moriarty@tc.fluke.com (Jeff Meyer) (07/09/89)
LAPUTA, CASTLE IN THE SKY
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1989 Jeff Meyer
I make no claim to being anything other than a novice anime (Japanese
animation) enthusiast, so I can't tell you how LAPUTA, CASTLE IN THE SKY stands
up to other anime out there. I think it safe to say that it would probably be
labeled a "children's story" by a casual assessor -- not that any
self-respecting adult can't swallow some hard-earned sophistication and enjoy
the Bejeezus out of it. The story, of a young boy and a mysterious girl who
floats, unconscious, out of the sky, is a fable cushioned in the very best
visual imagery and invention. Any show with this much imagination breaks the
boundaries set by "adult" and "children" conventions, and deserves a look.
The story is another variation on the boy/girl/quest story, with a bit of
environmental morality thrown in at the end; some might find the story a bit
simple and untutored -- I think it only enforces the air of innocence around
the protagonists, but there you go, you've been warned. What really makes
LAPUTA worth watching is the imagery: fantastic sky-vehicles, anarchistic and
futuristic at the same time; Victorian villains and silly comic relief pirates
(with a nod of the head towards another anime production, NAUSICAA); and a
sense of freedom that animation allows the gifted director to use. Hayao
Miyazaki is considered at the very pinnacle of anime directors, and this film
gives dozens of examples why -- Stephen Spielburg could learn some things about
creative point-of-view from Miyazaki. (Rumor has it that he did.) I came away
with so many delightful images from this film ... a girl floating down among
the clouds, enveloped in a bubble of light; a impersonal-then-personal robot,
like something from a Moebius sketch, rampaging through a fortress; the idea of
travel, exploration and battle among the clouds. There's work here that's
every bit as good as the best of Max Fleisher in the mid-to-late 30s; while
this level of quality isn't constantly evident, the work is never shoddy. And
the effect is magnified by seeing it on a large screen (an experience animation
fans are rarely allowed to experience).
The film isn't sub-titled; I cannot tell you how good the translation is,
though I have heard that the dialogue is toned a bit towards a younger
audience, though the effect can't be too severe from what I saw. Good
animation, in my experience, feeds the imagination, suspends belief, and takes
you back to a cleaner, younger self. By that definition, LAPUTA is very, very
good.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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