Miyazaki Madness continues everybody! Took me a while to get to it, what with the new Pokemon release distracting me, but I finally watched it and it's time to review Castle in the Sky! Castle in the Sky remains one of Miyazaki's most well known and iconic movies, and it's been years since I last saw it. It was actually the first movie released under the Studio Ghibli. As it is also one of Miyazaki's oldest movies, does it still have the charms that made it so famous, or have the years left it flying not so high?
As our story opens, an airship is being attacked by pirates in search of a crystal necklace held by a small girl named Sheeta. During the attack, the girl falls out of the ship, but the crystal, glowing with a mysterious light, saves her from the fall. She is found unconscious by a young boy named Pazu working with a group of miners, who takes her to his house. After waking up, she sees a photo of Laputa, the titular castle in the sky. Pazu explains that his father took the picture and even though most people denounce it as a fake, Pazu believes Laputa exists and is determined to prove it.
Their peaceful time together is short lived, however, as soon both the original pirates and the government are breathing down their necks to get the crystal. They manage to escape into a mineshaft, where they learn that Sheeta's crystal is in actuality a crystal of aetherium, an incredibly rare and powerful crystal responsible for keeping Laputa in the air. Sheeta then reveals to Pazu that she inherited a secret name, one that indicates a connection to Laputa. Shortly after this, however, the two are kidnapped by the government.
At the government base, Colonel Muska, our antagonist, reveals to Sheeta the meaning of her name as well as showing her an giant inactive robot with the crest of Laputa on it. He then threatens to harm Pazu unless she helps them find Laputa so they can discover it's technological secrets. After being released, Pazu teams up with the pirates in order to rescue Sheeta.
However, back at the base, the giant robot has been awakened and is now destroying everything in its path while seeking out Sheeta. It eventually follows her out onto a tower, but seems more interested in protecting her than attacking her. The robot is eventually destroyed, but by then Pazu is there to rescue Sheeta, though she has lost the pendant. Now that the government has the key to finding Laputa, Sheeta, Pazu, and the pirates must team up in order to find it first.
The story of Castle in the Sky is probably it's greatest feature. While there are no major surprises or shocking plot twists, Castle in the Sky does present a well written, high-spirited, fast-paced adventure. It feels pretty typical, but it also feels like typical done very right. All the energy and excitement while searching for Laputa makes you want to find it just as much as the cast and once it is found, Laputa feels like such a mystical place that the payoff was well worth it. On another note, Castle in the Sky is also much lighter on Miyazaki's typical environmentalist themes, for better or worse, as I didn't even notice any hints of it until 3/4 of the way in, and even then it's not emphasized.
The characters are more of a mixed bag for me. I honestly feel that the main leads were just not great in this movie. Sheeta was not a bad character by any stretch, but in the end she wasn't particularly memorable and fell flat compared to other Miyazaki heroines. Pazu was a driven, heroic kid, but on the whole he just didn't feel special to me and it felt like he was there mostly cause he found Sheeta. I did enjoy the supporting cast, like Dola and her pirates. They provided welcome comic relief while also helping to bring energy to the film. I also enjoyed slick and suave Colonel Muska, using anyone and anything he could to get what he wanted.
As is typical Miyazaki fare, the art is beautiful traditional work. I will admit, however, that it does come off feeling slightly dated at times. It is by no means drastic, however, and the movie is full of great art. I feel the need to bring particular attention to the backgrounds, where the level of detail always looked amazing, and the design of the robots - more of a personal thing - which I felt were both perfect for the setting and very unique. The animation was fluid and looked great, though there were some still shots here and there. I again point to the robots, as their motions always looked fluid and their awakenings moved smoothly as well.
The music was spectacular, and while I can't say there are any particular tracks that stand out to me, it always brought the feeling of adventure and excitement to me to bring me into the setting. As far as the dub cast goes, I find my opinion here mirroring that of the characters. James Van Der Beek really felt off as Pazu, both sounding too old for him as well as talking faster than seemed natural at times. Anna Paquin performed acceptably as Sheeta, but was perhaps a bit too softspoken and ultimately didn't feel very special. I did enjoy Cloris Leachman as Dola, feeling she played an eccentric old pirate perfectly, and Mark Hamill as Muska was also great, with Hamill sounding very sinister and sophisticated. The remaining supporting cast also had good performance in general.
In conclusion, Castle in the Sky is a well made, well rounded anime film that shined in most areas while being unfortunately brought down for me by some lackluster leads. This may keep it from being one of Miyazaki's best in my book, but it still remains a great movie for anyone looking for a light-hearted adventure. I fully recommend it to anyone. Be sure to tune in to my next review, My Neighbor Totoro!
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