It’s just a shame her performance in “Ponyo” is not up to the same standard but that is for a completely different entry. Anyone who has seen a certain film called “Beverley Hillbillies” (well most of us may have seen it but blanked it from our minds with good reason) will know that Leachman was perfect as the feisty Granny and she pulls of the same attitude in this film. Not only is her voice spot on but she is absolutely funny, her comic timing is perfect. Out of all the English Ghibli dubs for FEMALE characters, she ranks as one of the best, if not THE best! She, along with Mark Hamill as Mushka IS the reason why this dub is definitely worth a listen to. Some are just off and some are just perfect. She is unnatural and there is no soul to her performance.Īs for the Disney dub….well, as I have mentioned before, there is justification as to why the overall Disney dub has mixed reviews. Yes, she gives Dola the Granny touch but her voice is too scratchy that it is almost unbearable to hear it reminds me of the feeling you get when someone scrapes against a blackboard. I don’t think I’ll go into this one as I have mentioned before that the Streamline dub is awful. In fact compared to Cloris Leachman, she sounds more “granny-like” but her voice carries the feistiness of the character. When Dola states that Sheeta cannot do it because she is a girl, Sheeta is quick to retaliate that Dola is as well.Īll I can say is that I would love to be a member of her crew. During the storm, she is protective of Sheeta for being in the kite with Pazu but Sheeta is just as defiant as Dola. However, she does get maternal with them. It is true that when Pazu and Sheeta are brought onto the pirate ship, they are put to work immediately. Although she will deny it, there is softness inside her. It is she who makes Pazu realise that Sheeta was trying to protect him from the army after she dismissed him from the fortress they had been taken to. She is bossy and her crew are quick to obey her. She has a hot temper and is boisterous as well. Three of the pirates on board are her children and she in particularly has control over them.Įven though she is elderly, she has a fiery soul. What is interesting about Dola is that she is the only female of the pirate crew and yet she rules the roost with an iron fist. Despite the fact they are basically thieves, they are not manipulative, unlike Mushka who does not care how and what he does to get what he wants. I have seen many films featuring pirates and what I find interesting in the film is that the pirates are very honest. They want the treasure of Laputa and they are willing to risk their lives to get the crystal which will lead them to the crystal. When it comes to Dola (and her gang), they never change their tactics and yet in the view of the audience, they turn from villain to sidekick and become perhaps the best characters in the film.
There is nothing complex about his actions: he wants Laputa purely for his powers and he is manipulative about it. In the beginning, with Mushka, we think that he is protecting Sheeta and as time goes on, he graduates to pure villian. This mainly comes from two major characters Mushka and Dola (and her pirate gang). Voices: Cloris Leachman (English Disney dub)ĭespite its cliched elements and 1980s style, Laputa is in fact quite a clever film, in particular in comparison to other films, especially other Ghibli films. Film: Laputa: Castle in the Sky (English title)