Howl's Moving Castle is one of the most popular Studio Ghibli films, including being director Hayao Miyazaki's favorite film. It has the usual Studio Ghibli features fans love: magic, adventure, fantasy, and romance.
What many may not know is that Sophie Hatter's adventures with Howl are based on a novel of the same name written by Diana Wynne Jones. As with all book to movie adaptations, the movie made some changes to make the film more enjoyable as well as appropriate for all ages. However, the movie missed some key moments from the book that would have elevated the movie. Today, we'll see what each version of the story did better than the other.
10 Movie: Prince Justin
Turnip Head is possibly one of the cutest side characters of Howl's Moving Castle. While he doesn't speak for the majority of the movie and is limited in what he can do (on account of being a scarecrow), his bobbing along is adorable. In the end, he is revealed to be Prince Justin who is under a curse from the Witch of the Waste.
In the book, the scarecrow is not Prince Justin and appears to just be a henchman of the Witch of the Waste. Prince Justin is still affected by a curse, but it's much darker. The movie version is much lighter, making it family-friendly and giving us a cute object to root for.
9 Book: Markl / Michael
In the movie, the character Markl is a young child who is an apprentice of Howl. While Howl is out of the castle, Markl takes the responsibility of dealing with his customers in the different towns as well as running errands.
There technically isn't a Markl in the book but there is a Michael who is a 15-year-old boy. As an apprentice, Michael has a much more involved role with Howl, often assisting him in trips. One of the most significant parts of his storyline is being a love interest for Sophie's sister. While Markl is cool, Michael would have made a great supporting character for the movie.
8 Movie: The War Plot
Hayao Miyazaki is known for inserting commentary about the real world into his films. This is especially the case in Howl's Moving Castle as the book does not focus heavily on the war. While many readers prefer the book because of this reason, it can be argued that the war storyline makes the plot more interesting.
The movie does a brilliant job of tying in the war with Howl's story. While Howl has childish moments and can be a vain brat, his attitude towards the war and not wanting to be involved highlight how much conflict he is experiencing and where his values lie.
7 Book: Sophie's Sisters
Besides the Witch of the Waste and the Queen, Sophie is the only female character central to the story. Her sister Lettie is shown briefly in the beginning and there is not too deep of a connection shown between Sophie and Lettie.
Lettie isn't the only sister in the novel as there is a half-sister named Martha. In the novel, Lettie and Martha land apprenticeships that follow their dreams while Sophie is left to believe she is destined for the hat shop. They are very encouraging and supportive of Sophie, wanting her to follow her own dreams. This sisterhood would have been a beautiful bond to see play out on screen.
6 Movie: Howl's Personality
Howl Jenkins is arguably one of the most charming characters in the Studio Ghibli catalog. He's beautiful, mystical, and of course, he is a wizard. In the book, Howl is a bit of a player. He has a reputation for dating women and ghosting them. In fact, he even dated the Witch of the West, which didn't end well for him.
The movie version of Howl is a huge improvement. While he is still vain, the movie paints it in a way that is comical. He does not lie in the movie and is not set on dating women. This interpretation of Howl made for a very loveable protagonist, as the book persona may have been more annoying if animated.
5 Book: Sophie Being a Witch
Fans of the book were disappointed to learn that in the movie adaptation, Sophie does not have her magical powers. In the movie, it seems that Sophie became a victim of the Witch of the Waste by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The storyline in the book indicates that Sophie's magic was what attracted the Witch to her. Sophie is not initially aware of her powers, but it can be seen with her working in the hat shop. Calcifer and Howl notice them right away. Sophie's powers would have been an interesting addition to the movie.
4 Movie: Howl and Sophie
Howl and Sophie are one of the most popular Studio Ghibli couples. From their initial meeting as Howl saves Sophie from the guards, viewers picked up on the immediate chemistry. Throughout the movie, their bond only grows stronger. Sophie is the right amount of determined and caring to deal with Howl and save him from himself.
In the book as mentioned earlier, Howl is a player. Due to this, their relationship is more of a slow burn. A lot of the story involves Howl trying to not fall in love with Sophie. Sophie also believes that Howl is in love with her sister.
3 Book: The Witch of the Waste
In typical Studio Ghibli fashion, the Witch of the Waste isn't completely evil. They do an amazing job of making their movie villains have a human aspect that allows viewers to like them, most of the time. Howl's Moving Castle is no exception, as it shows the Witch of the Waste becoming a child-like character who Sophie ends up taking care of.
The Witch of the Waste is a more sinister and wicked character in the book. Her curses are much darker and she is driven to evil by a fire demon. She curses Sophie based on jealousy, thinking she was Howl's love interest. This side of the Witch would have made the movie darker.
2 Movie: Howl's Heart
In both the movie and the book, Howl's heart is what ties him and Calficer together. Calficer is a fire demon, who falls as a star and strikes up a deal with Howl. At first, the deal is kept secret but later on it is revealed that Howl gave Calficer his heart in order to keep Calcifer alive.
In the book, there's a big battle with the Witch of the Waste which ends in Sophie using her powers to break the contract between Calcifer and Howl. This action restores Howl's heart. In the movie, they are escaping the war and the scene is much more romantic. Sophie physically grabs Howl's heart after they escape the war, and puts it in his chest.
1 Book: The Lovers Mix Up
As mentioned earlier, the Hatter sisters play a bigger role in the book than in the movie. One of the more exciting aspects of the book is the confusion that occurs between Martha, Lettie, and Howl.
Martha and Lettie have switched places for their apprenticeships using magic and as a result, mayhem ensues. Howl first tries to charm Lettie, who is disguised as Martha. Martha, who is disguised as Lettie, and Michael like each other. Later Michael is worried that when Howl is talking about Lettie, he is talking about his Martha, disguised as Lettie. This part was one of the best parts of the book and would have been hilarious on-screen.