Miyazaki means adventure

// Synopsis: One night a young boy named Pazu finds a young girl wearing a glowing pendant and floating down from the sky. Together, they discover both are searching for the legendary floating castle, Laputa, and vow to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around her neck. Their quest won’t be easy, however. There are air pirates, secret agents, and astounding obstacles to keep them from the truth — and from each other.

// Review: Miyazaki is anime gold. He has a unique charm about weaving stories that can be enjoyed by an audience of all ages. While My Neighbor Tortoro, Grave of Fireflies and Spirited Away may garner more attention, Laputa could be his best in regards to pure adventure. The teaser begins with a daring raid on an airship by the Dola pirate gang. They are seeking a young girl being captured by a sinister looking man. During the attack she tries to escape out a window and ends up falling to earth.

/ I liked that within the bigger mystery of what and where Laputa is, many small ones are revealed between exciting action sequences. It keeps the pacing excellent and it feels like no scene goes wasted. The English voice talent is superb with Cloris Leachman, Anna Paquin, and the incredibly talented Mark Hamil. Unfortunately James Van Der Beek was tapped to play the lead and he is pretty bad. The entire time it sounds like he has a head cold. The animation and character models are classic Miyazaki and holds up well for being 20 years old. I really dug the opening that had a very roaring 20’s look to it that in retrospect appeared to be scenes from the golden age of Laputa. The music score was fantastic. I really felt a sense of urgency during the action scenes and that something momentous was happening during key plot revelations.

/ Probably the most interesting character was the pirate Dola. Initially all she appears to be is a greedy old hag after treasure and Sheeta’s pendant. And while those things continue to be her goals we learn that she is a pretty compassionate and clever woman. It was great that her character had multiple layers and she became more endearing as the anime progressed.

// Wrap up: I enjoyed this one all the way through even on my 2nd and 3rd viewing. I can’t wait for my little nephew to get a little older so I can wean him off the kiddie drivel and introduce him to something that will really capture his young imagination.

Entertainment rating: 5