I have watched this movie many many times since it is one of my favorite Miyazaki films, so why not write a review? I have also read the book, which takes a much different direction than the film does. In an endeavor to return to normal, Sophie must accompany Howl and a myriad of eccentric companions-ranging from a powerful fire demon to a hopping scarecrow-in his living castle, on a dangerous adventure as a raging war tears their kingdom apart. Unfortunately, this encounter, brief as it may be, spurs the vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste-in a fit of jealousy caused by a past discord with Howl-to put a curse on the maiden, turning her into an old woman.
However, Sophie's simple life takes a turn for the exciting when she is ensnared in a disturbing situation, and the mysterious wizard appears to rescue her. Sophie, as the plain daughter of a hatmaker, does not expect much from her future and is content with working hard in the shop. That castle is home to the magnificent wizard Howl, infamous for both his magical prowess and for being a womanizer-or so the rumor goes in Sophie Hatter's small town. But Calcifer decides to return to the hearth, provided he can come and go.That jumbled piece of architecture, that cacophony of hissing steam and creaking joints, with smoke billowing from it as it moves on its own. This means he no longer has to rely on Howl’s heart to keep him alive, and it frees Calcifer. Sophie breaks the contract at the end of the novel, when she “talks life” into Calcifer. Throughout the novel, he drops several hints to Sophie about the terms of his contract, such as that Howl is “heartless” and that Calcifer was once a falling star. He feels lonely and constricted in the hearth and desperately wants to see what the world is like beyond it. Within the castle, he acts as a judge of character: Howl mostly allows anyone in the castle, so long as Calcifer likes them (and Calcifer often likes people who treat him like a person, rather than as an evil demon or as though he doesn’t exist).
Despite being an evil-looking demon, Calcifer is caring, kind, and usually willing to offer up tidbits of information. He’s bound to Howl’s hearth by a contract-and he promises to lift the curse on Sophie if she figures out how to break the contract between him and Howl.
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