Castle in the Sky

I have always loved Castle in the Sky. If I remember correctly, it was the first Miyazaki film I ever saw and it was no doubt the first Ghibli soundtrack i had memorized. Now that we have watched three of Miyazaki's films I am definitely noticing a trend. Most noticeable was the common motif of flight and the technology of the films. I noticed a lot of very similar shots of clouds. I wish I knew how to insert clips into my posts so I could show the similar ones. Also, I so far really like the two title sequences I have seen. The artwork is very different from the animation of the rest of the film but it goes very well with both of them. One thing I have always thought was very interesting was the cut where the kitchen is a mess and then a few scenes later it is spotless. Of course it is easier to draw a clean environment but this is actually a common scene in Miyazaki films that I have already noticed. The same thing occurs in Spirited Away when Chihiro gets assigned to clean the big tub and in Howl's Moving Castle when Sophie cleans the front room in a short montage. Cleaning house has a power to relieve tension and I think it is a very smart thing for Miyazaki to use at these particular moments in his films so they do not become an overload of excitement. I also think its interesting that this same scene happens in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; there is no doubt that Miyazaki was inspired by this scene.