- Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky is one of the most fun and exciting works of anime I've ever seen. As the film opens, it is clear that young Sheeta (Anna Paquin) is being kidnapped, but by whom? Is it the unruly band of marauding pirates, headed by the gruff Dola (Cloris Leachman), or the cadre of dapper government agents, led by the fork-tongued Muska (Mark Hamill)? Regardless, the two groups are so focused on battling one another that they are unable to prevent Sheeta from executing a desperate dive from a moving airship. Thankfully, her fall is governed by the magical family heirloom she wears around her neck, and she is wafted gracefully into the waiting hands of a young miner named Pazu (James Van Der Beek). Soon the two are swapping stories about the magical land of Laputa, a floating kingdom from whose royal family Sheeta is descended.
- Although Pazu is fully prepared to fly his makeshift aircraft to Laputa, their plans are soon disrupted by Sheeta's diligent pursuers. In a wonderful scene that owes much to Buster Keaton, pirates and government agents alike chase the children across multiple moving train cars before Pazu and Sheeta accidentally fall down a mine shaft. Another great time to have that necklace, I'd say, but it turns out that the heirloom is more than just a magic parachute. As the strange old man (Richard Dysart) in the mines informs them, the Laputan constitution of Sheeta's necklace makes it shine when the floating continent is near. Equipped with a way to locate their destination, the two return to the surface only to be taken prisoner by Muska and his men. It's obvious that their captor is up to no good, but why is he so eager to find Laputa and what does any of this have to do with the disintegrating remains of a large robot?
- While the plot of Castle in the Sky is quite interesting, the most memorable parts of the film have little to do with the plot at all. Take, for instance, the initial confrontation between a mob of villagers and several of Dola's brood (including Andy Dick and Mandy Patinkin). A dull movie would have launched into a fight scene with little or no provocation. This film had the potential brawlers first puff out their chests, advertising their machismo with bursting shirts. Many scenes with the pirates are similarly clever and humorous, particularly one in which the entire crew of Dola's ship simultaneously develops a crush on Sheeta. Charming details like these will stick in my mind far longer than any particular plot point.
- But of course the film's writing is only part of what makes Castle in the Sky so great. Even more impressive is Miyazaki's superb visual style, ever-brimming with nuance and detail. Dola doesn't just eat her food, she gnashes it apart, spraying plenty of spittle. The Laputan robot doesn't simply attack the city, it uses lasers to cut through bricks like they're made out of butter. We know Pazu is a miner, but this idea is visually reinforced every time he climbs, scurries, or wedges himself in a narrow space. Without being told specifically, we know that the once-technologically dominated Laputa has regressed into a state of nature because tree roots infest the island's control center and moss grows on robotic shoulders. By now, I should be used to this high level of outstanding creativity and detail from Miyazaki. Thankfully, I'm not.
- The name Laputa is obviously from Gulliver's Travels.
- The version I watched was the Disney re-release from 2003 (although it was made several years earlier).
