Laputa, Castle In The Sky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Laputa, Castle In The Sky - Essay Example â€Å"Laputa- Castle in the Sky† was enthused by â€Å"Gulliver's Travels† by Jonathan Swift. The film is the first one that came from Japanese animation thrust Studio Ghibli. It was also the third major film produced by its master Hayao Miyazaki. Young Pazu lives in a charming mountain town. He is a worker in a coal mine that is located in the mountain. One day as he carried on with his daily activities, an unconscious girl fell from the sky and landed on his arms, to his amazement. Sheeta was being chased by several people who wanted her for interrogation thinking that she was connected to the secret of Laputa, castle in the sky. These people comprised of a group of military, pirates and some government officials. They followed her because of the blue crystal that was tied on her neck. This crystal made her almost weightless and allowed her to fly in to the sky without much effort (Books, Macias & Aoyama, 2003). Pazu carried her into his house. They did not take long before they became acquainted. However, their stay at Pazu’s house was short-lived because after a short time, the bad people who were in search of her showed up at Pazu's doorstep wanting to arrest Sheeta and take the crystal that was tied around her neck. Pazu could not allow them take Sheeta and the crystal. Therefore, he helps her escape with him. The people who wanted to capture Sheeta did not give up. They chased them across the mountains, through the mines and into the air. The escape helps the audience understand the flying castle of Laputa and the fact that Sheeta knows more information about it than she reveals. Laputa follows Pazu and Sheeta who fly in a floating castle in the sky. On the other hand, the family of pirates and the military personnel follow them using an aircraft that flies through a steam-powered engine (Beck, 2005). Hayao Miyazaki tells the story through the beauty of the animation. He uses a design that is phenomenal and constructs mechanical cont raptions that fly. The landscapes where the chase occurs have been developed with a magical touch that gives the film beautiful environments where the action occurs. The scenes are painted using deep earthly colors that fill up the large spaces that follow the action. The action happens without stopping from the very beginning through the whole film to its final stages. Despite the fact that the film features a lot of action that constantly occupies the screen, Laputa, castle in the sky, features quieter moments that have strong characterization and diverse humor. This is achieved through the use of fully fleshed-out back stories and motives that are created from the adventurous ways of the characters. For instance, the family of pirates is handled in a way that depicts them as simple caricatures. Their domineering mother is given best dramatic scenes that bring out her character as a pantomime villain that, in turn, develops into a full-fledged protagonist (Cavallaro, 2006). As the story develops, the audience is led to a switch that occurs between opposites. It happens in a rather fulfilling manner. At one time, the audience is led to scenes where Pazu and Sheeta find themselves as partners in an unlikely situation characterized by a shady bunch. Pazu takes the duty of ensuring that the enemies do not get them by surprise by constantly paying attention to what happens in the crow’