Sophie lives in a fairy-tale country where witches and mermaids, seven-league boots and talking dogs are commonplace. So when a terrible curse from the treacherous Swamp Witch falls on her, Sophie has no choice but to ask for help from the mysterious wizard Howl who lives in a walking castle. But to break the spell, Sophie must solve a great many riddles and stay in Howl’s castle much longer than she planned. And for that she needs to befriend a fiery demon, catch a shooting star, listen to mermaids singing, find mandrake, and much, much more.
Diana Wynne Jones’s books are so vivid that they practically beg to be adapted for the screen. Based on her bestseller “Howl’s Moving Castle,” the famous animator Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away”), winner of the Golden Lion—the highest award at the Venice Festival—made an animated film that broke box-office records in Japan.