As they hover above the rooftops, he instructs her to start walking. The mysterious man apologizes for getting Sophie involved and, as the shadows are about to merge on them, puts his arm around her waist before leaping high into the air. As they walk down the alley, a number of globular shadows appear out of the walls and begin to rush towards them. He then offers to escort Sophie wherever she needs to go and tells her not to be alarmed, but he's being followed. With a quick gesture, he forces the soldiers into a straight stance and sends them marching down the alley. She backs up into a handsome young man who drapes his arm around her, claiming to have been looking for her. Sophie explains that her sister is waiting for her, but the soldiers refuse to let her leave.

As she appears to look for a particular address, she bumps into a couple of soldiers who begin to flirt with her. She takes a trolley downtown and decides to cut through an alleyway since a parade of soldiers is moving down the main street. Sophie finishes her hat and exits the store alone. The girls joke with each other about whether they will be preyed upon as they leave. The castle, as the girls call it, belongs to the wizard Howl (English: Christian Bale Japanese: Takuya Kimura) who is reputed to steal the hearts of beautiful young women. She follows their gaze to see the metal figure vanish into the far-off hills. Sophie politely declines as a few of her coworkers rush to a nearby window, chattering excitedly. Her boss enters the room and tells her the store below is closing before inviting her out for the evening. In a nearby city, young Sophie (English: Emily Mortimer Japanese: Chieko Baishô) sits at her window sewing adornments on a hat. The opening scene reveals a quaint area of land where a lone herder walks through his fields as a gigantic, metallic structure moves on spindly legs into the highlands, shielded by dense fog banks.

Howls moving castle length