Movie RX
Dr. Benjamin prescribes movies that help and heal through his own experiences or the experiences of others.
Movie RX
Castle In The Sky(1986)
A girl falls from the sky, a floating castle holds ancient power, and a 12-year-old boy with dreams of flight finds himself caught in an adventure beyond imagination. This magical collision of characters forms the heart of Studio Ghibli's 1986 masterpiece, Castle in the Sky.
When Sheeta literally drops into Pazu's life, neither could anticipate how their destinies would intertwine. As they evade both government agents and a comically inept band of air pirates, they discover their shared connection to Laputa—the legendary floating city that most believe is merely myth. What begins as Pazu's mission to prove his father wasn't lying about seeing the castle transforms into something far more profound when they learn of Sheeta's ancestral connection to this technological marvel.
What distinguishes Castle in the Sky from other animated adventures is its seamless blending of thrilling action with poignant themes about humanity's relationship with technology. The film presents us with Mark Hamill's brilliantly voiced villain Muska, who seeks Laputa's power for domination, contrasted against our young heroes who discover that the abandoned city's true marvel isn't its weapons but the massive tree growing at its center—nature reclaiming what humanity abandoned when they chose power over connection.
Director Hayao Miyazaki creates unforgettable moments that stay with viewers long after watching: pirates competing to help with household chores, grown men comically exploding their shirts to display their strength, and breathtaking flying sequences set to Joe Hisaishi's unforgettable score. These lighter moments balance perfectly against the film's deeper message that technology without human connection becomes meaningless—a theme that feels remarkably prescient in today's digital world.
Whether you're new to anime or a longtime Studio Ghibli fan, Castle in the Sky delivers that rare combination of adventure, heart, humor and thought-provoking themes that transcend both age and cultural boundaries. Watch it once for the adventure, then again to catch all the nuances you missed the first time around.
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Hello and welcome to MovieRx, where I prescribe entertainment one movie at a time. I am your host, dr Benjamin, and I'm a doctor in the same way as Dr Dre, because it's catchy. Honestly, I don't know why they call him Dr Dre, but I figure if he can call himself a doctor and not get in trouble for it, then I should be able to right yeah, we'll see. I should be able to right yeah, we'll see. So today I have a returning guest, someone who's been on, and we're kind of figuring out that she's doing a sort of a series of movies, the Studio Ghibli series. I guess we'll call it. Welcome, chrissy.
Speaker 2:Hello.
Speaker 1:Alrighty. So today Chrissy's brought us another conversation about Studio Ghibli, because that's what we do, and today we're talking about another one that I kind of struggled a little bit with, but not near as much as Totoro. Today we're talking about Castle in the Sky. So what made you pick this one Like did you just recently watch it and it kind of just became your new favorite, or?
Speaker 2:So I went to the library to pick up Spirited Away and they told me it's not in right now. So it's like, okay, I'll look for another one. Saw they had Castle in the Sky and it's like this is a good one to try Pop it. And I've noticed this with studio ghibli movies. I expect one thing out of the movie and get something completely different. That's even better. And this movie flows in a way that it satisfies me. It's just a good movie. It's. It's a nice sit your butt down great music, great great animation, great characters. Sit down, watch it and enjoy.
Speaker 1:Right, and I mean, that's just what you get from Studio Ghibli, like I mean. Well, I mean, I suppose I should probably do the basic movie info here. We got the Studio Ghibli film released in 1986. This thing is only two years younger than me, so this is a 38 old film.
Speaker 1:Uh, written and directed by, again, the great Hayao Miyazaki. Uh, miyazaki had help uh, in the English dub version from Jonathan Swift and we're doing the English dub version today. Um, the English version stars, uh, anna Paquin, or Anna Paquin Paquin, I think. Uh, she, I don't know if you watched the X-Men movie. She was rogue in the old X-Men movies. Uh, it also stars shit, it's the Dawson, james Van Der Beek and, uh, and then also Luke Skywalker's in this movie, mark Hamill. So, yeah, I mean they kind of like, I mean, especially for that time, 1986, anna Paquin and James Vanderbeek they were both very young, uh, and Mark Hamill, uh, I'm I'm pretty sure Mark Hamill will always be like a child at heart. Uh, there's no way that you can play that. You can play, uh, you know, two completely different roles like Luke Skywalker and the Joker, and then not be a child for the rest of your life.
Speaker 2:Um, I didn't realize this movie until I read which character. I couldn't even recognize his voice at the time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's. I mean he does a really great job with his voice, acting Like. In a lot of the time it doesn't. It's like he's not even trying and he can. He can just make the slightest change to his voice and it and it makes it just sound completely different.
Speaker 1:Like I don't know, it's he's. He's a very talented voice actor. I was really kind of surprised that he ended up being more into voice acting than than regular movies. Um, but yeah, he's, he's just bad-ass. Um, now the IMDB description on this. Let's see. Uh, how do you think Jamie will feel about this one? Uh, Pazoo's life changes when he meets Sheetaeta, a girl whom pirates are chasing for her crystal amulet, which has the potential to locate laputa. A? Uh, a legendary castle floating in the sky that's about it yeah, that's a pretty good, pretty good, uh brief description.
Speaker 1:I think that that's not bad. Uh, jamie wouldn't be happy with it, because Jamie apparently needs them to read her the script before before she's happy with the IMDb description. Ha I, I, I think you need to. I think you need to listen to more episodes, chrissy, because I pick on Jamie a lot.
Speaker 2:How nice of you.
Speaker 1:It's fun, fun, it's so much fun. So, um, so yeah, this movie, um, this one did kind of start off a little difficult for me, uh, to to kind of begin with, um, the as far as, as far as characters go in this movie, that's, that's one of the things that that that I think really makes this movie. Uh, is is the is the different kinds of characters. Um, I'm not going to lie, some of them are kind of ridiculous, but some, I mean, it's okay, it's okay that they're a little ridiculous, but, um, uh, but we're, we're going to start with a more obvious one Pazu. Tell me what you think of Pazu.
Speaker 2:A kid trying to find his way through the world when all of a sudden a girl falls from the sky. An angel from the heavens, practically.
Speaker 1:It's every high school boy's dream Just some girl falling from the sky. And yeah, yeah, I'll tell you. What I first noticed about Pazu is that he's really smart. Oh yeah, like he's super, super smart, like I mean first off, he's like an engineer's assistant. Mm-hmm, like I mean he, I mean first off he's. He's like an engineer's assistant. Like I don't know how old he's supposed to be, but definitely younger than I think an engineer's assistant should be.
Speaker 2:I looked up their ages, Shita and Patsu's age.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Shita's 13. Patsu is 12.
Speaker 1:Yeah, see 12. No there's no way that a 12 year old is a is a. Is that much that knowledgeable in engineering to be able to do all those things with those pipes and stuff that he was doing for his boss, you know? Running the um the lift yeah, running the lift and all of that stuff, like fixing all the steam, all the steam vents and all of that stuff, like I mean he knew what he was doing.
Speaker 1:I mean maybe not so much with the lift, but it also sounded like he didn't really get to do that much and he was distracted because girls falling from the sky. But he but yeah. So not only that, but also he catches this girl and he finds out, like he figures out pretty damn quick, that her floating down from the sky had something to do with that crystal. He figured that out super quick, way quicker than I think a 12 year old character normally would in a in an animated movie.
Speaker 1:And he's, he's building a frigging, a freaking plane yeah like this kid is smart, this kid is super, super smart. So like, automatically, that's all. That's seriously going to be a major leg up and making me like this character, because he's he's just brilliant like super, super intelligent.
Speaker 2:He does jump off the roof at one point too, though well, except that's the brilliant, like super, super intelligent, he does jump off the roof at one point too, though.
Speaker 1:Well, except that's the whole thing Like what is a science minded kid going to do when he doesn't have a whole lot of options? He's going to say, okay, so I think this crystal makes people float. Can I borrow your crystal for a second? And then he jumps off the roof, like I mean, that seems like a like a pretty sensible way to test it. I mean, he didn't jump all the way off the roof, he just jumped onto a lower section and crash landed through it yeah, I mean that it's for science yeah, fair enough, so at least it's a crash pad though.
Speaker 1:Or something, or something. I mean okay, so maybe he's not that smart. No, he's super smart.
Speaker 2:He is super smart and he just wanted to prove it and I think he got a little carried away, being like I'm right, I'm going to jump off this roof Crash.
Speaker 1:Probably. Oh, and he plays a hell of a trumpet too. Oh, yes, he's a really good trumpet player. Yeah, that was.
Speaker 2:I don't know if he was supposed to be like the wake up guy or something like that, but he did a good job, I mean maybe he very well could be the morning alarm clock for everybody, because he lives up on a hill and stands on the roof with his doves or pigeons or whatever they are, and starts playing trumpet every morning.
Speaker 1:Yep, and, of course, like anything Miyazaki, a hell of a tune. It's catchy and something that sticks in your head. I watched that movie a second time this morning in preparation for recording today, and that song has been playing in my head all day. Just really good stuff.
Speaker 2:I plan on watching this movie again sometime this week. It's so good.
Speaker 1:Just to get it in one more time before you have to take it back.
Speaker 2:I bought it on DVD. Well, you have to take it back. I bought it on DVD.
Speaker 1:Well, you just went and bought it. Okay, I bought it.
Speaker 2:I borrowed it from the library. It was like I like this movie, went to Amazon and bought it, so now I have my own personal copy.
Speaker 1:Well, that's good. Let's see here I mean Pazu really kind of stuck out for me as a good character what's one of your favorites?
Speaker 2:I really like Sheeta.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:She just seems like such a simple character, with so much more behind her, and she's very caring. She doesn't really put up a fight. She's not very like rebellious. She wants to help people and please people at some point. But she's also very selfless. She's like stay away, potsu, I'm gonna cause you danger, get back. You don't want to be near me? Potsu's like, but I do, I want to go with you. And she's like's like no, no, I'm putting you in danger. You have to go.
Speaker 1:Like she cares more about patsu's safety than she does her own right, yeah, that's uh well, and selfless characters are kind of uh, those are, those are kind of a uh, studio ghibli, um, like almost a guarantee. Like there's usually a really good selfless character in each of those movies and this one it's definitely her. The thing that I kind of like about her is the mystery that surrounds her, you know, I mean right off the bat, at the beginning of the movie. You know she's in an airship being attacked by pirates trying to get this thing, you know, and she, you know, wallops a guy upside the head with a with a wine bottle and and takes a, takes a crystal and jumps out the side of the plane. You know it's like uh, and then she floats. Then she floats down to, you know, to to the Dawson and uh, you know, uh and and kicks things off a little bit. But she's, she's pretty much a mystery pretty much throughout the whole movie.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Um, uh, I mean until you really start getting into the, into the thick of the end of the movie. Um, but, uh, but yeah, like she's, she's almost. The thing about Shida, though, I think, is that she's almost, she's almost half a character, because her, her character in tandem with Pazu is really kind of I mean that that is one character right there.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like they. They are so much, so much a part of each other right from the beginning, that that they're, that. They really are just kind of one, yeah, and it's not even in a duality sort of way, because sometimes you get that really harsh, stern character, that's with the really bubbly friendly one or whatever, and they kind of show the duality in one character or something like that. But they're really not terribly different.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, they have similarities At heart. They have similarities, few differences, but in a way they are both very caring about each other. They want to put each other first over themselves. And yeah, I'd say Potsu is a little more adventurous than shida is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's kind of one of the ways they're different yeah, now the uh uh, jumping into the talking points here a little bit, uh, we, we're kind of getting into another character, or rather group of characters, I suppose, um, the, they don't start off this way, but you have the Dola and her unthreatening band of pirates. Um now they don't. They don't start off as unthreatening.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like that opening scene, you, you get the sense that this is a formidable band of of pirates that are about ready to do like they're about ready to pull some shit, you know. And then, as as the movie goes on, they start, you know, putting on. They start putting on like costumes and things like that. And let me, let me just tell you the weirdness. That is this one scene that just stuck with me and that is the explode your shirt scene. This beardly dude standing there in his suit two beardly dudes, and yeah.
Speaker 1:And then he, like, flexes and blows his shirt up. And then pazoo's boss isn't to be outdone, so he does it too, and his shirt explodes and his wife and they're just both standing there flexing, like you know, and his wife's, like I'm not fixing that, I'm not fixing that shirt for you.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to mend that shirt Now. I'm just like that. Now I laugh. I laugh like a motherfucker at that scene. Like the first time I watched it I was just like the fuck am I watching Like this is so fucking weird. But it's it now. Now I just laugh.
Speaker 2:Now, I'm just like it's great.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I get a kick out of it. But the thing that I really like about that scene is that that's really where you start to get the sense that the villains in this movie are awful at being villains. They are just bad, bad villains. They, they don't not. Not bad villains isn't like the kind of bad that you want a villain to be yeah, they're just they just suck at being bad guys I think that's because they're not really bad guys like they.
Speaker 2:they are kind of at the very beginning when they're chasing Shida down, but then they turn to be like we're going to help you. You, you can come with us, we're going to help you.
Speaker 1:Right, and like I mean cause they're, they're chasing, they're chasing, uh, shida and and Pazu around, uh, I mean everything from through the town to on the train and and all of that stuff. But it's like I mean I, I don't know man, like it's just so weird that that their their personalities, of course, I mean the voice acting alone is just is ridiculous and very, very commonplace for that time.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Um, uh, in in the mid eighties, voice acting for anime was just outrageous, um, and, and it just lended. It just lended more, uh, more goofiness to this, to this band of bad guys that would eventually become um, you know not, it would eventually become what you didn't expect they would be um, because their intentions and, and you know, what they are after is not near as um, as villainous as the real villain ends up being. So, yeah, it was just kind of fun. It almost ends up being almost like in Moving Castle.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:How the Witch of the Waste was like. You thought she was going to be the big ugly baddie, but then she ended up being a part of the, a part of the family yeah like that kind of a unexpected twist sort of thing.
Speaker 1:I don't know it, just kind of it cracks me up, um, uh. So, uh, up here on your on, on your talking points we have, pazu has a connection with with Laputa. Just like Sheeta, he wants to find Laputa for his father. So like Sheeta, I mean, well, we know that Pazu is looking for Laputa because his dad had been looking for it and he found it and he took a picture of it. It wasn't a very good picture, but he found, he took a picture of it and he made drawings and things like that. And well, ultimately people didn't believe him and it got him killed. So he's got skin in the game. He's like I want to clear my dad's name, I want to make sure that people know that he wasn't lying, that he's not full of shit and whatever. What's Sheeta's connection with with Laputa?
Speaker 2:Shida's the princess. She is the descendant of the original rulers of Laputa. Right Muska actually explains this to her. Translate it for her. Where her real name? Uh, lushita, something, something. Laputa, I forgot what it is. Is actually um like Lushita, true, something. Laputa, I forgot what it is. Is actually um like Lushita, true. Ruler of Laputa.
Speaker 1:Right, which I mean she doesn't know that, uh, to begin with, Um, she just, she just knows that she wants to go with Pazu to this place, Um, and, and she feels, she feels a kind of drawing to it, Um, Pazu's also smart enough to figure out that that, that that stone that she's wearing has has something to do with that place, and so, uh, so I mean they're, they have all of these reasons why they should be going there together that just kind of come up, uh, throughout the story as it goes, Um, I do think she actually tells Patsu her real name before they get captured again and before she finds out what that means.
Speaker 2:She does tell him and then I think that's when they get captured, right? So she knows that she has a very small connection, but she doesn't know exactly what it means right, I mean just that it like that it's a part of her full name, um, the.
Speaker 1:I wonder, though, I mean if that, if the assumption would be, um, you know, because I mean that was something that, that that was a way that people would identify themselves, um, you know, with a name of wherever you know, um, like, uh, like Robin hood, you know. I don't know if you ever saw the Robin hood movie. Uh, he was Robin of Loxley, um, but uh, no, I mean, mean, I mean just that kind of sort of thing, though prince hans of the southern isles right, you know the the various different things, uh, the various different ways that people would identify themselves throughout history.
Speaker 1:Where have some of them have been not very reliable.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But um, and, and sometimes it just gets forgotten, but uh, uh, as to their origins, but um, I wonder if that's kind of what it was, for her was just that like that. Just that was her last name. She just didn't know why. Um. But uh, yeah, yeah, I don't know. Um. So this, this next one, pazou, standing up to the pirates in the beginning Um, tell, tell me a little bit about why you put this one on here.
Speaker 2:He's trying to be so brave. Um, that's, that's the. The shirt exploding scene again. He's standing next to his boss, all big and tough. He looks like he's fighting against a bear. Some people say, if you make yourself all big and tough, stronger than the bear, then the bear will flee. That's what it kind of looks like. He's like a little a little, just a little, a smaller creature standing up to these big, mean bears, until he's, of course, pulled away by, uh, his boss's wife it's. It's just funny to me the way he looks in that scene.
Speaker 1:Just yeah, small little kid, yeah, just there, well, and and I mean that that's kind of how he gets, ends up, how he ends up getting away um, through. All of that is is just, you know it's, it's pretty easy for us to just kind of set aside those small, those small things, like you know, we get. We get involved in whatever it is that we're doing, and it's real easy to lose track of a little somebody you know, um, but yeah, no, it's real easy to lose track of a little somebody you know Um, but yeah, no, it's I don't know. Like I said, that scene just weirded me the fuck out before, but, like, like, I don't know it, it it kind of became one of my favorites, uh, uh, after, after watching it a couple of times, to do this episode. So Now, what's this next one here? Explain this next one to me.
Speaker 2:So when Hatsu gets, patsu gets pulled into his house by the pirates and they tie him up. Just before they leave, one of the pirates in the background goes Patsu loves Shita.
Speaker 1:And every time I hear that it makes me laugh, because that's such a childish thing to do, that that's something that we've all done you love him I'm trying to remember who it was that did that voice, um, but it's, it's, uh, it's a more, oh, I, I'd have to look it up, um, but yeah, the you know what I think?
Speaker 2:I think I'm just gonna look it up because you, just, you just hear that in the background and it's in this very faint. You kind of have to turn up the volume, but just like, wow, that's such a childish thing to do, you. You really are not good villains.
Speaker 1:Right, Well, and it's oh geez. What's it trying to do here, God? Now I'm getting messages all over the place the oh TopCast. What was his name? It was, oh, Louie, Louie. That was Louie. And an interesting bit of information for anybody watching this movie that is Mandy Patinkin. That does Louis' voice, Mandy Patinkin. I don't know if you know who that is. Chrissy, did you ever see Princess Bride? Yes, Mandy Patinkin was the Spaniard, If you know who that is.
Speaker 1:Chrissy, um, did you ever see princess bride? Yes, mandy Patinkin was the Spaniard you killed my father prepared to die. That was Mandy Patinkin. Um, uh, he was also. He was also in Homeland. He was in, uh, dick Tracy Alien Nation. He was in Dick Tracy Alien Nation. He was in a lot of movies but in a lot of TV shows. But, yeah, so Louie was voiced by Mandy Patinkin, which I it blew me away because it doesn't sound anything like him.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But super, super talented guy, um, yeah, anyway, uh, but him doing that, that Paz who loves Shida thing was just, it was silly. And I think what made it so funny for me was was imagining Mandy Patinkin doing it. Um, yeah, uh, so uh, and, and we kind of talked about. We kind of talked about the your, your next talking point, the, the, how, how. Dola's sons are just kind of the worst ever pirates.
Speaker 1:They're just awful at being pirates, um, but like, I think they're only pirates by technicality yeah um, because, like I don't, I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that they, that they want to do all of these piratey things. I think that they just I think that they're just going along with what their mom wants to do.
Speaker 2:That's even what they say. All good pirates do what their mom says.
Speaker 1:Do what their moms tell them to. Yeah, and like, and so because of that, like them being silly is is totally forgivable, like the desserts thing of that like them being silly is is totally forgivable, like the desserts thing, and and like and like you've got on here the that they're kind of absent-minded absent-minded is is the softest way to put that. I mean, these guys are kind of dumb I I like it when they all have.
Speaker 2:They all want to go help cheetah. They're like cheetah, you need some help. And then they see that the other brother's there and it's like what are you doing here? I thought you were sick. And the other's like I wanted to help her. I'm peeling potatoes for her, right, I'm gonna scrub some dishes for her.
Speaker 1:They've all got their own stuff to do, but nah, they'd rather help sheeta yeah, so, so, eventually, eventually, we start to find out more about lapida. Um, as they, as they get in there and they start, um, they start getting in into into lapida, they find, uh, like you've got down here, they uh the tree of lapida, uh, symbol of life. Um, tell me why you put this down the tree is huge.
Speaker 2:It it consumes a building. You can see it spread over top the building, up and out, and even the roots themselves dig deep into Laputa's core and surround the Ethereum crystal that holds Laputa together, and the way it thrives is it keeps going. There's a robot that tends to the animals, and the animals call it home. It gets bigger at home. It's it just. It gets bigger even though there's nobody around truly taking care of it other other than nature itself, maybe even the ethereum crystal right just lives, yeah, and I don't know, I guess, uh, I mean like, well, that kind of goes a little bit into my active ingredients.
Speaker 1:So I might hold on to that little nugget for a little bit. The next talking point you had was the music. What made you feel so much different about the music? Because, like, you haven't really talked about the music much in these movies so far, in the Studio Ghibli movies so far, but this one you bring it up specifically. Why this time?
Speaker 2:Every Studio Ghibli has amazing music. This one in particular. I don't know what it is about it, but that final song during the credits, I want to learn those words and sing that one day. It is one of those songs that plays in my head. I will hum it to myself, I will. I will hear it in my head. I I don't know why. It just it fits the movie and something that studio ghibli does with their uh music. That music that I've noticed is they entangle it throughout the movie. It's not one scene's music, it is the movie's music, and I think that's another thing about music that sometimes just doesn't work for movies Is they're like this song there, this song there, this song there. No, I'm going to call it the song of Laputa. Essentially, it's everywhere. It is a part of the story in a way, and it's just written well. It is catchy, it is sad in a way, but it also got a bright side to it. It's, it's everything. I love it so much.
Speaker 1:So so for for our listeners who aren't aware, mine and Chrissy's dad is a music teacher. He was a music teacher for a lot of a lot of years 24. Chrissy for 24 years. Do you know? Do you know what that is called? What when, when somebody has a musical theme that that reoccurs throughout a story dad said it before, but I can't remember what it's called it's called light motif there it is okay, a motif.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yep, it's called light motif. There it is Okay, a motif. Yeah, yep, it's called a light motif, okay, yep, um.
Speaker 1:And then uh, uh, and ask him, ask him, uh, a really good story about, uh, chris, stelling and light motifs? He'll tell you a good, a good, funny one, about something that that Chris had said in class. Anyway, Uh, so, um. So we we get into now. Now we're getting into some into some fun talking points here about um, about actually like finding more about the actual um, the danger in this movie, the real danger, um, muska. Muska is the real bad guy here. Yes, um, and and he is he. He is every bit of villain, as as any good Disney movie would have Um, but but with with more, with more of the anime swagger, that a that a villain should have. Um, luca is a great, great villain, and I'm not just saying that because he's voiced by luke skywalker. Uh, muska is just a great, great villain. And, uh, now your, your talking point here talks about um, about his downfall. Oh, how, how did he fall?
Speaker 2:He literally fell.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:He did.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:But Sheeta and Patsu Say the spell of destruction which starts to break apart Laputa. But they they would have fallen into the sea if not for the roots of the tree and the Aetherium crystal that carry them to safety, where they eventually meet up with Dola, who also survived. Muska, however, in an earlier scene, is seen ripping the tree roots apart. He's trying to get to the Aetherium crystal. He's tearing them apart, disrespecting them, not giving any acknowledgement to the tree itself and eventually he dies. It almost feels like Shida and Potsu respected the tree, respected what it was and left it alone, and Musu's like I'm gonna burn these roots. And the tree respected what it was and left it alone, and musu's like I'm gonna burn these roots and the tree made him lose his life instead kind of feels like karma like the tree's, like fuck y'all like you asshole.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, the I, I can go along with that. He, he, uh, uh, I mean the that's a, that's a, uh, that's. It's kind of kind of a common theme in in studio Ghibli films. Um, respect for nature kind of thing, uh, is is pretty common throughout a lot of their films. Um, but this, I, I, this one and one other are the only ones that I can really think of just how direct they are. Um, and I mean I don't know if you have you, have you seen princess Mononoke at all, or just seen previews or anything like that.
Speaker 2:I got up to the part where the main character is in the fort. Okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, so you, you got a little bit of a flavor of what it was about. Uh, as far as their, uh, the message, uh, respect for nature, and things like that, that movie winds up being similar in to this one where it is. It is not a subtle message that if you, just if you, metaphorically, um, you fuck with nature and eventually it will turn against you, um and uh, I mean you being humanity that kind of thing Um but uh, but yeah, I think I think that really Musco was, I think, representative of of something a little bit more industrious.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Um.
Speaker 1:I mean, I mean, that's what he was there for. He was there for the technology, he was there for the power, he was there for all of those big flashy things that, yeah, that that Lapida had to offer, but he didn't have the respect for nature required to harness it.
Speaker 2:And so nature, just kind of you know, fuck off, go away, we don't want you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so yeah, no, that's no, no, I'm, I'm, I'm on, I'm on a level with you there. Uh, the disrespect to the tree, uh, to the tree of Lapida, I think, is really kind of kind of the turning point for him as far as where, where his downfall comes from. Um, now, uh, we, we did had kind of talked aboutida caring more about everyone else than her own safety and things like that. I mean, that's part of what makes her such a great character. But I mean, at this point, the crystal has been kind of her focal point throughout the movie and now suddenly she's willing to part with it. On behalf of Pazu.
Speaker 2:Everyone actually.
Speaker 1:So well, yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean well, really, yeah, everyone actually. So well, yeah, I mean well, really, yeah, but but yeah, I mean that's, that's just kind of a crazy cool thing as far as. As far as I'm concerned, is that like the, the perceived selflessness, uh, or I guess rather the selflessness uh over the um, you know, the, the whatever was perceived to be more important, um it, it kind of also, it kind of brings up that that flavor of the um, the Spock thing, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, sort of thing, um, in a different sort of way I guess.
Speaker 2:But that scene where she steals the crystal from muska and runs, is one of my favorites, because you just see muska walking at one point to try and catch up to her and she's just booking it. And here's patsu, and that's when she reaches through to give him the crystal and it's like take it, just take it. And Potsu's like no, I want to help you. And she's like go, he's coming. And then she gives him the crystal and darts off before Muska tries to shoot him and warns Potsu that if you don't give me the crystal, sheeta's going to die that if you don't give me the crystal, she is gonna die right, yeah, and yeah, yeah and then they go to the throne room or what used to be, and she goes this is not a throne room, this is a tomb for you and I right, well, and I mean luckily luckily, we don't really feel like it.
Speaker 1:It goes that way for them. Uh, I mean when, when all is said and done it, it feels very much like they might've might've had an opportunity at that, happily ever after, sort of thing. Yeah, you know very quietly which I mean. I don't know that this story would be. It's predictable, but how else, how else do you want it to end?
Speaker 1:You know, like I mean, we don't, we don't want either of them to die. No, I mean, that's, that's awful to hope that a 12 or a 13 year old dies, but but I mean honestly, what other, what other change are you going to have in this movie? Um, I mean, with it being anime, I suppose she could turn into a tree or something. But like we don't want to get, we don't want to retroactively give uh miyazaki any, any ideas I think the the best ending to the movie is the one you expect.
Speaker 2:You don't want something so far left. You don't want them to just drop oh yeah, she's been ill this whole time and to be like why, why, you gotta do this. You can't just take my favorite character away, right, I like it when they give you the ending you expect, because then you feel satisfied right you have, I mean if you want to give it to me in a different way, then that's fine.
Speaker 1:You know, uh, but no, I I dig um. So. So tell me what's your active ingredient for this movie.
Speaker 2:Honestly friendship, kind of Friendship and connection. We see Shida and Potsu make friends with each other and eventually friends with the people who were originally enemies, the Dola Gang. We see them not. Potsu doesn't view the Dola gang as a threat anymore. He goes let me join you. If you're going to go get Shida, I want to come with you, I want to be there. And Dola's like okay, showing that there are friends everywhere and you might not know it and all you have to do is take the first step. It's a two-way. It's history, like if you make the first step then the other person might, and in that moment Dola made that second step to help get the two back together. And even at the end we see Sheeta's connection with Dola. She's kind of like shut up, I'll get you a new ship to her husband. And then to Shida she's like no, not your pigtails. What a tragedy having your pigtails shot off.
Speaker 2:Right, oh yeah, that's good, gives me the warm fuzzies every time I hear that Just like. Oh, it almost feels like a mother and daughter relationship.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hear that just like. Oh, it almost feels like a mother and daughter relationship. Yeah, no, I can, I can, I mean mine, mine is a little bit. It has a little bit to do with the human connection thing. Um, ultimately, ultimately, what I, what I took from this movie was the themes um of technology and power and, uh, and the importance of of human connections. Um, you have this advanced technological powerhouse city yeah.
Speaker 1:Laputa, you know, floating, uh, floating makes it Um, which is kind of a message of itself. You know, I mean the, the isolation that comes with power and technology, uh, is just a part of what it is, um, and I don't know if that was Miyazaki's intention back in 1986 when he wrote it, but but that's just kind of how it felt to me, um, and it speaks volumes to human isolation because of technology today.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Um Lapida is empty and overgrown, um, and to me that kind of showed that technology is kind of useless without human connection. Um, uh, it, it, it loses its purpose. Um and Shida and Patsu um, they, they kind of represent the importance of human relationships, um and and its effect and its effect around technology. So really I think what I take away is that despite, despite our technology, we need to remember to stay connected with each other yeah um, now I'm I'm not saying to go get rid of your stuff, uh Cause that's dumb.
Speaker 1:I mean, we live in the age that we live in. Technology is a part of it and we need to accept that, but it doesn't. But we still need to make an effort in people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, technology shouldn't be a replacement for people.
Speaker 1:Right. You have to go, and that's kind of what I took from it. So, yeah, thank you. Thank you for bringing me this one. It was difficult, but ultimately I did really enjoy it. So thanks for coming on.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, uh, thanks for coming on. Yeah, yeah, and uh, we'll, we'll look forward to having you on for for another couple of uh Ghibli films later on, so Round three. Round uh, round four.
Speaker 2:Round four, that's true.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Cause. Now, what have we done? Now? We've done um owls owls Totoro, totoro and Castle in the Sky and Castle in the Sky.
Speaker 1:I gotta remember when I'm releasing these, to put Castle in the Sky out after the the cat or after Totoro. Now, if you have a movie that's been medicine for you and has influenced you in some way and you'd like to be on the show, just let me know and we can have you on. Uh, you can email me at contact at movie dash rx, or you can text or leave a voicemail at 402-519-5790. If you have anxiety about being on a microphone, that's okay. Uh, I get it. You can send me an email or text message with a movie and how it is medicine for you and I can talk about it on an episode with somebody. Remember, this movie is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease and we'll see you at the next appointment. Outro Music.