Diana Wayne Jones was a prolific fantasy writer whose Christomanche Chronicles series has been well-known and loved by readers for decades. In 2004, Studio Ghibli acquired the rights to her work Howl's Moving Castle to produce the award-winning film of the same name.
Studio Ghibli's unique art style has resonated with audiences for decades. While the success of the Howl's Moving Castle movie was rightfully warranted, the book on which it was based was overshadowed and fans didn't even know it existed. The differences between the two don't stop there. Director Hayao Miyazaki made a lot of changes in his adaptation of Howl's Moving Castle.
World aesthetics
One of the charms of Miyazaki's films is their atmosphere. Howl's Moving Castle is no exception. With airships hovering overhead, bustling cities filled with steampunk-esque technology, and the iconic theme song playing softly in the background, Miyazaki has created an unforgettable world of beauty that viewers will want to explore. It's all a pleasure to watch.
In Jones's book, Sophie and Hal's world is more of a typical fantasy world. Through delightful villages, Seven Mile Boots, and florists, Jones has created a world that is as soothing as the movies. Even the castle is described as more simply like a huge fortress gliding across the earth, daunting.
Sophie transforms back into a young woman
Throughout the film, Sophie returns to her younger self whenever her self-esteem grows or she learns something new about herself. It's a powerful statement of a character's self-worth and development over time.
In the book, there are no such metaphors and allusions. Hal can see through the spell and know that Sophie is a young woman, but doesn't know who she really is. He spends a great deal of time secretly trying to break the curse.
In the book, strictly speaking, it is Sophie who casts a spell on herself. The book implies that although the witch is the initiator of the curse, Sophie is perfectly capable of telling all of this to make the problem solved faster. But she felt that the image of the old dragon bell was quite appropriate to herself, so even if the curse could be broken, she would continue to hypnotize herself.
Wilderness Priestess
Although the film quickly tackles the Witch of the Wilderness, she remains a threat throughout the book. Because she had seen Hal flirt with Sophie's sister Letty (Hal can be said to be a scumbag to a certain extent), the resentment of being abandoned by her lover led her to mistake Sophie for Letty. After cursing Sophie, her resentment towards Hal has not diminished.
Finally, near the end, the Witch of the Wilderness returns and chases the Moving Castle, with Hal and Sophie repelling her before they can take off with the wind. Compared to the scene in the movie where they fly through the air, the flight scene in the book is not so romantic.
In the movie, the witch's motives are simpler and easier to deal with. She was punished by Lady Sally Man for being selfish and stripped of her magic and turned back into a real old man.
Scene of Sophie at the royal palace
There are also subtle differences in the plot of Sophie in the royal palace. In the film, Sophie visits Lady Sallyman to convince her and the king that the consequences of having Hal as their wizard are terrible. She ends up protecting Hal from the fate that befell the Witch of the Wilderness she had just seen. Sophie stands up for the people she cares about, showing rare self-esteem, and in the process, she transforms back into her younger self.
And in the book, this scene is much more interesting. Sophie was sent to meet the king, but she was clumsy. Facing the king, she doesn't remember what bad things Hal has done, only how he takes less money from the poor, maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought. This is the first time Sophie realizes that she may not hate Hal, and the scene convinces the king that Hal is actually the perfect person to do his job.
Hal and Sophie's love
What's interesting about this book and this movie is its unconventional love story. In Miyazaki's films, this romantic love, although controversial, is affectionate and sweet, and even involves time travel, and the romance coefficient is multiplied.
In the book, it is difficult to see this beauty. Because much of the book is told through the preconceived and self-assertive perspective of Sophie, it is not until the end (reread several times) that the love between her and Hal is revealed. However, once the reader has grasped the hint and rare sweetness, it is impossible to ignore it.
Hal and Sophie's way of getting along
Hal and Sophie's romance is shown differently in the book and in the movie, but what is the normal way they get along? Two people with very different personalities like Sophie Hart and Hal Pendragan are bound to have conflicts. Can quarrels be a language of love? Maybe for Hal and Sophie.
After all, it's their primary way of showing love in the book, which makes those rare signs of genuine care harder to spot, but more meaningful. Even if they are not in love, the two have quarreled almost everything from the moment they met. They are often provoked by each other, but again and again show how much they care about each other.
There is no war in the book
Books and movies are light-hearted, but books can be more relaxing. The book focuses more on Sophie's daily life around the castle and her banter with Hal and Cassifer, where everything seems uneventful. In order to emphasize Miyazaki's anti-war theme, the film adds a castle gate that leads to a war-torn world, which is not in the original book.
Instead, Sophie simply walks around the castle, cleaning up while giving orders to Cassifer while protecting her sister from Howl, solving a riddle about a meteorite, and escaping the witch of the wilderness.
Hal in the book is more dramatic
Do you think the scene of the green slime in the movie is terrible? In the original book, Diana Wayne Jones had Hal fill the castle with slime and let out a terrifying, desperate scream that made the whole town wonder what was going on.
Sophie and Mike (the teenage version of Maruk in the movie) are chased out of the house by the noise and find everyone gathered on the other side of town because there isn't that much noise there. And that's not even counting the hours Hal spends hours in the bathroom every morning, the number of lovers he abandons, and the rumors he spreads to create his terrible image in order to avoid responsibility.
Two sisters impostor
Although Sophie's sisters are only minor characters in the film, their original roles are much more important. Letty is the youngest of the three sisters, and she convinces her second sister, Martha, to swap identities with her. In this way, Letty can learn magic from Martha's mentor, and Martha can do what she really wants to do and become a baker's apprentice.
This premise plays an important role in the main plot of the book, and while there may not be enough stuff in the movie, it's still fascinating to see how Miyazaki handles the plot!
Hal is originally from Wales
Hayao Miyazaki incorporates a fantastic worldview into his films, but Diana Wayne Jones does less in some ways. The magical connection of the Kingdom of Ingre to the real world explains a lot.
In the middle of the book, it is revealed that Hal Pendragon, whose original name is Hal Jenkins, is a PhD student from Wales who has created a portal to another world (as Hal always does, he uses to evade completing his PhD).
He was a member of the college football team, often visited his sister and her children, and also used magic to make video games based on his experience as a wizard.
【Dangdang】Howl's Moving Castle Hayao Miyazaki Ghibli Official Genuine Authorized Only Chinese Simplified Chinese Version ¥59 Purchase