Diana Wynne Jones was a prolific fantasy writer, with books like The Lives of Christopher Chant and The Island of Chaldea becoming well-known and beloved throughout the decades. By 2004, Studio Ghibli had obtained the rights to her book Howl's Moving Castle and produced the award-winning movie of the same name. For decades, Studio Ghibli's distinctive art style has struck a chord in audience members (although their upcoming fully GCI-produced film might be the start of something new for the company).
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While the success of the movie was rightly earned, it meant that the book it was based on was overshadowed, and often film fans are surprised to hear that there ever was a book. That doesn't even begin to explain how different the respective stories are. There are plenty of changes director Hayao Miyazaki made in adapting Howl's Moving Castle.
The World's Aesthetic
Part of the charm of Miyazaki's films is the atmosphere. Howl's Moving Castle is no exception. With airships bobbing overhead, bustling cities filled with steampunk-like technology, and the iconic theme playing softly in the background, Miyazaki creates unforgettable, beautiful world audiences want to explore. It all makes for a great, comforting watch at the end of a hard day.
In Jones' book, the world of Sophie and Howl is much more the typical fantasy world. With pleasant villages, seven-league boots, and flower shops, Jones creates a soothing world as comforting as the movie. Even the castle is described more simply, as a large intimidating fortress that glides over the earth.
Sophie Changing Back To A Young Woman
Throughout the movie, Sophie is shown reverting to her younger self whenever her self-esteem grows, or she's learned something new about herself. It's a powerful statement about the character's self-worth and her development over time. In the book, this isn't implied to be happening at all. Howl can see through the spell and knows that, theoretically, Sophie is a young woman, just not who she actually is. He devotes a large amount of time to secretly trying to break the curse.
In the book, Sophie is technically placing the spell on herself. It's implied that, though the Witch was the cause of the curse in the first place, Sophie has the power to speak things into doing what she wants. Because she talks about herself as deserving the form of an old woman, she keeps the spell going even after it could be broken.
The Witch Of The Waste
While the movie takes care of the Witch of the Waste pretty quickly, she's a constant threat in the book. The grudge of a jilted lover results in mistaking Sophie for her sister, Lettie, who she had seen Howl flirting with (Howl never seems to learn). After cursing Sophie, she disappears, stoking her grudge against Howl in the background. The Witch of the Waste comes back near the end in pursuit of the moving castle, and Howl and Sophie fight her off before taking off on the wind, a slightly less romantic version of their flight through the air in the movie.
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In the movie, the Witch's motivations are more simple and easier dealt with. She's selfish and punished for that selfishness by Madame Suliman, who strips her of her magic and turns her back to the elderly age she truly is.
Sophie's Scene At The Palace
One subtle difference comes in the scene where Sophie visits the palace. In the movie, Sophie visits Madame Sulliman to convince her and the King how horrible Howl would be as their wizard. She ends up protecting him from the fate she's just seen the Witch of the Waste go through. Sophie stands up for someone she cares about, and she's shown changing to her younger self in a gesture of rare self-esteem.
However, in the book, the scene is much funnier. Sent to talk to the King, Sophie fumbles. Faced with the King, she can't remember anything bad Howl has done and talks about how he undercharges the poor, and how maybe he isn't as bad as she thinks he is. One of the first times Sophie realizes she might not dislike him, this scene also serves to convince the King that Howl is, in fact, the perfect person to do everything he wants.
Howl And Sophie’s Romance
Much of what makes both the book and the movie entertaining is the unconventional romance. In Miyazaki's film, the romance, while argumentative, is fond and sweet, and even involves time travel, guaranteed to make any romance 10 times better.
In the book, that fondness is a lot harder to see. Since the book is told mostly through the eyes of the in-denial and argumentative Sophie, it isn't until the end (and a few rereads) that it becomes obvious that she and Howl are in love. Once a reader has picked up on the hints and rare sweetness, though, they can't unsee it.
Howl and Sophie’s Dynamic
Howl and Sophie's romance might be explored differently in each version of the story, but what about their dynamic overall? With two people as different as Sophie Hatter and Howl Pendragon, conflict is bound to arise. Can arguing be a love language? Maybe for Howl and Sophie, it can.
After all, it's the main way they show their affection for each other in the book, making those rare signs of genuine care even harder to spot, but more impactful. Even outside of romance, the two argue about nearly everything from the moment they meet. They are constantly exasperated by each other, but they show time and time again how much they really care.
There Isn't A War In The Book
Both the book and the movie are relaxing, but the book might be more so. Focused more on Sophie's daily life around the castle and her banter with Howl and Calcifer, the book tones everything down. While the movie added a castle door leading to a war-torn world to emphasize Miyazaki's anti-war themes, the book doesn't bother with one.
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Instead, Sophie marches around the castle, cleaning as she goes and giving orders to Calcifer, in the meantime protecting her sister from Howl's advances, solving a riddle about a falling star, and fleeing from the Witch of the Waste.
Somehow, Howl Is Way More Dramatic In The Book
You thought the green slime scene was bad in the movie? Diana Wynne Jones has Howl fill the whole castle with slime and conjure up shrieks of horror and despair that make the entire town wonder what's happening.
Sophie and Michael (the book's much older version of Markl) are driven out of the house by the noise and find the entire community gathered on the other side of the town where the noises aren't as loud. This isn't counting the hours Howl spends in the bathroom every morning, the trail of jilted lovers, or the horrible rumors he spreads about himself to get out of responsibilities.
The Book Has Body-switching
While Sophie's sisters were minor characters in the movie, they originally had much bigger roles. Lettie, the youngest of three, manages to convince the middle sister, Martha, that they should switch bodies. Lettie can learn witchcraft from Martha's mentor and Martha can do what she really wants, which is to be a baker's apprentice.
This also proves to be instrumental in the main plotline of the book, so while it might have been too much to stuff into a movie, it would've been great to see Miyazaki's take!
Howl is From Wales
Miyazaki incorporated fantastic worldbuilding into his movie, but Diana Wynne Jones in some ways had to do less. A lot is explained by Ingary being magically connected to the real world. Midway through the book, it is revealed that Howl Pendragon is Howl Jenkins, a PhD student from Wales, who created a portal to another world (and, in true Howl fashion, used it to avoid finishing his PhD).
He's part of a collegiate rugby team, and regularly visits his sister and her children, using magic to create video games based on his experience as a wizard.
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