She later gave a positive impression of the film, saying it retained the same spirit as her original work. The original author, Diana Wynne Jones' only request was that Miyazaki 'not change Howl's character'.
The first half of the film is relatively faithful to the original novel, but the second half was changed completely during development, adding themes of war not present in the source material.
It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name (translated in Japan as The Wizard's Howl and the Devil of Fire) by British writer Diana Wynne Jones and is about a young milliner named Sophie, who is transformed into an old woman by a witch, and the wizard Howl. It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on September 5, 2004, and premiered in Toho cinemas in Japan on November 20, 2004. USD$235.1 million (worldwide) Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城, Howl no Ugoku Shiro) is an animated fantasy film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, produced by Toshio Suzuki and animated by Studio Ghibli.
