Howl’s Moving Castle is known by most as a whimsical animated tale directed by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, however the original tale was written by Diana Wynne Jones, and although it differs from its motion picture counterpart, delivers a just as entertaining and endearing adventure. The tale centers around Sophie Hatter, the eldest of three daughters, seemingly destined to live a boring life and take over her mother’s hat shop. But soon, due to an ill encounter with the Witch of the Waste, she becomes cursed, and her destiny leads her far from the shop and off into the country where she meets the eccentric wizard Howl, his apprentice Michael, and fire demon Calcifer. Howl’s Moving Castle is magical and sweet, yet very witty and full of surprises. It made for a very enjoyable and relaxing break from the dull textbooks and review books that I had to tackle during vacation.
Calcifer a fire demon, is the comedic star of the novel. Though Sophie and Howl humorously bicker and banter about trivial deeds, Calcifer’s sullen remarks are what earned him the title of both funniest character, and my personal favorite. Calcifer, a powerful fire demon, who heats and powers Howl’s Castle as part of a mysterious bargain with the wizard (it’s not mysterious if you read it), is the type who always has something to say, and seems perpetually crabby. Although the movie leaves out some parts of the book, and in their place substitute parallel ideas, one of my favorite quotes was used in both the novel and the animation. After condescending to Sophie’s demands, Calcifer performs the paltry job of heating breakfast, but of course, because his ego must not be sacrificed, while begrudgingly does his job, he mutters “I hope all your bacon burns”. This captures Calcifer’s attitude and behavior accurately, and admittedly, strikes me as something I would say, all the more reason for me to enjoy the quote.