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Plot synopsis
A young orphan named Sheeta finds herself the target of pirates and the
government alike, with each party eager to get their hands on a
mysterious magical crystal that has been passed down in Sheeta's family
for generations. Though Sheeta knows little about the stone's power, she
knows she must protect it. As it turns out, the crystal protects Sheeta
as well. When she jumps off an airship to escape from her pursuers, the
crystal kicks into glowy action and saves her from plummeting to her
death. Unconscious, Sheeta gently floats down from the sky, and into the
arms of a boy named Pazu, who works as an apprentice for a mining
engineer. Pazu, like Sheeta, is an orphan, and the two immediately
become good friends. They also discover they share a connection to a
mythical floating city in the sky named Laputa, and that Sheeta's
crystal may actually come from Laputa itself. Soon Pazu and Sheeta find
themselves on an adventure filled with secret government agents, giant
robots and flying pirate ships - as the two friends try to find their
way to the legendary kingdom in the sky that just may hold the answers
that both Pazu and Sheeta have been chasing all their lives.
Review
Castle in the Sky is undeniably a children's movie, complete with
lovable child protagonists, evil adult villains, and fanciful creatures
and fantastic worlds galore. But then again, the Harry Potter series is
also unabashedly a work that's aimed at the kiddie set -- and this
hasn't stopped every adult I know from battling the young 'uns to get
their hands on each hotly anticipated new release. Clearly, there's a
kid in each of us, and stories that stimulate the imagination remain
thrilling no matter how many birthdays you've celebrated. While Castle
in the Sky lacks some of the sophistication and depth of the
director's later works, particularly Princess
Mononoke and Spirited Away,
Miyazaki's inventiveness is in full display in this dazzling animated
feature. The myriad varieties of airships alone are amazing -- think
boats that "sail" through the sky -- and include the army's
massive Goliath ship, the pirates' wonderfully rickety Tiger Moth
vessel, and the insect-like mini-scooters that pirate Dola and her boys
use to zip between their main ship and the earth. When the two kids
finally make it to Laputa, the city in the sky is so gorgeously, richly
rendered that you're glad to take a small break from the nearly non-stop
action, and luxuriate in the beauty of the visuals for awhile. Part
Jules Verne inspired sci-fi fantasy, part Indiana Jones-style adventure,
and 100% true art, Castle in the Sky is just pure good fun -- no
matter what age you might be. —reviewed
by Yee-Fan Sun
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