Diana Wynne Jones’ novel Howl’s Moving Castle was released in 1986, however, Hayao Miyazaki’s film rendition from 2004 seems to be a bit more popular. As a lifelong fan of the movie, I was beyond excited to read the story of Howl and Sophie.
The story of Howl’s Moving Castle follows young Sophie Hatter who joins wizard Howl’s crew after she is cursed to become an old woman. Both book and movie are primarily about Sophie’s relationships with the crew, Howl specifically, and how people are changed by those around them.
Jones did an incredible job with her characters and wrote such an intricate story that I struggled to put down. Despite that, I couldn’t help but compare the novel to the movie while I read. I was surprised at how it almost felt like two different stories with the same character names for a good portion of the novel.
There’s a few things that I compared especially while reading:
Plot
Surprising as it may be, the plots of the novel and movie had the same skeletons but were wildly different in most regards. Both follow Sophie after being cursed and joining Howl’s crew but went very different routes on how to progress their relationship. The novel focuses on Sophie’s life and relationships outside of her and Howl and is a slower but pleasant read. I liked to read about Sophie’s experiences in the magical world and it was so well paced that I would spend much more time reading than I would realize. However, it was nothing like the war torn world that film Sophie lived in. In the film, the war, which doesn’t exist in the book, is a major point that moves how characters act and events that happen. Honestly, the anti-war messages from the film are so impactful and it was difficult to not have that expectation reacted in the novel. The messages in the novel are a lot more about interpersonal relationships and are for the most part also noticeable in the film.
Sophie
Sophie is the definition of a strong and well written female character. In the book, readers can see her evolution from chapter to chapter with how she speaks of herself along with connecting with characters around her. In the movie, Sophie’s constantly shifting physical appearance along with her actions make her character extremely three dimensional and real. It’s so easy to connect with Sophie’s character regardless of the format, which I believe can be attributed to both Jones and Miyazaki.
Side Characters
I don’t know which media presented the side characters better. Jones wrote all her side characters more in depth than any movie could show but Miyazaki’s characters were almost more interesting and comprehensive. The main side characters are the Scarecrow, Michael/Markl, and Calcifer. In the novel, the Scarecrow isn’t a large character until much later and is seen as a danger to Sophie when introduced. Michael is Howl’s teenage wizard’s apprentice who is in love with Sophie’s younger sister, Martha, and shows Sophie’s relationship with magic and the castle. In the film, the Scarecrow is a much larger character from the beginning who helps Sophie discover who she wants to be. Markl is a young boy who shows how Sophie’s character development helps other characters grow into their best selves. Calcifer, though, is really the same fun and interesting character in both medias. In the book, the side characters almost felt more like they were well written but separately created characters that were shoved into the world to show Sophie’s evolution. Whereas, in the movie, the characters were much more connected to the story and actually made it easier to understand Sophie’s character development in regard to the world around her.
Magic
One thing for sure, Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle is beyond magical, the animation especially. However, Jones actually wrote about the magic itself. In Jones’ novel, the magic isn’t described in the same detail that is seen in the movie, but instead the processes of magic and its users are described in incredible depth. For me, that was so interesting and added another layer to the storytelling to understand why characters may act the way they do.
Howl
In the film, Howl’s character starts off bubbly but shallow. Throughout the movie he cares for Sophie and his character arc reflects how caring for someone can change them. In the book, Howl also starts off bubbly but is a completely different guy under the surface. In both pieces of media, Howl is selfish and self absorbed but the book is so much more so. I felt myself struggling to root for Howl’s character because of how much I hated him for the first at least half of the book.
As much as I enjoyed reading the book, I almost wish I hadn’t known that the movie was based off of it. Sophie’s calm and mellow life with Michael and Calcifer doesn’t have the same intrigue as Sophie’s exciting adventures with Howl, Markl, Calcifer, and the Scarecrow. Despite the better formation of magic from the novel, the film had deeper themes and messages along with characters readers want to succeed and grow. So, for possibly the first time in my life, I preferred the movie over the book.
