Studio Ghibli produces many amazing fantasy films that draw inspiration from Japanese folklore, European folklore, and original fantasy novels. One of the studio's most successful high fantasy films is Howl's Moving Castle, which is adapted from the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. Jones is a British author who created an iconic Welsh wizard named Howl Pendragon.

Diana Wynne Jones draws from many different fantasy inspirations, and it turns out that she learned from the best. Not many fans realize how close one of the most beloved Studio Ghibli films is related to another fantasy classic — The Lord of the Rings. Jones is a fantasy author powerhouse, and one of her professors was none other than J.R.R. Tolkien, the father of Middle-earth.

How J.R.R. Tolkien & The Lord of the Rings Set the Standard

Tolkien Helped Fantasy Novels into What They Are Today

Even people who haven't read The Lord of the Rings trilogy or watched the movies will know tropes and character types that its author, J.R.R. Tolkien, popularized in the fantasy genre. Tolkien's creatures, like orcs, have been around in language and the literary world since the 16th century, but he popularized the way they look and behave into what they are today. Tolkien made up his own language, like Rohirric, but Rohirric is heavily inspired by Old English.

J.R.R. Tolkien compiled many fantasy tropes and made them his own in The Lord of the Rings. When many fantasy enthusiasts think of the unlikely hero, protagonists like the sweet and stalwart hobbits, Frodo Baggins and Bilbo come to mind. Tolkien helped shape the minds of fantasy readers and writers across the world and across generations. His influence can be seen in the character types, classes, and spells in the classic tabletop game, Dungeons & Dragons. The MMO World of Warcraft features dwarves and elves, which overlap with Tolkien's versions of the creatures. The Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin, cites Tolkien as one of his most revered authors--his middle initials mirror Tolkien's in direct homage.

Not only did Tolkien write a landmark series which would become a canonized classic, he taught English Language and Literature on a professorial level. One of his students was, indeed, Diana Wynne Jones, the author of Howl's Moving Castle. Her novel would go on to inspire Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki for one of his most revered films. Howl's Moving Castle was published in 1986, just over thirty years after the first The Lord of the Rings book, The Fellowship of the Ring, hit shelves. Interestingly, Jones' Howl's Moving Castle is also the first of a trilogy series.

Fantasy Tropes in Diana Wynne Jones' World

Wizards, Esoteric Magic, Fallen Heavenly Bodies, & Unlikely Heroes

The narration directly tells the reader Sophie Hatter, Howl's Moving Castle's protagonist, was never meant to have a glorious adventure. She lives in a magical world, Ingary, where seven-league boots, witches, and wizards are commonplace. In Ingary, it's unfortunate to be born the eldest of three, as Sophie is. Three is a significant number in fantasy and fairy tales, and Jones directly plays with fairy tale logic in her world. As the eldest of three sisters, Sophie shouldn't have a remarkable life.

Similarly, Frodo Baggins of The Lord of the Rings was never meant to have a grand life. It's expected for hobbits to keep their heads down, tending to their gardens and passing their evenings enjoying ale and lovely home-cooked meals. Sophie and Frodo are two unlikely heroes who aren't particularly brave or remarkable. Yet, they end up going on an age-defining quest. Where Frodo inherits a demonic ring, the One Ring forged by the Dark Lord Sauron, Sophie seeks her fortune after the Witch of the Waste curses her.

Wizards are a huge part of both Howl's Moving Castle and The Lord of the Rings, and the wizards in both bodies of literature have interesting relationships with the celestial heavens. In The Lord of the Rings, wizards are primordial guardians sent from the heavens--in a way, they are a kind of angel. In contrast, the wizard Howl Pendragon is every bit a human man. He does combine himself with a fallen celestial body, though--a star.

That star, Calcifer, also calls himself a fire demon. Calcifer is both servant to, and an integral part of, Howl Pendragon. He powers Howl's castle, he advises him the way a mentor would, and he takes the place of Howl's heart. Gandalf the Grey of The Lord of the Rings wields fire, as well; he's the servant of the Flame or Anor, which is a mysterious heavenly power. Diana Wynne Jones doesn't appear to lift from J.R.R. Tolkien's writing, of course, but it's plain that she and the old professor have interests in folklore, and they both incorporate similar folkloric and fantasy elements into their work.

Diana Wynne Jones' Education

Jones Learned from J.R.R. Tolkien & C.S. Lewis at St. Anne College

J.R.R. Tolkien is known for teaching English Literature and Language at the University of Leeds from 1920-1925, and at Oxford from 1925-1959. Diana Wynne Jones would go on to study English at St. Anne's College in Oxford in 1953-1956. Tolkien was already a legend by the time Jones attended Oxford, both as a professor of literature and as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's good friend and fellow writer, C.S. Lewis also lectured at St. Anne's College. Lewis was known for penning another classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia.

Diana Wynne Jones attended lectures from both C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. In an interview, she described the differences between each lecturer. C.S. Lewis was the more vivacious lecturer; his love of literature was like a living thing and when he spoke of it, it inspired others. Lewis wrote his Narnia series for younger children, and that's what most of his students got out of his lecture. Back then, fantasy was still considered a genre for children, in many ways. Jones would go on to write primarily fantasy novels for children and young adults, as well.

J.R.R. Tolkien's lecture style was very different. He was more scholastic, and more interested in getting to the business of writing than lecturing. Jones described how he lectured with his back turned to his small but packed lecture hall. He spoke specifically about plot structure and writing novels (versus his other great love--language). Jones attended his lecture just as he was finishing up the latter end of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (the last volume was published in October 1955). Tolkien's masterful plotting was Jones' main takeaway from the learning experience. Tolkien's plot nuances obviously had a great effect because Jones' work is considered a cornerstone of young adult fantasy, and she has some of the best (and most whimsical) plots in her work.

The Howl's Moving Castle Book & Film

Hayao Miyazaki's Addition to the Story

War in the Studio Ghibli adaptation is a major deviation from novel, but it also works in concert with themes in Tolkien's work and life experiences. Most anime fans know of Howl's Moving Castle from the film adaptation from Studio Ghibli. Hayao Miyazaki adores Diana Wynne Jones' work. Jones was hesitant about a film adaptation, but Miyazaki made a point to meet with her and speak with her about his ideas for the film. He cared very much about the authenticity of her work, and he believed that he had something he could add to it, as well, as an animator and storyteller.

Ultimately, Jones was satisfied with Miyazaki's work, and chuckled to herself when so many viewers found her vain and whiny Howl to be so attractive. Beyond making a beautiful adaptation that's a feast for the eyes, Miyazaki added some themes in the story that weren't in Jones' book. Miyazaki is a pacifist, and he describes war as the worst part of humanity. War in the Howl's Moving Castle film is depicted as a foolish king's game where only civilians suffer and talented soldiers lose their humanity.

Though these elements aren't explored in Jones' novel, that theme is rather present in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien, himself, went to war, and it scarred him for life. The Lord of the Rings is no trench memoir, but the spirit of Tolkien's experience is there. Frodo is broken by war, and technically, he does not have a traditional hero's victory, in the end. Frodo devoted himself to a good cause, to preserve all of Middle-earth, and it defeated him. The ring is destroyed not by Frodo's unending valor, but through greed and struggle and accident, as Gollum wrestles the ring from his grasp and falls into Mount Doom, cradling his treasure.

It's key to remember that Frodo is still an admirable person who has the respect of all Middle-earth. He simply endures what so many who see actual war endure. He witnesses pain beyond comprehension, and he fights to retain what soul he can in impossible circumstances where greater and far more evil men pull the strings. Similarly, Calcifer warns Howl that the wizards who fight for the King of Ingary will regret their choice and become mindless beasts of smoke and spilled blood.

Tolkien & Studio Ghibli Work Beautifully Together

Tolkien, Jones, and Miyazaki create a beautiful conversation in storytelling. They encapsulate how many artists act in concert, and in discussion with, one another. Each literary and storytelling powerhouse has something new and fresh to add to the conversation. They are each an adept and imaginative writer in their own right, so nothing feels regurgitated. Rather, they riff off of one another in curious and complimentary ways.

The three writers all have something to add to the fantasy genre: in world-building, in themework, and in critique of folklore. It would be a mistake to conclude from these connections that everything is derivative. Rather, storytelling builds upon itself. And every good writer has something to add to the world from their own experiences, interests, and intrinsic creativity. Classic fantasy tropes work as a dialogue between scholars, readers, writers, and viewers.