Themes
Awards
Osella Award for Technical Achievement at Venice Film Festival, Tokyo Anime Award
Synopsis
When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.
Plot
Sophie, a young milliner, encounters the wizard Howl on her way to visit her sister. The encounter attracts the attention of the Witch of the Waste, who transforms Sophie into a 90-year-old woman. Seeking a cure for the transformation spell, Sophie travels into the Wastes and encounters a living scarecrow, whom she names 'Turnip Head.' He leads her to Howl's moving castle, where she enters without invitation. She meets the fire demon Calcifer, who powers the castle and recognizes that Sophie is under a curse. Calcifer makes a deal with Sophie: if she can break the contract he's under with Howl, then Calcifer will break her curse. Sophie then meets Howl's apprentice Markl, and later, Howl himself. Sophie announces that she is the castle's new cleaning lady, hired by Calcifer. As the story progresses, Sophie and Howl grow closer, and Sophie learns more about Howl's past and the complex magical politics of their world.