Film Review Laputa Castle in the Sky

Laputa Castle in the Sky

Japanese films have become very popular around the world. But it is not just their live action films that have had an impact on worldwide audiences. Their anime films have seen much success.  The anime films that Hayao Miyazaki has directed have experienced much acclaim and received several awards. Because of his first-rate animation, well-written screenplays, relevant themes, strong characterizations, and various visual effects including lighting, animation and camera shots, Miyazaki’s anime films have been seen as on the same level as traditional movies. Miyazaki’s film, Laputa Castle in the Sky is an excellent example of these films.

The movie is about a girl named Sheeta who is a distant descendant of the people who created Laputa, the flying island central to the film. The military is trying to use Sheeta to get the wealth and power that Laputa has to offer. When the film opens, Sheeta is a captive of the military and is in a giant flying vehicle. She escapes when a gang of pirates attack the ship. She falls through the sky and the next thing we see is her floating gently down to earth with a glowing pendant around her neck. She is rescued and taken in by a boy named Pazu. Pazu hides her from the pirates and decides to help her get to Laputa, which takes them on a wild adventure as they run from Muska, the military and the pirates. Through this story, Miyazaki uses the plight of Sheeta and Pazu to successfully develop his main themes of environmentalism and pacifism.

Miyazaki was born in 1940 so he lived in Japan during and after World War II. During the war the Japanese government was very militaristic and taught that it was honorable to die for your country and you should fight to the end. Growing up during this militaristic time in Japan more than likely caused him to have the anti-war attitude that was clearly shown throughout his movies. In his early years he was probably influenced by the nuclear destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the anti-Western sentiments in Japan. These events had an impact on him and are reflected in the recurring anti-war theme he uses in his films. Throughout the movie we see the military in action. Their use of indiscriminate violence symbolizes the fact that wars are often fought more for power than in defense of the people.

When Miyazaki was older, Japan was going through an economic boom where industry grew and with it came pollution. He saw the effects this had on nature. Also, the movie came out in 1986. This was a time when environmental activism was taking off. People were finding out about all of the problems we were causing to the environment and beginning to realize that we had a finite supply of natural resources. So, like in many of Miyazaki’s other movies, Castle in the Sky has a strong environmental message. As the opening credits roll, we see spinning gears and propellers symbolizing human’s use of technology.  The lighting is dark and the colors are dull showing the pollution that our use of this technology has brought on the Earth. Also, in the film, Pazu works in a mine where they are having a more difficult time finding metals to mine. There had been an oil crisis in the 1970s that made people realize that our industries were rapidly depleting the Earth’s natural resources.

In this shot when we first see Laputa we can see that there is tree that everything is built around. Its roots hold the sphere of technology in place. Throughout the movie it becomes obvious that the tree is holding the island together and while the technology coexists with the rest of the island, Laputa does not need the technology.

Miyazaki’s films have several recurring themes, many of which are often seen in his movies. Chief among these of course are the anti–war and pro-nature themes, but we also see subthemes that help to support the main themes. In Laputa, both Sheeta and Pazu are children who have been forced to take on responsibility to stop the military and protect the environment. They symbolize the innocence of childhood, but also hope for humanity. Their characters are pure and good, but they are also strong and determined to do the right thing. Throughout the movie they fight against the evil of the military and Muska, even bringing down Muska at the end of the movie.

 Miyazaki also believed that nature and technology could both exist side-by side in the world, but it was the greed and violence of mankind that caused problems between the two. In Laputa we saw that humans were not ready for such a high level of technology with the capacity for such destructive power. Muska wanted the technological strength from Laputa so he could control the world. He kidnapped Sheeta to help him find Laputa and immediately used violence to turn against the military when he got the power.

This shot takes place when Sheeta and Pazu first get to Laputa and the robot comes to move their glider off of a bird’s nest. It shows that technology is not the problem. The problem is when humans use technology for destructive, selfish purposes.

The success of the film owes much to the excellent characterization of the characters. This movie has many different messages portrayed through the use of the many types of characters Miyazaki used. Sheeta has large expressive eyes, wears soft flowing clothes and is soft-spoken. We see through her looks and her dialogue that she is an innocent, good person. But she also has a feminist side. When she is up in the crow’s nest with Pazu and Dola tells her to come down because she is a girl and that is men’s work, Sheeta tells Dola that Dola is a girl too and that she is staying up there.

Another main character who is well characterized is Dola.  She is the leader and the strongest personality of the pirates. She first appears as a brash, mean-spirited person with the looks of a witch. Later we find she has a soft, caring side when she helps Sheeta and Pazu and we see her start to look warmer as she becomes attached to them. The development of both of these characters help to forward the subtheme of feminism in the film.

In these shots we can see the transformation in Dola’s demeanor - from the mean pirate leader to the warm grandmother-like figure.

In the character of Dola, we also see the subtheme regarding the duality of the human race. Her character shows both an evil side and a good side. She controls a pack of gun-carrying pirates who attack others and steal what does not belong to them, yet she  does not want to leave Laputa without Sheeta and Pazu. Her character teaches us that things are not always the way they appear and that people are complex.

Muska, on the other hand, is unchanging. Muska is a character who fully represents evil and lust for power. Through his characterization you can tell he is evil throughout. He is always very rigid and unsmiling. He wears a dark suit and dark glasses that often hide his expression. You know he is powerful because he has two sunglass-wearing bodyguards and the military to back him up. You can tell that he is uncaring by his lack of interest in human life, when he created a hole beneath a large group of soldiers on Laputa and watched them fall to their death. He also destroyed the ship with the rest of the soldiers on it when they tried to escape.

Another way that Miyazaki gets his message across is through the effective use of visual elements and animation. The lighting gets darker when we see something negative. The opening scene where Sheeta is a prisoner and when she falls from the sky takes place at nighttime. Pazu is working in the mine in the dark when he sees the floating Sheeta. Also, when Muska is chasing Sheeta on Laputa after she stole the jewel takes place in the dark. When something good is happening, the colors are bright. The sky is a bright blue and the grass was green and covered with flowers when Sheeta and Pazu first arrived in Laputa.

Miyazaki uses stunning animation to elicit an emotional response from his audience. An especially good example is when the military fights the robot that fell from the sky. In response to the military trying to destroy him, the robot shoots laser beams which cause fiery explosions. This was a visually exciting scene that made you realize the power that the people of Laputa once had.  Another scene that brought a strong emotional response due to the animation was the one in the cave when Uncle Pom shows Sheeta and Pazu the aetherium crystals. The cave glows like an underground universe. This scene shows how beautiful the natural world is if we take the time to appreciate it and how easy it is to lose touch with nature.

Miyazaki uses different types of camera shots to help the viewers understand the story. He effectively uses long shots to give a view of the environment and the effects of the characters’ actions on it. He also uses close-ups to help the audience understand the characters.

The musical score is beautiful and follows along well with the action. During peaceful scenes like when Sheeta and Pazu land on Laputa, the music is simple but when the action builds, the music intensifies. When there is violence and destruction, as when the robot is trying to protect Sheeta from the soldiers, the music becomes wild. The music really helps convey the emotions of the situations in the scenes.

The clip I chose to show is one in which Sheeta is telling Muska that he will never be able to rule Laputa. Muska feels that power is all important. He has no concern for the world and the people in it. Sheeta tells him you need love and compassion to be a ruler. She also tells him why the people of Laputa returned to living on the Earth. She explains the importance of living peacefully in the natural world and not relying on weapons and technology to give you power.

In this shot Laputa is seen moving away from the Earth after the destruction of its weapons, symbolizing that mankind is not ready to have that kind of power.

 In Laputa Castle in the Sky, Hayao Miyazaki delivers a powerful message about the importance of environmentalism and pacifism. Miyazaki believed that technology can coexist with nature in the world. The real problem is the tendency of humans towards violence, greed and power. He felt that these were too important to people and because of them wars were fought too often. He effectively used characterization, visual elements and animation to make his audience aware of these compelling themes and succeeded to capture their interest in an enjoyable but provocative anime film.