Howl's Moving Castle: The Movie

Movie: Howl's Moving Castle
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: PG
Audience: Children to Adult
In a Nutshell: like the book, but with an anti-war message instead of a trip to Wales

I was a good girl and read the book first, then rented the movie. Generally I like Miyazaki a lot, and Howl's was no exception. There were definitely changes from the book, he certainly made the story his own, but I like each version for what it is. Diana Wynne Jones's original novel is more light-hearted. One could describe it as a playful romp and not be lying. The movie isn't so much "playful romp" material, although there is plenty of humor. The movie has slightly darker themes, two of them being the big bad pointless war that Howl opposes, and the danger of Howl losing his humanity to the bird creature he can change into. Also, there's no magical door to Wales like there is in the book; there's no connection to our world at all. Besides that, many characters and parts of the story are similar, if adjusted a bit to fit movie format and Miyazaki's style. Billy Crystal as the voice of Calcifer the fire demon is one of the best parts. That's one thing I'll say for Disney, which handles the English language dubbing and theatrical releases of Miyazaki's films: they do an excellent job casting the voice talents. I won't go into any more detail, but I'd say the book and movie are equally great in their own ways.