Castle in the Sky (aka Laputa)

There is magic in every film yet that I have seen from Japanese master animator, Hayao Miyazaki. Probably better than any other filmmaker in the last 20 years, Miyazaki transports his audience to a completely new world filled with adventure and imagination. Though this may not be his absolutely most imaginative film, it is probably his funniest. He has an uncanny way of creating likeable, complex characters (usually children or teenagers), whose goodness influences everyone around them, including, in this case, a band of pirates, and often even the villains. This film finds a boy and a mysterious girl searching for the fabled floating city of Laputa. They are aided by the pirates and pursued by a group of shadey government agents whose intentions may not be pure. Miyazaki excels at the joy of possibilities such as flying, and his fantasy is crafted with such precision and a concern for moral character and the humanity of all of his characters.