An Ode to Self-Discovery & Romance - Hayao Miyazaki's 'Howl's Moving Castle'

 

   Dear Reader,

   Today we delve into one of the most wonder-filled films I must declare is out there: Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle! If you didn't know, fellow reader, is that this film was adapted from the book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones and let me tell you, the tale is phenomenal! 

   I have decided to touch on this tale with the reason of showing how through literature and film, one can form an amalgamation that resembles a true masterpiece. Tying both reality and fiction, love and loss, despair and self-discovery, the way film can not just contrast literature but essentially add on to it is one of the greatest things I must say a director, like Hayao Miyazaki, can do. 

    The story incorporates a sense of wonder and magic as it circles around the major theme of self-discovery within a romantic sub-plot. Following the 18-year-old, Sophie Hatter works at her family hat-shop trying to make ends meet until on one faithful day the Witch of the Waste visits her and turns her into a 90-year-old woman.  Along Sophie's journey she eventually meets up with the magnificent self-centred wizard Howl, who changes her perspective of self-worth as she undergoes grand character development in light of the adventure and danger that takes hold of her mundane life. 

   It is through this tale that in her writing Jones creates a poignant ode to self-discovery with Miyazaki further enhancing it through the medleys of music and precise animation.

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   Both Miyazaki and Jones dance a waltz of love and discovery as they play about with Sophie's character from one that is lovelorn, self-despising and aimless to one who grows to love herself, accept her true form and no longer compare herself to others. This can be evident in her words when Sophie first unknowingly encounters Howl and confides in her sister, Lettie, who tells her that if he were indeed Howl he would have eaten her heart. Pitifully Sophie replies with one heartbroken phrase which showcases her lack of self-confidence: 

Lettie: If the wizard were Howl he would've eaten it!

Sophie: No he wouldn't, Howl only does that to beautiful girls.

   It is interesting to see how Jones portrays Sophie Hatter as the eldest of three sisters, almost purposely damning her protagonist whose fairy-tale beliefs, propel her to assuming that she is doomed to fail because she is the firstborn. Sophie’s role in the hat-shop, which is owned by her family in the village of Market Chipping in the fantasy land of Ingary, is initially one of resignation to her supposed fate where as Sophie watches her sisters get whisked away to different much more fulfilling lives, she considers her role to take over the hat-shop as a way of damnation rather than salvation from her boring life. 

   However, the fact that she accepts the role not only enhances her belief in the fairy-tale convention of the eldest child’s failure, but it also acts as a reflection of her lack of self-confidence and her resignation to a life without adventure or success.

   This changes dramatically when the Witch of the Waste curses her, turning her into an old woman as the curse ironically becomes the catalyst that forces Sophie to leave the hat-shop and embark on a journey that leads her to Howl’s moving castle, where she takes on a new role that challenges her previous beliefs about herself and her destiny.

  Jones uses Sophie’s character to challenge the traditional fairy-tale roles of the damsel and the prince. She tries to show that personal growth and self-discovery can lead to breaking out of societal and self-imposed limitations and in a way, act as some form of happily ever after. Sophie’s journey from the hat-shop to the moving castle is symbolic of her internal transformation from a passive character accepting her fate to an active one creating her own destiny, in light of the newly-found love and devotion that she finds in Howl.

Let's take a look in this change in dialogue that occurs across the tale (according to the film):

1: "Please Howl I know I can be of help to you, even though I'm not pretty and all i'm good at is cleaning..."

"Sophie, Sophie you're beautiful!"

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2: "Wow Sophie your hair looks just like starlight! It's beautiful!

"You think so? So do I!"

   Although simple words, it's funny to see how there is an evident change in the way the characters speak and the one who speaks first. In the first passage we see Sophie's raw determination as she is ready to give her beliefs and values up to help Howl in his quest while still simultaneously believing in her futile nature. On the other hand, we see how irrespective of this, Howl continues to fuel Sophie's minute flame, feeding it until it sparks into a ferocious blaze. The result of this? Sophie fully accepting herself (and even funnily enough agreeing with Howl on the way her hair looks!).

   Of course, these are just a few lines extracted from different parts of the film, but nonetheless I think that they capture well-enough this discrepancy between the sheltered and self-hating girl, to a woman who is her own force of nature and carefree, ready to take on her own destiny...

   What I love about this tale, is the way that it is depicted through film. We've already discussed the novel as an excellent example of character development in light of self-discovery, but what about the film? What about the animation? What truly enhances the story? What makes this rendition of Sophie and Howl's tale spectacular? 

   I would say the writing and the parallelisms sure, the hidden twists and slight diverges from the book which make this story wholly unique... but that's not what hits the nail on the head here for me. 

   For me the music, Joe Hisaishi's melodies and exquisite compositions from Merry-Go Round of Life to The Flower Garden is the true winner which truly captures the essence of this story. 

Have a listen to the sheer beauty of Howl's Moving Castle via this link: Merry-Go-Round of Life - from 'Howl's Moving Castle' • Joe Hisaishi (spotify.com)

   I would also say another factor which enhances this film's cinematic excellence is the animation... from the harsh and darkened tones which complement the heartbreaking scenes to the joyous moments full of lush hues, the beauty of Howl's Moving Castle is a beauty I have seen in no other film and it goes without saying that it is indeed unmatched.

   So there you have it my dearest reader, another love story, another tale, another happy ending  for the books. 

Yours,

Pearl's Odyssey (2025) All rights reserved ©