Introduction to Castle in the Sky:
In our childhood, we all have our favorite moment in animated movie and this one was the one that changed the world in the late 1980. Which was a Japanese science fiction/ fantasy adventure anime movie from 1986 “Castle in the Sky”. The reason why I selected this movie because during my childhood period of them this movie’s title was extremely popular, and after I watched I felt this movie was very special to me all around. Many of people might think of this movie does not considered as science fiction because the castle was flying from the power of the blue crystal, and this can make it as a fantasy theme. However, I do think of this as a science fiction genre because in the movie director Hayao Miyazaki used some idea of how to make the castle flying in the sky, and those castle guardians robots are all made from the idea of science technology. So, this is the concept of science fiction in the movie. In development, the flying castle named “Laputa” was derived from Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels. In the movie, the fly city of Laputa was abandoned, all the race of Laputan had been moved to live in Earth, and the castle has turned into a ruined since then.
Story about Castle in the sky:
This film was set in a Victorian era that might have been and influenced by the visions of writers we had learned in class such as Jules Verne (1828-1905). As Pazu, the apprentice of the engineer who maintains a mine’s elevator machinery, carries his boss’s meatball dinner back to the mine, an unconscious pigtailed girl Sheeta floats down from the sky into Pazu’s arms. When she awakens the next day, she tells him that she is being chased by pirates and the government who are after her magical crystal necklace that is connected to the floating city of Laputa. and her magical levitation-stone pendant hold the key to a mysterious, mythical sky-castle known as Laputa. Sheeta and Pazu must flee from both air-pirates, who seek the sky kingdom for its legendary treasure, and the army of the castle, led by a government agent with his own mysterious agenda for Laputa. It’s now up to the two protagonists Pazu, and Sheeta to find the floating city before the Government and pirates can find them and unlock the secret of Laputa and Sheeta’s connection to the floating city.
Why Castle in the Sky is science fiction?
As for my deep passion that I have for this movie I had found some ideas from other writers. According to article “The City Ascends: Laputa: Castle in the Sky as Critical Ecotopia” from Imagetext, author Anthony Lioi said in the 2nd paragraph “In Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Miyazaki imagines a flying city in which nature and high technology live together in peace, a peace shattered by human violence. Though critics have made the connection between Laputa and Gulliver’s Travels, the immediate source for a science-island in the sky, few have connected Swift’s misanthropy with Miyazaki’s plot.” (Anthony 2). From what Anthony Lioi had said about this movie’s source, I have a feeling that this movie has a depth of science fiction potential lays within it because director Hayao Miyazaki took the idea and place from a well-known classic novel to put into his first Studio Ghibli film. Some youngsters might think that this is a clear fantasy film because the reason how the castle is flying in the sky it was contains an immense of crystal to give the power to keep the castle city aloft. But in another hand, the guardians of the castle city are all highly advance robots with strong power, weapons, and the ability of power to fly in the air like Superman. Back from the quote, the normal life in the castle city was shattered due to the violence of mankind in the flying castle from their technology. In this point, it kind of indicate of how the power of high advance technology can destroy humanity, since everybody wants the higher power to use to control over everything.
In one of the movie’s magazine article “Amazing Anime Movies” written by Marissa Lieberman, she states that “They find out that the fabled floating castle, Laputa, is real and was once a thriving and powerful kingdom with vast wealth, technology, and robot warriors. On the run from the military and pirates, Pazu and Sheeta embark on their own quest to protect Laputa from falling into the wrong hands.” (Marissa 49). This quote of summary defines why people from the military and pirates is doing whatever it takes to take over the flying castle, and the two main protagonists in the movie Pazu and Sheeta must do everything they can to stop them. Simply say, the kingdom of Laputa has everything that anyone can imagine. Gold, for the people with greediness. Technology, and robot warriors is for the people who want to be king. The main villain in this movie, Colonel Muska (Romuska Palo UI Laputa) he has the bloodline of Laputan, he wants to gain back control of what belongs to him and his ancestor. But Sheeta (Princess Lucita Toel UI Laputa) disagree with his idea of madness because Sheeta thinks Laputan should live in the ground like everyone else. In the end, Sheeta activate the destruction spell of Laputa to cause the castle to disintegrate and give Colonel Muaka powerless. If Colonel Muaka can gain control to castle Laputa, I believe this will be danger and a threat to the people in the ground.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Castle in the Sky is the land of the flying machines and is bigger than anything we can imagine on Earth. Not only the world is amazing, but even the characters are so special in compelling in appealing and fun to watch. The idea of the movie was first started off in fantasy concept then moving forwards into science fiction as we getting to know that flying castle a little more. I said this before, I do strongly agree that Castle in the Sky in a part of science fiction film, although it lives inside of a fantasy world, but what kept Laputa airborne is the technology within the castle. So this film has a bit of a mix of elements in both ways between fantasy and science fiction. Overall, I would call this a perfection.
Works Cited
Lieberman, Marissa. “Amazing Anime Movies. “School Library Journal, June 2018, pp. 48-52. “hey find out that the fabled floating castle, Laputa, is real and was once a thriving and powerful kingdom with vast wealth, technology, and robot warriors. On the run from the military and pirates, Pazu and Sheeta embark on their own quest to protect Laputa from falling into the wrong hands.” (Marissa 52)
Anthony Lioi. “The City Ascends: Laputa: Castle in the Sky as Critical Ecotopia” http://imagetext.english.ufl.edu/archives/v5_2/lioi/
Making of Castle in the Sky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEmYNgus2os&t=42s
