The Art of Howl's Moving Castle (Studio Ghibli Library)

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Here, Sophie makes a deal with the fire demon Calcifer, both promising to break each other’s curses. She lived, for a while, in Thaxted, Essex, about which in her autobiographical essay she, reportedly, wrote, ‘improbable characters abounded there, including two acknowledged witches and a man who went mad in the church porch at full moon’.

Later, Suliman will attempt to trap Howl by casting a spell on him, which takes the form of a round of shooting stars encircling the wizard and Sophie.

He also actively protested the change to article 9 of the Japanese constitution, saying that he did not believe Japan should have a national army. In both versions Sophie, the main character, is cursed into the body of an old crone and thrust into a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and love. As a result, he has developed a strong anti-war stance evident in many of his films – Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and The Wind Rises, to name a few. Here is a quick description and cover image of book The Art of Howl’s Moving Castle written by Hayao Miyazaki which was published in November 1, 2004.

The inclusion of war in Howl’s Moving Castle allows the film to have a faster, more dramatic pace which works well with this story-telling medium. Along with the stunning visuals, the book also presents interviews and comments with the production staff, including key points directly from the director. In the book, there is a potential war brewing but Miyazaki brings this to the forefront of the film with bombs, gunships and a draft of wizards.It is the variations in Miyazaki’s film that breathe new life into this beautiful story, allow you to revel in the similarities and excitedly discover the differences. Color designer Michiyo Yasuda explains her process, "The star children weren't particularly difficult, but in that scene I had to work on choosing the proper colors and light to convey emotions for the inanimate stars. Many of Diana’s works, such as the Chrestomanci series, are heavily woven with threads of fantasy and magic. This curse is not only represented by her elderly appearance but, also, by her silver hair, which remains even once the curse is broken, to visually mark the ways in which her character has grown. When examining Howl’s Moving Castle, it is easy to see the lives of Diana Wynne Jones and Hayao Miyazaki reflected in their work.