global release for japan hit film oscar-winning animator hayao miyazaki s latest film  howl s moving castle  is to be released in 50 countries around the world  its distributor has said.  howl s moving castle set a japanese box office record last week  taking 1.5bn yen (£7.7m) in its first two days. miyazaki won an oscar earlier this year for spirited away  japan s first academy award for nearly 50 years. howl s moving castle is based on a children s fantasy novel by uk author diana wynne jones. it tells the story of an 18-year-old woman who ages dramatically after falling under a witch s spell. she heads to a moving castle kept by howl  a wizard  and searches for a way to become normal again. a spokesman for distributor toho said the film  has received strong interest from domestic audiences and foreign media and viewers alike .  we have a good feeling about this film. we saw very good viewer response   he added. the film s worldwide release will start in south korea on 24 december  and france on 12 january.