Sophie's mother Honey shows up under Suliman's control and leaves behind a bag containing a " peeping bug" under her orders. Sophie fears that Howl is preparing to leave them, as his remaining time as a human is limited, and he returns to interfering in the war. Howl, in an attempt to appease Sophie, transforms a part of the castle's into her old home by the hat shop, and even shows her a secret garden he used to stay in his childhood. Sophie learns that Howl is able to transform into a bird-like creature to interfere in the war, but each transformation makes it more difficult for him to return to human form. He offers her a magic ring which would help guide her back safely. Howl suggests drawing their pursuers away as Sophie make her way back to the castle. Howl then arrives to rescue Sophie, Suliman tries to entrap Howl by summoning star children and revealing his monstrous form, but with Sophie's help, they escape. Madame Suliman realizes Sophie's true relation to Howl and her romantic feelings towards him. This causes Sophie to change briefly to her younger self, then regress to her older persona. As Sophie vehemently protests these measures, the Witch's spell temporarily weakens due to the love in her words. Suliman tells Sophie that Howl will meet the same fate if he does not contribute to the war. This causes her to regress into a harmless old woman with few memories of her past actions. Once they are inside the castle, Heen and Suliman's servant Kosho lead Sophie to the greenhouse while the Witch of The Waste finds herself a place to sit down - only to find her magical powers drained by Suliman as a punishment. Madame Suliman and her servant Kosho and his siblings, who look suspiciously like Howl.
Sophie asking Suliman about the Witch of the Waste and Howl's fate The Ghibli Museum-exclusive animated short, The Day I Bought A Star, has ties to this film. The film notably has Chieko Baisho, who voices Sophie, sing the theme song The Promise of the World, similar to Tokiko Kato who played Gina in Porco Rosso. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 78th Academy Awards, but lost to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, in 2006, and won several other awards, including four Tokyo Anime Awards and a Nebula Award for Best Script. The film received critical acclaim, particularly for its visuals and Miyazaki's presentation of the themes. It went on to gross ¥23.2 billion worldwide, making it one of the most financially successful Japanese films in history. Howl's Moving Castle had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2004, and was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 23, 2004. 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.
There’s concept art detailing a replica of Howl’s Moving Castle (from the movie of the same name) as well as a first look at Princess Mononoke village, which is expected to be just one of five themed areas in the park.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. The latest photos from Studio Ghibli, posted by Twitter account Otakujp, reveal a sneak peek at two of Ghibli Park’s most exciting attractions. Related: Animal Crossing Spirited Away Build Recreates Iconic Bathhouse and Bridge His involvement in the project will reassure fans that Ghibli Park is sure to effectively bring the gorgeous and endlessly fantastical animated worlds of films like Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and many other beloved Ghibli movies to life. Hayao Miyazaki, arguably the central figurehead of Studio Ghibli as one of its main founders and directors, has been overseeing the development. It’s expected to open in Fall 2022 after some delays due to the coronavirus pandemic. The theme park is currently being built in central Japan near Nagoya. The Studio Ghibli theme park will include a life-size replica of Howl’s Moving Castle for fans to visit.