 September 2004 (Venice)
20 November 2004 (Japan)

Running time 119 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese
Budget ¥2.4 billion
US$24 million
Box office ¥23.2 billion
US$236 million (worldwide)