Howl's Moving Castle is a 2004 Japanese animation film partly based on the 1989 book authored by the British author Diana Wynn Jones. Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed the film. The Japanese voice cast featured Chieko Baisho (Sophie) and Takuya Kimura (Howl), while the English dub version starred Jean Simmons (Sophie – old), Emily Mortimer (Sophie – young), Lauren Bacall (Witch of the Waste), Christian Bale (as Howl), Josh Hutcherson (Markl) and Billy Crystal (Calcifer). The plot revolves around a young girl named Sophie who is cursed by a wicked witch who is envious of Sophie. Then, with the aid