Howl's Moving Castle
When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki · Animation · Adventure · Family · 119 min · 2005
Trailer
Director
Hayao Miyazaki
Studio
Studio Ghibli
Release
17 Jun 2005
Runtime
119 min
Genres
Animation, Adventure, Family
Full Plot
A love story between an 18-year-old girl named Sophie, cursed by a witch into an old woman's body, and a magician named Howl. Under the curse, Sophie sets out to seek her fortune, which takes her to Howl's strange moving castle. In the castle, Sophie meets Howl's fire demon, named Karishifâ. Seeing that she is under a curse, the demon makes a deal with Sophie--if she breaks the contract he is under with Howl, then Karushifâ will lift the curse that Sophie is under, and she will return to her 18-year-old shape.
Cast & Characters
Chieko Baishô
Takuya Kimura
Tatsuya Gashûin
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $24.0M, Howl's Moving Castle has grossed $236.0M worldwide — about 9.8x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
Hayao Miyazaki has directed 4 films in our catalog, including Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Howl's Moving Castle
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know Howl's Moving Castle was originally supposed to be directed by Mamoru Hosoda but he quit after Studio Ghibli rejected his concept ideas.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know the novel "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones inspired Hayao Miyazaki to create the film, with a castle moving around the countryside being a key image.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know Hayao Miyazaki was fascinated by how the castle might move and came up with the idea of it standing on chicken legs.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
Howl's Moving Castle holds 8.2/10 on IMDb (507,343 votes), 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of August 11, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.2/10 on IMDb (507,343 votes), 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Howl's Moving Castle's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
Howl's Moving Castle holds a 88% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is Howl's Moving Castle's IMDb rating?+
Howl's Moving Castle has a 8.2/10 rating on IMDb from 507,343 votes.
What is Howl's Moving Castle's Metacritic score?+
Howl's Moving Castle has a Metascore of 82/100 on Metacritic.
Is Howl's Moving Castle good? What are critics saying?+
Howl's Moving Castle holds 8.2/10 on IMDb (507,343 votes), 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82/100 on Metacritic.
How long is Howl's Moving Castle?+
Howl's Moving Castle has a runtime of 119 min.
Who directed Howl's Moving Castle?+
Howl's Moving Castle was directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Where can I watch Howl's Moving Castle?+
Howl's Moving Castle is available to stream, rent, or buy on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Netflix, Netflix Kids, Netflix Standard with Ads.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "Howl's Moving Castle" has been generally positive, with reviewers praising its staging and Miyazaki's storytelling style. The movie is also notable for Christian Bale's performance as the titular character, which has received particular praise from fans. Reviews have been effusive in their praise of the film, with some even expressing that it is one of Miyazaki's best works, a favourite among many Ghibli enthusiasts.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
Really good movie staging in a fictional center European country. The drawings are great and the story is as delicate as any other from Miyazaki.
Andres Gomez · 9/10Certainly my favourite Miyazaki film. The animations are a touch angular, but colourfully and stylishly depict this story of a beautiful young girl who is cursed by an evil witch. In despair, she sets off, directionless, from home and comes across "Howl" and his moving castle - a…
CinemaSerf · 8/10
From the trailer's comments
It’s been almost 20 years and I’m still in love with Howl 😪
@PaisenNoticedYou · 283 likesWe all have to be grateful of how such a talented actor like Christian Bale adores Ghibli films and begs to be able to voice in them.
@myliege8197 · 167 likesChristian Bale as howl is amazing! My fav. Studio Ghibli film!
@kerri968 · 81 likesthis movie was my intorducition to miyazakis world of animation. Watched most of his movies ever since. :)
@CreativeSteve69 · 40 likesSuch a great film. Would definitely watch it again.
@sophiaknowshowto · 61 likes20 years later, this is the most beautiful films of all times!
@nellysol76revival · 11 likesMy dad bought me this movie for my birthday and this is still my favorite ghibli movie
@laurendaley2503 · 14 likesHowl and Sophie are the best couple!!
@anusham1753 · 18 likes
