Inspired by "Gulliver's Travels," the fantasy-adventure
i Castle in the Sky
i0 (1986) was Hayao Miyazaki's third feature, and helped to establish his reputation as a visionary in both Japan and America. The orphan Sheeta inherited a mysterious crystal that links her to the legendary sky-kingdom of Laputa. With the help of resourceful Pazu and a rollicking band of sky pirates, she makes her way to the ruins of the once-great civilization. Sheeta and Pazu must outwit the evil Muska, who plans to use Laputa's science to make himself ruler of the world.
i Castle
i0 echoes elements in Myazaki's earlier
i Nausica'e4
i0 , and anticipates imagery in his later films, from
i My Neighbor Totoro
i0 to
i Spirited Away
i0 . Disney's new English dub, which features Anna Paquin (Sheeta), James Van Der Beek (Pazu), and Cloris Leachman (pirate matriarch Dola), is lively and close in tone to the original Japanese, if a bit talkier. The exciting flying sequences, appealing characters, and fantastic vision of a steam-powered future Jules Verne might have imagined make
i Castle in the Sky
i0 a must-have for fans of Japanese and Western animation. (Unrated: suitable for ages 10 and older: violence)
i --Charles Solomon