March 11, 2010

The world of animation received one Miyazaki masterpiece this past week in the form of Ponyo which I highly enjoyed. The only thing that made my week better was the release of three of Miyazaki’s earlier works in 2-Disc Special Edition DVD sets alongside his new masterpiece. The earliest of the three films, Castle in the Sky, is without a doubt one of my favorite Miyazaki films which is a hard to say since all of his films are special and worthy of several viewings.

Castle in the Sky tells the story of a young girl named Sheeta, an orphan, who is found by the sort of young hero Pazu as she floats down from the sky, no thanks to a bunch of pirates who attack the airship she’s on. Castle in the Sky is an adventure full of mystery and excitement that take its viewers deep underground and high up into the sky. As the two start out on their quest they find themselves looking for Laputa, the floating castle, which can hopefully solve both their troubles.

It is clear that Hayao Miyazaki has an interest in flying or rather flying machines as they play a big part in this film. The thought of finding a floating city in the sky to be quite honest is absolutely enticing even though that I know that it probably will never happen in my lifetime or any lifetime for that matter. One of the biggest appeals that this film has is that while it is a fantasy film it has several real world traits, which is a trademark of Miyazaki.

If you watch the features on the second disc or pay close enough attention you will notice a reference to the mechanical monsters of the Fleischer Superman cartoons back in the golden days of cartoons. Miyazaki’s use of British and German design when it comes to the weapons and vehicles is also apparent. Weapons like the famous “Potato Masher” of WWII and various tanks are modeled after German tanks. The soldiers and Muska and his men’s weapons are modeled after different British films. Miyazaki has a knack for taking several different era’s or locations such as a real mining town in Wales to base his films upon and he does so brilliantly. The floating castle of Laputa however is inspired by Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” in which there is a similar floating island.

Filmmaking: 10
Director Hayao Miyazaki has directed 11 films to date including Castle in the Sky and still manages to draw me in with each film that he does. Castle in the Sky comes from a time when cartons and animated films were actually remarkable. Not that today’s films are bad by any means; I just seem to appreciate films from my childhood a lot more that those of new. Miyazaki usually puts different messages in his films, like respect for one another and nature, Miyazaki does a remarkable job telling a captivating story and his dedication to animation has made him one of the finest masters of animated film making.

Visuals: 10
Castle in the Sky really is a remarkable film graphically presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. Miyazaki is quite the visionary when it comes to creating amazing worlds that are both familiar to us but yet so very far away. Slag Ravine, the home of Pazu, is nicely detailed and created based upon an old mining town in Wales. The floating castle of Laputa is beautiful and the garden there is magical. I also really liked how the etherium lit up the dark cave like the night sky. It makes etherium seem like something not of this earth even though that is where it comes from in this film.

As I mentioned in a previous film review, Miyazaki films are usually easily to recognize due to his unique character designs. This is one of many trademarks that Miyazaki puts in his films. Castle in the Sky is a bright and cheerful film, but it also has its darker moments like when Pazu and Sheeta are braving a lightning storm. The way that Miyazaki fashioned the lightning into dangerous serpents was really cool and added another one of his classic touches to his stories.

Sound: 10
Castle in the Sky features music done by Joe Hisaishi, who has done the scores for all of Miyazaki’s works. The score is full of adventurous beats; calming melodies presented In English Dolby Digital Sound. For those that wish to view Castle in the Sky in its original form you choose the included Japanese voice track with English subs if you want.

Castle in the Sky has a cast of voice actors that most people recognize today. What you might not know is that Castle in the Sky possibly started the careers of two young actors. The first is Anna Paquin (of True Blood fame) and the second is James Van Der Beek (Dawson Creek). This film marks the first time Cloris Leachman has starred in a Miyazaki film that’s also in Ponyo. But perhaps my favorite voice actor for this film is Mark Hamill, more commonly known for as the voice of Joker in the animated Batman series. His character Muska gave off that same vibe, though without all the craziness.

Value: 10
Castle is the Sky 2-Disc Special Edition features a lot of bonus features. On the first disc you can view the film itself with required introduction from John Lasseter who is a friend of Miyazaki. You can also watch this intro by itself as well as a Storyboard presentation of the film. The second disc however is where the real interesting stuff is. On the second disc is an insight to “The world of Ghibli.” Here you can go behind the scenes and learn about what inspired Miyazaki to do this film as swell as a few of his other films. One of my favorite features on the second disc is the Behind the Microphone featurette where we learn more about the actors and their experience with the film. I even found out one of my favorite actors, Mandy Patinkin, did a voice for the movie. Each 2-Disc Special edition of Castle in the Sky also comes with a Collectible Lithograph featuring the movie’s box art.

Overall: 10
Castle in the Sky is a film that anyone into animation should see at least once in their life, if not more. Hayao Miyazaki’s incredible talent as a writer and director is truly exceptional and is an inspiration to people all over the world. Castle in the Sky (2-Disc Special Edition) retails at most retailers for around $20 dollars and is the perfect companion to Ponyo also out this week. I highly recommend picking up it up as soon as you can. You will not regret it.