LAPUTA, CASTLE IN THE SKY

Laputa castle in the sky ï ¿½ Studio Ghibli

Starting from Wednesday 25th April 2012, another classic of animation by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, made in 1986, makes its appearance in Italian cinemas: "Laputa, Castle in the sky" (original title "Tenkuu no Shiro Rapyuta"). The animated film is the first made by Studio Ghibli, and is characterized by an adventurous and captivating plot, full of action, mystery and twists, where the main characters such as Pazu and Sheeta, remember not a little the unforgettable Conan and Lana , from the animated series calebre Conan the boy of the future, signed by Miyazaki himself.

History

The story tells of an ancient people who managed to develop a powerful technology, making use of a very rare mineral, thanks to this mineral the people managed to build thousands of floating cities that left the earth to move to heaven. Of all the cities in the sky the most important was Laputa.
As often happens, the people of the flying cities exploited the power of the crystal in an evil way to self-destruction, of the cities of their inhabitants and their science nothing remained, only mystery.
After 700 years, from the destruction of the floating dream of that ancient civilization, the story of the royal family of Laputa resurfaces, through the face of a little girl. The animated film begins by shooting an aerial scene, as there will be many: four small aircraft departing from the belly of a futuristic helicopter that look a lot like dragonflies.
They are pirates of the sky and are on the hunt for something or better than someone.
Their sights are directed at an airship that plows the skies like a huge ship.
On board other non-shady guys, dark glasses and bowler hats. There is also a little girl with black hair, gathered in braids and a red headband, she is very sad and looks out the window, looking worried.
The ambush is not long in coming, the pirates attack the dirigible, the men with dark glasses are armed and resist the blows launched by the enemies.

Laputa castle in the sky ï ¿½ Studio Ghibli

The little girl is taken to a room, while one of the men who is with her fumbles with a sort of telegraph with a parable, the little girl with a bottle hits him in the back, after taking back a pendant that belongs to her, runs away clinging to the parapet of the airship .
Still sky, still air, the little girl can hardly hold on but suddenly falls down.
The girl is called Sheeta and while she is in free fall she is enveloped by a mysterious aura that supports her and does not allow her to get hurt.

So, going down slightly, an orphan boy who works in a mine ends up in Pazu's arms, after his shift, returning home, he finds himself with his nose upwards to watch Sheeta descend "like an angel".
Sheeta is in a semi-unconscious state and Pazu decides to take her home and take care of her.
The next morning, Pazu and Sheeta, a little frightened at first, begin to meet; in the humble little house of Pazu, Sheeta is attracted by the photo of Laputa the flying city that the boy's father had seen and whose wonderful story he had told him many times. A story that no one believes in, a story of when many cities populated the air, wandering as if they were floating in the sky.
Pazu confesses to her the desire to find that land and to redeem the memory of her father that everyone considered crazy.
But the tranquility is soon violated by the pursuers who are on the trail of Sheeta, to save her from her tormentors, Pozu leads Sheeta into the mine and here the boys meet an old man who is kidnapped by the bluish stone that Sheeta wears around his neck.
The stone that makes up the pendant is a Gravitapietra, which belonged to the inhabitants of Laputa, not just any inhabitants but to the royal family.
Sheeta grew up in a place surrounded by mountains, she only knows that that pendant has been handed down, in her family, for generations along with formulas, she does not know the power of the stone.
Sheeta is convinced that she has to find that place to which she is linked and so begins the adventure of the two boys.

Laputa castle in the sky ï ¿½ Studio Ghibli

Meanwhile, the army led by the General does not leave a moment of tranquility, in addition to the general a mysterious man named Muska tries to take possession of the stone, enormous powers he has enclosed in it: it is also the key to access the dimension in which he is Laputa concealed.
Muska is a cruel man, in one scene he cuts the braids to sweet Sheeta.
Dola is Sheeta's other antagonist, a woman with a lumpy nose who leads a gang of
comic pirates, Dola is looking for the treasure that is said to be kept in the castle of Laputa.
The last legendary castle in the sky is hidden somewhere; on the flying island the group of good and bad men arrives, there indescribable riches await them, but what the two boys discover is the presence of a special being, a keeper who reveals the secrets of a possible coexistence between nature and technology.

Judgment on the film

The film in Italy already appeared in 2004 in DVD version for the home video market, but was withdrawn from the market the following year, therefore every copy that is found in the second-hand market has a disproportionate value because it is a true and its own collectible rarity.
As for Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa in the valley of the wind, also in Laputa, castle in the sky, we find all the ecological and anti-militarist philosophy of Miyazaki. Once again the fate of the world is entrusted to a girl and a young man, while the figures of adults and in particular of men are always seen as obtuse, obstinate and anchored in their position of domination towards nature, which must be bent to the his will. Unlike Studio Ghibli's most successful films, Laputa offers much more room for action and adventure than the magical, bizarre and mysterious charm of the Enchanted city or of Howl's Moving Castle, even if we find the same aircraft of the latter, similar to dragonflies. A film not to be missed for all lovers of this genre, as it is considered the best Japanese animated film of 1986.

Source: www.cartonionline.com

	Original title:	Tenk no shiro Rapyuta
	Country:	Japan
	Year:	1986
	Gender:	Entrainment
	Duration:	124 '
	Directed by:	Hayao Miyazaki
	Official site:	http://disney.go.com/../studioghiblidvd3.html
	Production:	Nibariki, Studio Ghibli, Tokuma Shoten
	Distribution:	Lucky Red
	Exit :	April 25, 2012 (cinema)

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