Summary
- The book sequels to "Howl's Moving Castle" reveal that Howl became the Royal Sorcerer and Sophie discovered her own powers as a witch.
- Sophie's magical abilities in the books are different from the movie adaptation, but she is still as powerful as Howl.
- Howl and Sophie had a son named Morgan, who inherited their magical abilities and could summon toys at will.
The end of Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle saw Sophie's curse broken, but this wasn't the end of her adventures with Howl. Animation legend Hayao Miyazaki based his 2004 movie on the book of the same name by writer Diana Wynne Jones, and though Howl's Moving Castle was a standalone film, the book was part of a trilogy. This means that Sophie and Howl's story extended further than the ending audiences saw on screen, with the books Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways detailing the couple's adventures after falling in love.
The events of the two sequels of Howl's Moving Castle weren't the only things different from the book's adaptation. Miyazaki is known for putting his own spin on the novels he bases his work on, which means Sophie's story is rather different than the one Ghibli fans are used to. Still, the foundation was about the same. Sophie was cursed to be an old woman by the Witch of the Waste and ultimately fell in love with the notorious wizard Howl. The Howl's Moving Castle sequels each followed different main characters, but Sophie, Howl, and their unusual family still played an important part.
Howl Became The Kings' Royal Sorcerer After Howl's Moving Castle
The situation with the Royal Sorcerer was rather different in the Howl's Moving Castle book. Rather than a woman named Madame Suliman, the king's personal sorcerer was a man named Wizard Suliman. He and Howl were both originally from the United Kingdom (specifically Wales) and came to the magical world in which Sophie was born through portals discovered while studying magic. At the beginning of the Howl's Moving Castle book, it's revealed the Wizard Suliman went missing, along with the king's brother, Prince Justin, and Howl was tasked with finding both of them.
In the process of defeating the Witch of the Waste and her Fire Demon (another change in the Studio Ghibli movie), Howl and Sophie managed to rescue Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin. In Castle in the Air, we learn that, as a reward, Howl was granted the position of Royal Sorcerer alongside Suliman (who happened to marry Sophie's sister, Lettie). Of course, despite Howl's more honorable position, he is much the same as he was in Howl's Moving Castle. Still, Howl, Sophie, Suliman, and Lettie all became extremely close, and the two sisters even became pregnant with their first children around the same time.
Sophie Developed Her Powers As A Witch In The Books
A major aspect of the Howl's Moving Castle book is Sophie's slow realization that she is a witch. She had the power to talk life into things, which is why the hats she made were so popular (if she told a hat that the person who bought it would marry a wealthy aristocrat, this is precisely what would happen). In the book, Sophie turned her trusty cane into something of a magic wand by talking to it, and she learned to grow magical flowers by telling seeds what they ought to grow into. Though this specific brand of magic was unique, Sophie was, in her own way, just as powerful as Howl (though perhaps a little clumsier).
When Howl became Royal Wizard, Sophie and Lettie (who was also a witch) trained alongside their husbands to hone their craft. In Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways, Sophie is still somewhat clumsy with her magic, but the spells she pulls off simply by talking to objects are often extremely powerful. This meant that when Howl was otherwise indisposed, Sophie was sometimes tasked with handling his magical business. In House of Many Ways, this included traveling to a neighboring kingdom, High Norland, to help the king there track down the missing royal gold.
Howl & Sophie Had A Son Named Morgan
The end of Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle saw Sophie and Howl kissing as their castle soared through the air, and audiences could only guess whether they ever tied the knot or had any children. Thankfully, Castle in the Air provides an answer here. The sequel picks up four or five years after where the film left off, and it's revealed that sometime after Howl became the king's Royal Wizard, Sophie became pregnant. She wound up having a son, whom she named Morgan.
Morgan was just a newborn in Castle in the Air (aside from when he was turned into a kitten—more on this later), so there wasn't much for readers to know about him. However, by House of Many Ways, a couple more years had passed, and Morgan had grown into a rather precocious toddler. Of course, this is no surprise with two such outspoken and eccentric parents. He also inherited his parents' magical abilities, which allowed him to summon just about any toy he could ever want (which meant things could very quickly become crowded with rocking horses appearing out of nowhere around every corner).
Howl & Sophie Go Through More Magical Curses & Transformations
Though Sophie and Howl are in both Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways, they are no longer the main characters. In fact, for most of the first sequel, readers don't even realize they are part of the plot. The book's new main character, Abdullah, sets off on an adventure to find the princess he had fallen in love with, who had been stolen by a djinn. On his journey, Abdullah acquired a flying carpet with a spunky personality, a genie in a bottle who loved turning Abdullah's wishes sour, and a highly intelligent black cat and her little black kitten.
At the end of the Castle in the Air, it is revealed that the flying carpet, genie, and black cat are Calcifer, Howl, and Sophie, respectively. They had all three been cursed to take on these forms, and as Abdullah solved this mystery and found his princess, he managed to assist in setting his companions free (and poor Morgan was forced to go from being a free-roaming kitten to an immobile newborn baby). More magical transformations continued in House of Many Ways, demonstrating how, even though the Witch of the Waste's curse was broken in Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie's life with Howl would never stop being full of wonderfully magical chaos.