On the weekend of September 20th, a magical Studio Ghibli movie, Howl’s Moving Castle, made its return to theaters for a limited time until the 24th! Theaters offered a dubbed version and subtitle viewing, each on its respective days. This movie return is a part of the bigger event of Studio Ghibli Fest, where Studio Ghibli movies are played in theaters throughout the year. This event started in May and will end in November, with one movie returning each month, with the exception of August, which had two showings of movies. September was the month for Howl’s Moving Castle, and it was the perfect choice with its atmosphere!

Howl’s Moving Castle takes place in a world where magic and witches exist alongside humans. The story follows our main character Sophie who works at her late fathers hat shop. After befriending the witch with a moving castle, Howl, and receiving assistance from him away from some guards, the witch of the waste pays her a visit and curses her out of jealousy for receiving Howl’s attention. The curse she received aged Sophie from her young appearance to that of an old lady and prevents her from telling anyone of the curse. In hopes for a cure, Sophie travels to the waste, a place of witches and curses, to find one.

Along the way, Sophie meets Turnip Head, who has been cursed as a scarecrow, and finds her way into the moving castle where she meets Calcifer, the fire demon who powers the house and is under a spell bound to it.  In exchange for help breaking her curse, Sophie decides to help find the way to break the spell Calcifer is under. When Howl returns home, Sophie decides to stay under the guise of being the new cleaning lady for the castle. At the same time, a war between the countries begins as the Prince from a neighboring kingdom has gone missing. As the story progresses, the war rages on while Howl and Sophie grow closer. The movie shows love and war as Sophie searches through time to try to help Howl undo his spell with Calcifer and get his heart back. 

Studio Ghibli Fest offers a great way to support the movies and experience them in high quality! The next movie coming to theaters is the Oscar-winning Spirited Away from October 18th to the 22nd, so if interested, be on the lookout for tickets at a theater near you!