Written by: Samantha Hass
The found family trope, which depicts unrelated characters uniting to form a family-like bond, is among my favorite tropes in media. During a recent rewatch of Hayao Miyazaki’s 2004 film Howl’s Moving Castle, I recognized the emphasis that the narrative places on found family. I love how the film communicates that we get to choose the type of love that we let into our lives.
Despite being a surreal fantasy, Howl’s Moving Castle showcases wholesome domesticity as well as the relationships between a group of eccentric characters. The film’s protagonist is a hatmaker named Sophie who feels out of place and disconnected from her blood relatives. She becomes even more distanced from her home life once she is cursed to take the form of a 90-year-old woman. Hoping to break the spell, she becomes involved with the infamous wizard Howl, who the public warns about. He is similarly isolated from society, and Sophie assumes the role of caretaker in his castle. She cooks, cleans, and looks after Markl, Howl’s apprentice. She even gains the approval of Calcifer, Howl’s stubborn fire-demon. This makes for an unlikely yet oddly functional group of outcasts.
Pure comfort emits from the scenes where the characters make breakfast, clean the bathtub, and set out laundry. Stranger characters latch onto the group along the way, such as a transformed Witch of the Waste, a wheezing dog, and a turnip-head scarecrow. Soon enough, the characters fall into patterns that resemble family life. The group grows to rely on each other, and as soon as political figures or war begin to affect their ragtag assembly, the characters fight for each other and display affection and loyalty.
In the third act, Howl’s castle crumbles due to the removal of Calcifer from the fireplace. The protagonists hold on to each other as they slide down a mountain range; following the collapse, they register that things will not be the same from here on out. The end of the narrative, however, shows the characters rebuilding their lives. Even after the events of the film, they decide to stay together, fashioning a new castle to house their strangeness.
I love watching these characters learn to live alongside each other. It is important for these kinds of relationships to be depicted in media because not everyone is surrounded by blood relatives that fully accept or understand them. Films like these, regardless of genre, show that people can find and keep irreplaceable bonds. There is a beauty that comes from choosing people, from choosing someone. It is a deeper level of intimacy compared to staying with someone out of obligation.
I recommend Howl’s Moving Castle to anyone seeking a heartwarming depiction of love between characters. You will not be disappointed by the playful banter and interactions throughout Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece fantasy.