Castle in the Sky
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance Suggested

The Plot: A crystal that holds immense power, worn around the neck of a young girl, has put her into harms way from those forces who desire that power. Her meeting with the hero, who catches her as she floats down from the sky after jumping out of a dirigible sets the stage for a girl-boy team up to combat the forces of evil. Both, from different perspectives, are looking for a castle in a mythical land that is floating in the sky - Laputa. And so we have this fantastic place, along with robots and analogies to ecology, peace and what makes life precious. But there are plenty of battles, explosions, with mother-loving pirates, unrepentant villains and hoards of soldiers falling off into space. Woo Woo - feels almost like one of those action adventure games. But love and sacrifice wins the day.

Bonus Material: All of Miyazaki's works contain three important messages - peace is important to strive for, villains can repent, and saving the planet is important. All this becomes evident in the interviews with him. While there is some overlap, in the four disks just released, there is enough new stuff to please the fan of Miyazaki. In the bonus section you can also see the entire movie in storyboard format.

Fun Factor: Fun and pleasure at the creativity
Female Factor: In a Miyazaki film, girls are the heroes.

Reviewed by: Editor - Mar/10