Calcifer

"Howl: You didn't have to come back, Calcifer."

- Here's another curse for you - may all your bacon burn. "Calcifer: I kinda missed you guys... and it looks like it's gonna rain."

"[after Sophie puts a pan and bacon on Calcifer] Here's another curse for you - may all your bacon burn."

Calcifer is a fire demon in Howl's Moving Castle. Calcifer is voiced by Tatsuya Gashuin in Japanese and by Billy Crystal in English.

Appearance
Calcifier is a ball of fire with eyes and a mouth. He is usually orangey-yellow in colour, but this appears to change with his emotions and size. Calcifier's size also changes depending on the type and amount of fuel he is running on.

Personality
He is a very powerful creature himself, with a great deal of magical ability, though cannot move beyond the confines of the hearth in which Howl keeps him without the wizard's help.

He's rather unfriendly towards Sophie at the start of the movie, but grows to like her, since she put logs closer to his reach and seemed to be able to keep Howl in line for a bit. He also made a bargain with Sophie that he would try and break her curse, if she would break his, but he could only give her hints.

Story
Calcifer is in a magical contract with Howl. He was originally a falling star, whom Howl was able to catch before he fell to earth and extinguished.

He promises to use his magic to break the curse on Sophie, providing she breaks the contract between him and Howl. Howl describes Calcifer as "his weakest point", because Calcifer wouldn't give away another demon if it entered the castle, even if it had hostile intentions. However, Howl's statement is true in more ways than one.

Calcifer's role in the film is somewhat similar to his role in the book, moving Howl's Castle. Unlike in the book, however, he is forced out of the hearth by Sophie, causing the castle to collapse and breaking the connection it had with Market Chipping in an effort to find and save Howl. By consuming Sophie's hair, he is able to have enough power to move the castle across The Wastes to find Howl.

Gallery
Calcifer ハウルの動く城