The book and movie version of Howl’s Moving Castle had many differences

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Roxanne Edgar, Ranger Review Reporter

The book and movie versions of Howl’s Moving Castle are remarkably different, despite being in very different mediums that portray information very differently.

The book version was written by Diana Wynne Jones and published in April of 1986.  Although Jones wrote this book in 1986, it has lived on in the imaginations of several generations of readers.

The movie version was scripted and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  It was animated by Studio Ghibli and was produced in 2004.  It is reasonably popular, especially considering the many differences from the book.

The basic story outline of the book is that a young woman, Sophie Hatter, is cursed and forced to leave her home in Market Chipping.  She chances upon a moving castle and finds a way in, whereupon she makes a deal with the fire demon powering the castle.  She meets the owner of the castle, Howl, and his apprentice, Michael.  She goes upon several mis-adventures and learns much about herself, the world she lives in, and the magic of her world in the process.

The movie, however, takes place during a war.  Sophie Hatter is cursed and travels into the hills above her hometown, Market Chipping.  She meets a scare-crow who leads her to the moving castle and she makes a deal with the fire demon powering the castle.  She meets Michael, the apprentice, and begins cleaning the castle.  Howl makes an appearance soon after.  However, many of the characters in the book are either combined or not in the movie at all.  Ben Sullivan, a mage from Wales who disappears, is merged with the king’s court mage in the movie, while in the book Ben Sullivan was his own character and there was no court mage.  Several plot points are dropped, added, or changed in the movie as well.  Howl’s avoidance of fighting in the war is a major one that is added.  The characters are more noble and care more for others than the book-versions. The characters seem to show more idealistic human traits than a real person would.

The visuals of the movie compare marvelously to the language used by Jones in the book.  Despite the many differences, including the fact that they are completely different works, they are both amazing and deserve a read as well as a watch.