However, each time he shape-shifts it comes more and more difficult to go back to human form. Sophie eventually learns that Howl frequently morphs himself into a bird to fight both sides of the war. Later, Howl gives Sophie a ring that points to Calcifer (the castle’s location). Suliman tries to stop them, but Sophie and Howl escape, along with the witch and Suliman’s dog Heen. His plan fails as the real king walks by, leaving him with no option but to reveal himself.
He disguised himself as the king to take Sophie out of the palace. Nonetheless, Sophie is not very content with Suliman words and defends Howl’s character. Suliman reveals her intentions of taking Howl’s powers away, just like she did with The Witch of Waste. During their meeting, Sophie learns about Howl’s curse (he has no heart). At the palace, Sophie meets Madame Suliman, the king’s wizard and Howl’s former mentor. Meanwhile, an old dog follows Sophie on her way to see the king. On her way to the palace, Sophie bumps into The Witch of Waste, apparently she received an invitation to meet the king. Therefore, Howl sends Sophie (as his mother) to convince the king that her “son” is too coward to fight. Howl is against the war, but he’s too afraid to confront the king. After he calms himself down, he confesses his inability to confront people and his habit of running away from problems. The switch led Howl’s hair to change colour, which made him very upset. Therefore, he fights against both sides to stop the conflict from escalating.ĭuring her cleaning sessions, Sophie switches a couple of Howl’s bottles (hair dying products). The king is calling all the powerful wizards to fight, which includes Howl, but he refuses. Howl often leaves the house to stop the war between the two kingdoms. When Howl arrives home, Sophie introduces herself as the cleaning lady. The next day, Sophie meets a young boy named Mark, he’s Howl’s apprentice. He proposes to help Sophie break her curse, only if she agrees to help him with his. Sophie enters and meets a fire demon named Calcifer. She befriends the scarecrow and he leads her to Howl’s castle. During her journey, she meets a scarecrow with a turnip head. Afraid of her family’s reaction, Sophie leaves the house and heads to the countryside. The woman casts a spell on Sophie and turns her into a very old woman. At the hat shop, a woman known as The Witch of Waste walks in. They harass her, but a young man named Howl comes and removes her away from the situation.Īfter visiting Lettie, Sophie heads home. On her way to meet her sister Lettie, two royal guards stop her.
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) – Plot Summary Suliman has the power to strip wizards’ powers away if she deems them selfish and unfit for magic. Howl used to be her apprentice when he was younger but never completed his training. Madame Suliman is the king’s advisor and the maximum authority amongst wizards. Despite of Howl’s complete disinterest in her, she insists in stalking him and does everything in her power to get his heart (literally). The king banned her from the kingdom, because he deemed her dangerous. However, fifty years ago, the king sent her to “The Waste”. The Witch of the Waste is also one the most powerful magicians in the kingdom. He met her as a beautiful young woman, so when he found out it was all a façade, he ran away. Many years ago, Howl had a brief fling with the Witch of the Waste. The door to Howl’s house is essentially a portal to different cities and in each of them, people know Howl by a different name. Howl owns a moving castle powered by a fire demon named Calcifer. Who is Howl? He is a powerful wizard with several aliases. That kingdom put the blame on Sophie’s nation and they declared war on each other. The war started with the disappearance of Prince Justin from the other nation. At the moment, Sophie’s nation is at war with another kingdom. Sophie (the main character) is a young woman working at a hat shop. So here’s a little introduction to the world of “Howl’s Moving Castle”. The anime adaptation is not as detailed as the novel. The World Of “Howl’s Moving Castle” Explained Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the 2004 Japanese anime is loosely based on a 1986 novel with the same name written by Diana Wynne Jones.