~ by Rebecca Fisher

Introduction:

If the word “Laputa” is ringing a dim bell of recognition somewhere in your mind, it’s probably because you’re vaguely aware of Gulliver’s Travels. The floating city of Jonathan Swift’s famous novel is the inspiration for the eponymous castle of the film, though the concept is given the usual Miyazaki twist.

Both Laputas are huge islands that float in the air, and both are considered nothing but legends by the Earth’s population. Just like Swift, Miyazaki has a message to impart with the use of his mystical island; unlike Swift, he prefers steampunk fantasy instead of satire to convey it.

Premise:

A giant airship drifts through the night, carrying a solemn little girl under heavy guard. All seems quiet until a gang of pirates on strange helicopter-like vehicles storm their way on board and attempt to kidnap her, their eyes on the strange crystal she wears around her neck.

The girl – named Sheeta – manages to evade both sets of captors, but during her escape accidentally tumbles from the airship into the darkness of the night. She seems lost, but as she falls to earth her crystal begins to glow, enveloping her in a light that slows her descend.

Not what you expect to see on your way home from work

The light is seen by a young boy called Pazu, a worker in a small mining town. He follows its glimmer to Sheeta and catches her before she touches the ground. As enraptured by her necklace as he is by the reality of a pretty girl falling into his arms, he’s convinced that her crystal comes from the legendary island of Laputa. Many years ago his father managed to take a picture of it, and it’s been Pazu’s dream to find it ever since.

As you can probably tell from this brief description, Laputa relies heavily on the theme of flight. All of Mizayaki’s films do to some extent or the other, but the sheer amount of aerial set-pieces in this story takes it to a whole new level, whether it’s the whizzing speed of the “moto-copters” or the slow floating majesty of Laputa itself. Miyazaki makes the most of the freedom accorded to him by the animation medium, creating sequences of incredible vertigo and spatial depth.

Sheeta and Pazu discover some of the wonders of Laputa

Likewise, all of Miyazaki’s films have a dreamy sort of surrealism that’s offset by the ordinary nature of its human characters, and Laputa really sets the bar high when it comes to its opening sequence. A girl falling slowly out of the sky by the power of a glowing pendant is an engrossing beginning, and the mysteries that the image promises keep you hooked for the rest of the film’s run.

Story:

The youngsters team up in order to find Laputa, avoiding greedy air-pirates (led by their elderly but energetic mother Dola) and menacing government agents on the way, both of which want to exploit Sheeta and Laputa for their own ends. Their journey takes them from the depths of the earth, filled with glowing gemstones, to the incredible ghost city of Laputa in the clouds, where silent robots still tend the gardens and care for the animals that dwell there.

The stunning depiction of Laputa

It’s not so much the story as it is the world-building that makes watching Laputa such a memorable experience, with the audience discovering and exploring this unusual world of pulley-systems, steam engines, and Leonardo da Vinci-esque flying machines alongside Sheeta and Pazu. By the time they get to Laputa itself, I guarantee you’ll be engrossed by what’s on display: beautiful geometric gardens and soaring edifices, underwater structures and a massive tree whose roots twine amidst the stonework. It’s a feast for the eyes.

But all this beauty is in service of the central theme. It’s captured in the earthiness of the industrial mining village, compared to the lofty heights of Laputa’s abandoned city with its lost technology. This is a film replete with greed and hubris, where the search for lost treasure is defined by a person’s motivation in looking for it, and in learning that some things are simply not for human consumption.  Pazu and Sheeta get a brief taste of the mystery and splendour of Laputa, but the city has its own secrets to protect, and eventually it’s back down to earth (well, at least a little) for our two protagonists.

Characters:

Speaking of whom, Pazu and Sheeta are likable enough leads, though not quite as vivid as others in Miyazaki’s repertoire. It may have something to do with the voices chosen for the English dub. James van der Beek (of Dawson’s Creek fame) is a strange choice for Pazu, sounding far too old for a prepubescent boy. Anna Paquin does better as Sheeta, with the barest hint of her Kiwi accent giving the character a sense of displacement, but she’s not quite as three-dimensional as other female leads (Nausicaa, Kiki and Chihiro spring immediately to mind).

Dola: a very unusual mother

The supporting characters are more interesting in a lot of ways, particularly Dola (voiced by Cloris Leachman), a pirate and mother who starts off as an antagonist, but is slowly revealed to be not-so-bad over the course of the film, along with her assortment of hapless sons.

Conclusion:

This was the first time I’ve watched Laputa, so I didn’t have as much time to mull it over before putting together this write-up.  But it has a real sense of mystery and intrigue, and many of Miyazaki’s usual tropes are in effect: a love of flying, a subtle environmental tract, a strong friendship between a boy and girl, and a somewhat open-ended conclusion. In other words, it’s vintage Miyazaki, and probably a good place for a newcomer to be introduced to his body of work.
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Next Time: Kiki’s Delivery Service

The light and whimsical Kiki’s Delivery Service, another film that draws on the joys of flying though through a very different medium: witchcraft. A film so gentle that it’s virtually plot-less, it’s also one of Miyazaki’s most beloved films, with rumours of a live-action version in the works.
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About The Reviewer:

Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com and her LiveJournal blog.

To read Rebecca’s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, as well as preceding reviews, click on:

Big Worlds On Small Screens