My Neighbor Totoro is the most calm and less intense of all of Miyazaki's movies. No Princess Mononoke action here; instead we are faced with a simple, short story about life in the country: with a dose of fantasy that at the same time feels so real. No antagonists here, except maybe the simple facts of life: illness and misunderstanding.
The scene where Mei creeps into the underbrush certainly fill one with a magical thrill, and the depictions of the Japanese countryside are indeed beautiful. Likewise, their encounters with Totoro, the titular character, which are funny, enchanting and relaxing.
But reality is still depicted fully here, there is no "escape" to a wonderland, only brief moments of peace there. But then there are also moments of peace found in the real world too.
Laputa: Castle in the Sky is certainly one of my favorites, even though it hardly comes close to the depth of Miyazaki's later films. It is a fantasy, it is an adventure, it is a mystery.
The plot is certainly intriguing (read for yourself), and Laputa could be perhaps compared to Atlantis: a highly advanced technological civilization that had been long abandoned, perhaps destroyed. The movie does answer why Laputa is no more, but does so in a poignant manner, an answer that is more contemplative than is merely a factual explanation.
I noticed how the designs on some vehicles in the film are similar to that of Howl's Moving Castle. Perhaps Miyazaki thought it fit to reuse them in Howl, but either way, Laputa makes for a much more interesting movie anyway. Some would feel that this movie is a little slow at times, but those "slow" scenes function as interludes that do not really serve to advance the story, but certainly do help build the characters (which is important too, no?).
The scene where Mei creeps into the underbrush certainly fill one with a magical thrill, and the depictions of the Japanese countryside are indeed beautiful. Likewise, their encounters with Totoro, the titular character, which are funny, enchanting and relaxing.
But reality is still depicted fully here, there is no "escape" to a wonderland, only brief moments of peace there. But then there are also moments of peace found in the real world too.
***
Laputa: Castle in the Sky is certainly one of my favorites, even though it hardly comes close to the depth of Miyazaki's later films. It is a fantasy, it is an adventure, it is a mystery.
The plot is certainly intriguing (read for yourself), and Laputa could be perhaps compared to Atlantis: a highly advanced technological civilization that had been long abandoned, perhaps destroyed. The movie does answer why Laputa is no more, but does so in a poignant manner, an answer that is more contemplative than is merely a factual explanation.
I noticed how the designs on some vehicles in the film are similar to that of Howl's Moving Castle. Perhaps Miyazaki thought it fit to reuse them in Howl, but either way, Laputa makes for a much more interesting movie anyway. Some would feel that this movie is a little slow at times, but those "slow" scenes function as interludes that do not really serve to advance the story, but certainly do help build the characters (which is important too, no?).
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