Innocence ends
Miyazaki has always had a great message about corporations, innocent bystanders and nature. Each movie he makes touches one of these aspects. Castle in the Sky takes all of those things and crafts a very beautiful, though haunting, reminder about how one can be dangerous with another.
The story follows the improbable meeting between Pazu and Sheeta. Pazu is a miner’s assistant trying to find the right place to dig for fortune. Sheeta is a girl captured by a corporation because of her ancestry and, more importantly, because of her necklace. When Sheeta falls/escapes from her captors during a pirate invasion, she finds herself with Pazu. Hunted down by her captors, the military and the pirates, the pair must do their best to escape. Hunted in the air and by land, they must find a way to elude their potential captors and eventually make it to Laputa, which is the castle in the sky.
The story is more ‘adult’ oriented than kid. Many people that are familiar or love Miyazaki’s work consider this one of the best (if not these best). It is certainly more violent than his typical work and it brings a very real sense of danger, unlike his other movies. I’m particularly impressed with how Miyazaki warns of corporate greed and military control when it comes to finding Laputa. He also shows how innocent bystanders are quickly brought in and thrown away just as quickly when they get in between the corporations and their prize. Pazu and Sheeta are perfect examples of this type of situation, and also the miners on the planet.
On top of this, he also sends a side message that nature (and the world) are affected by such terrible things. For example, he shows different worlds in the air and on the ground. The rich reside in the air because the planet is terribly unlivable thanks to pollution and constant mining. It’s a subtle message, but it’s the start of many such messages that show up in other films (see Princess Mononoke for the most potent example).
Through all of these things there is a wonderful story about two young individuals that care only about each other; as Sheeta and Pazu play this type of role. In a sense it’s romantic and in another sense it’s about friendship without any judgment. Through spectacular imagery that probably hadn’t been seen before 1986 movie must have been nothing short of epic when it game to characters, settings and imagination. For an animated film during this time period it was highly unusual to have such serious content.
Regardless, Miyazaki perfectly balanced out how it all should be portrayed and also balanced out how to include entertainment with it. Having both of those things in one film is risky; doing it without being preachy is just genius.
Now, is it the best Miyazaki film? I contend that Spirited Away is the best work Hayao Miyazaki has done. I think Castle in the Sky is a very close second, mainly because it was way ahead of its time; plus it didn’t hurt that the story was very well thoughout and presented.
As for the two-disc special edition, if you own the original then it might be worth your time/money to get the newest. The special features are quite good and there is some great insight to be had here. I just wish there was a bit more to one of the best movies that has come out of Studio Ghibli.
