Based on the novel by Diana Wynn Jones, the Howl's Moving Castle follows
the adventures of a young girl, Sophie, a diligent teenage girl working in her
family's hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept
off her feet by a handsome-but-mysterious wizard named Howl. This innocent
encounter engages the vain and conniving Witch of the Waste, who transforms
into a 90-year-old woman. Sophie's efforts to break the curse bring her to
Howl's magical moving castle, where she befriends Markl, Howl's apprentice, and
the hot-headed fire demon Calcifer. Her love and support have a major impact on
Howl, who can be maddeningly self-indulgent and singularly noble: He defies royal
orders to participate in a meaningless war and risks his life to bring peace to
the kingdom. The film was received a lot of positive reviews and nominated for
an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
