Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Sophie is a young hatter who ventures out of her hat shop one day and gets stopped by aggressive soldiers in an alley. Howl, a well-known wizard, can see she’s bothered and whisks her away from the situation with the soldiers, but as they make a run for it, she realizes that Howl himself is in trouble and is being chased by shadowy creatures. Later, the Witch of Waste, who is enamored with Howl, catches wind of their alleyway encounter and in an act of jealousy, casts a spell on Sophie which turns her into an old woman, saying “you won’t be able to tell anyone about that spell.”

Wanting to break the curse, Sophie, now an elderly woman, leaves home to search for help and meets a live scarecrow who she calls “Turnip Head.” The scarecrow takes her to Howl’s castle, an awe-inspiring creaky steampunk-esque machine which may be the most wondrous thing about the movie. While Howl is away, Sophie enters the castle, and there she meets a fire demon named Calcifer and Howl’s young apprentice, Markl. Calcifer fuels the castle, but wants to be freed from his servitude to Howl, and Sophie wants to return to her natural form, so the two agree to help each other. When Howl comes home, Sophie tells him that she’s there to apply to be his housekeeper. From here, this band of eclectic characters share adventures and cross different landscapes together.

Along with the fantastical story and characters, Howl’s Moving Castle features classic Ghibli animation, which is always a pleasure to see with its intricate details and beloved signature styling of many of their films. The film is based on the 1986 novel by the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, with screenplay and direction by Hayao Miyazaki.