Howl's Moving Castle is an adaptation of a 1984 novel of the same name that came out in 2004. It is also one of the most beloved Ghibli movies out there. Conceived as an anti-war movie for Miyazaki to express his distaste for the U.S. Invasion of Iraq in 2003, the film managed to have increasing layers of thematic complexity despite airing at a time when, in the West, cartoons were still considered to be a medium specifically targeted at children. The overall narrative, the gorgeous visuals, and the interesting relationship between Howl and Sophie cemented the film as one that fans of the beloved studio would never forget.

The movie, however, has quite a few details that don't seem to make a lot of sense. Granted, this is something that crops up in quite a few Ghibli movies, with The Boy and The Heron being one of the most recent examples. There is a habit of these movies feeling like beautiful dreams in certain ways, making them hard to really describe to people who haven't seen them. While Howl's Moving Castle is not one of the most obtuse entries in the Ghibli catalog, it is certainly no slouch on nonsensical details.

10 What Is Suliman Trying To Do To Howl With Her Spell?

At a certain point in the film, Howl and Sophie come face-to-face with Suliman, a state-sponsored seeming minister of magic who is recruiting magic users into the war. So far, Howl has been a draft dodger, and she is not a fan of that.

During the meeting, Suliman casts a spell that gets a little weird, with shadowy figures dancing around Howl and the reveal of what happened to the Witch of the Wastes. It could be assumed she was trying to steal his magic, but the spell looks inherently different, and it's never really explained either, as it doesn't come to fruition. This part is incredibly open to interpretation.

9 The Lay Out Of Sophie's Town Makes No Sense

No one is saying that a town in an animated film needs to conform to zoning codes and construction needs to be OSHA compliant. That anime does not exist yet. However, there is a certain amount of logic expected, even in a universe like the one in Howl's Moving Castle. While the castle, as it can loosely be called, is one of the most eye-catching pieces of architecture, Sophie's town is the wildest.

With a train that goes between houses, long alleyways that double back on themselves, and tightly packed buildings with entrances that don't make sense, it feels more like Yharnam during the day than a non-haunted sort of place. It is shockingly disorienting, but always incredibly interesting to look at.

8 Who Cursed The Prince?

Early on in the film, after being cursed, Sophie runs into Turnip Head. This turnip-based scarecrow follows her throughout the adventure, proving to be more than invaluable time and time again. He gets the cast out of danger quite a few times and, at the end of the film, is revealed to be the missing prince of a neighboring country. It is explained that his disappearance has a part to play in the war, but it also feels strange.

Why would the prince be cursed? Was the reason to ultimately cause the war? Was it for other, even more nefarious purposes? It's never really explained and sort of hand-waved at the end of the movie. If you don't think about it too hard, it does make sense, but it still feels like a missing detail.

7 Sophie Straight Up Ignores Calcifer Pleading For His Life

While cleaning out the hearth, Sophie needs to move Calcifer from his home to correctly clean it out. Much in the way a fish owner would clean the tank, Sophie transfers him to a bucket. Unlike a fish, Calcifer is doing his best not to fall into the bucket and go out.

An extinguished Calicifer would have disastrous consequences for Howl and Calcifer alike, a fact that Sophie knows at this point in the story. There were definitely better alternatives than the sadistic glee of watching a character voiced by Billy Crystal beg for his life while the arbiter of his fate busies herself with the sweeping. It just seems oddly mean-spirited.

6 The Air Raid On Sophie's Hometown Is Never Addressed

At the end of the movie, all the curses are broken and a happily ever after is on the horizon. Sophie and Howl get to be together, Prince Turnip Head is off to end the war, and Suliman is also calling off the fighting. It seems that all is right with the world — except for the fact that a full-on bombing happened in Sophie's hometown.

At no point does Sophie take a moment to wonder whether her family and friends survived the bombing. It just kind of gets glossed over in favor of the ending, but it seems out of character for someone as mature and caring as Sophie to not even spare them a thought.

5 The Whole War Seems To Be A Way For Suliman To Punish Howl

The War in the movie has vague origins at best, but Suliman seems to have a lot more sway than a normal court wizard should. She uses the war to divert Howl from his cowardly path, knowing that he would end up in her clutches eventually.

Suliman also quickly figures out that Sophie is in love with Howl, uses Sophie's mother to send a spy bug to their home, and practically burns the world down to get Howl on a more righteous path — which, at the end of the day, is more than a little excessive. This little detail makes the whole scenario all the more confusing when taking other details into account. Suliman just seems to have way too much power.

4 Why Would Howl And Sophie Help The Witch Of The Wastes?

After Suliman drains the Witch of the Wastes of her magic, she is forced to be her true age, which is incredibly old. She becomes quite feeble and has a hard time being fully cognizant at all times. Even in this pitiable state, it makes no sense that Sophie and Howl, two people who have every reason not to help her, would open their home to her.

Sophie essentially becomes the Witch of the Wastes' caretaker even though the Witch is the one who cursed her in the first place. No real explanation is ever really given for this turn of events, and it makes less and less sense when you realize that she is more often a hindrance than a help as the movie continues.

3 How Could Sophie Not Know Something Was Up With Her Mother?

Sophie's mother reappears later in the movie, finding Sophie rather easily despite her having basically disappeared. She also is able to recognize her daughter as an old woman. Sophie, who is shown to be rather smart and clever, does nothing to engage these critical thinking skills and question why this is happening — or even how.

As her mother is there as an envoy for Suliman betraying her daughter's trust, it's questionable as to why Sophie wouldn't find her mother's behavior suspicious. It's just too convenient and makes very little sense for someone as naturally wary as Sophie to look over such a strange circumstance.

2 The Door To The Past Seems Unfocused

The time-loop section of the plot relies heavily on Sophie being able to use the magical door to enter the past. This doesn't really jive well with the other established powers of the door. Each color seems to correspond with a place, while the "black" setting can seemingly be anywhere.

With Howl's magic going haywire, there was a lot of luck at work in order to make this magic happen in general. Going to the past to begin the stable time-loop again just gets harder to follow the more audiences think it over.

1 Did Sophie's Curse Get Lifted?

At the end of the movie, Howl's curse is undone by Sophie returning his heart. Turnip Head's curse is undone by true love's kiss. And Sophie's curse is never addressed again. Sophie seems to be at her normal age again, but her hair is still gray.

Was Sophie's curse lifted? Was it also the power of love? The means to undo the curse are never specified either, so it leaves everything up to speculation on whether Sophie was cured at all. Regardless, it's clear that Howl will love her either way.