A magic spell turns a young girl into a ninety-year-old lady. However, this spell in fact becomes a form of freedom that encourages her to be herself and gives her courage to take risks, so she takes the journey of challenge to go into the magic world full of witches and wizards.The protagonist, Sophie's youth has offered her few opportunities, while being old frees Sophie's determination to reach her goal, to assert her presence and her will. After the arrival of the castle, Sophie takes up the role of a responsible housekeeper, putting the household in order. In turn, the magic castle and its residents give her new experiences, where she has learnt to deal with the problems and confusions from both human nature and magical situations. In the process, her dynamic energy necessary for change and renewal brings transformation to the castle into a warm family. Also, she has grown up with strong will, braveness to express love and protect her beloved ones, which marks her distinguished characteristics. Domestic peace has also been brought by her and Howl as a happy ending of the film.This film well represents Miyazaki's ability to illustrate hope for future, with positive energy enabling audiences to cope with realistic challenges, for which it always remains my favorite.

There are lovely touches of understated humour throughout this beautiful looking film which reflect the tone of original story really well. It is also suitable for watching with younger children without boring yourself silly.

In this film, director Hayao Miyazaki overly focused on the design of the romantic plot. In addition, the expression of the anti-war theme is not entirely based on the script, and it is somewhat self-talking. Therefore, although the movie is full of various visual wonders, due to the relatively immature handling of drama conflicts, all this lacks a platform that can truly release emotions. In the end, this story full of narrative ambition and various complex metaphors ended up in a random private reconciliation of several major characters. Compared with Miyazaki's best work, what the film lacks is really deep thinking and brave expression.

Sophie, a young hatter, encounters a wizard named Howl on her way to visit her sister Lettie. Upon returning, she meets the Witch of the Waste, who transforms her into a ninety-year-old woman. Seeking to break the curse, Sophie leaves home and sets off through the country. She meets a scarecrow, whom she decides to call 'Turnip Head'. He leads her to Howl's moving castle, where she meets Howl's young apprentice, Markl, and the fire-demon Calcifer, who is the source of the castle's energy and magic. When Howl appears, Sophie announces that Calcifer let her in, and she has hired herself as a cleaning lady for the house.Meanwhile, Sophie's country is caught up in a war with a neighboring country. The King summons Howl to fight in the war; however, Howl decides to send Sophie to the King under the pretense of being his mother, to tell the king that Howl is too much of a coward to fight. Before leaving, he gives to Sophie a charmed ring that connects her to Calcifer. Sophie meets Suliman, the king's adviser, and also the Witch of the Waste, whom Suliman punishes by draining all of her power, causing her to regress into a harmless old woman. Suliman says that Howl will meet the same fate if he does not fight; Sophie protests passionately in his defense, allowing Suliman to see Sophie's true form, and to realize that she has feelings for Howl. Howl arrives to rescue Sophie; Suliman tries to trap him, but with Sophie's help, they escape along with the former witch.