Howl Adaptation

Although Ursula Le Guin was miserable about the Earthsea adaptation, happily, the situation is different with the Miyazaki version of Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle, which apparently has been causing a sensation in Japan and was a big hit at the Venice Film Festival. DWJ has seen it and from all accounts is thrilled. David Langford reports in the January issue of his Ansible:
Diana Wynne Jones is ecstatic after a secret première of Howl's Moving Castle, practically on her doorstep in Bristol: `Miyazaki came in person, carrying with him a tape of the film, an interpreter and sundry other shadowy figures (all this was supposed to be secret for fear of the Japanese media, who then descended on me afterwards, so I couldn't mention it beforehand) and we had a private showing at the Watershed cinema. The film is goluptuously splendid with breathtaking animation. I had grown used to young ladies regularly writing to me to say that they wanted to marry Howl. Now, Howl in the film is so plain stunning and sexy that I think I have joined them. And after the showing and the scamper through Bristol I had a long talk with Mr Miyazaki and it began to seem that we were soulmates.' Some writers have all the luck.

I was worried (much as I love Miyazaki) because Howl is one of my all-time favourite books; now I can't wait!