Spirited Away and Laputa

[Spriggan]

Well I'm sitting home on this crappy day watching Laputa for the first time in English .  But I have to say one thing about these two movies, there's a realy condesending introduction on both of these by John Lasseter from Pixar before each movie.  You can't get around them unless you go through scene selection.  What's the deal here?  Talk about Ego.  And Pazu's voice is gay it sounds way to cartooine and un-natural.

[Tage]

I've never seen Laputa, so I'll have to borrow it sometime. As long as they treat Spirited Away with respect, though, I'm fine.

[Mistress of Darkness]

I just saw Spirited Away a week ago. It was amazing! It was just like watching a real fairy tale, though I got confused near the end, since it seemed to resolve too quickly, but then fairytales are like that sometimes I guess.

What is Laputa about? It's the same animator, right?

[EUOL]

I liked Laputa, but it was nowhere in the same league.  It betrays more 'old Miazaki.'  Was it me, or were several of the pirate characters very Lupin-esque.  Anyway, the story, animation, and conception weren't as good.  That still made it better than a lot of things--it's still a Miazaki.

As for the about question, the movie has some typical Miazaki 'Man vs Nature' themes mixed in with a adventure-style plot.  Two young teens (or younger?  not sure) have to discover the secret about a mysterious flying city from the past.  Kind of an Atlantis lost-technology stort of thing.  There are some pirates, lots of airships, and the requisite mysterious strangers and pasts.  In all, it's a bit more goofy than later Miazaki works, but not too bad.

As for the introduction, what a stupid thing to do!  They knew that most of these DVD's would be bought by fans who wouldn't care what some guy from Pixar had to say.  Who's inane idea was it to put those intros on, anyway?

[Mistress of Darkness]

I have a one word answer to that question. Disney.

I'd complain more, but I am grateful that these Miazaki films are being released in the US.

[Spriggan]

miazaki use to direct the Lupan TV series when it first started, he also did several of the movies (I've got one of them)  so that's probaly why you got that impression EUOL.

As for Laputa it deals with the floating Islands from Gullivars Travels.  It takes palce about 1000 years later and as with all Miazaki films takes place on an alternate reality of earth.

[EUOL]

You know, that was one of the really cool parts.  When the villan mentioned 'Sodom and Gamorah' at the end, I had to do a double take and say "Huh?"

As for Lupin, that's why I pointed out the similarity.  This movie felt like kind of a bridge between silly early Miaziaki and serious late Miazaki.  I didn't know about the Guillivar's Travels thing, though.

[Spriggan]

I've got the sound track and in Japanese that's what it says on the cover.  "Laputa: The floating castle from Gullivers travels"