The Tiger Moth is an airship used by the air pirate Captain Dola and her gang. Its name comes from an actual flying insect, the garden tiger moth.
Appearance
The Tiger Moth is a blimp-like airship constructed from metal, wood and fabric with wings and propellers. The airship's features include a hangar that carries four flaptors, a crow's nest lookout that detaches to become a kite, a galley to prepare the enormous amount of food Dola's Gang eats, and living quarters for the gang.
Role in the film
The Tiger Moth appears at the beginning of the film, when Dola's Gang raids Colonel Muska's airship in pursuit of Sheeta and her crystal necklace. Later, Dola and Pazu rescue Sheeta from imprisonment and take her to the Tiger Moth, where Sheeta helps out by working and cooking in the galley. The gang flies the Tiger Moth to Laputa, but are intercepted by Muska and Air Destroyer Goliath. The Tiger Moth manages to evade the larger airship at first, using the cloud cover to avoid the searchlights and cannon fire. However, the airship is then caught in the storm that protects Laputa. Goliath reappears from behind and unleashes its weaponry to severely damage the smaller craft. The Tiger Moth manages to make it onto Laputa despite the damage, but the Dola Gang are captured by the military when they arrive. As Muska initiates his betrayal, the pirate crew manages to escape with Pazu's help and take shelter within the ship's wreck during the chaos. The Dola Gang then use the Flaptors in the ship's hangar to escape Laputa just as the section which held the airship collapses after Pazu and Sheeta use the Spell of Destruction and cause the lower portion of Laputa to crumble. Motro sobs to the ship's fate before Dola tells him to stop crying and that she'll get him a new ship.
| Castle in the Sky | |
|---|---|
| Characters | |
| Main Cast | Sheeta | Pazu |
| Dola's Gang | Dola | Henri | Charles | Louis | Motro |
| The Army | Muoro | Muska | Colonel Muska's Bodyguards |
| Denizens of Laputa | Robot | Fox Squirrel |
| Slagtown Citizens | Duffi | Okami | Train Operator | Uncle Pom | Madge (Castle in the Sky) |
| Others | Pazu's Father | Sheeta's Grandmother |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Mechanical Designs | Air Destroyer Goliath | Tiger Moth | Flaptor | Saturn | Automobile | Armored Train | Mine Railway |
| Locations | Laputa | Tedis | Gondoa | Pazu's Town |
| Objects | Crystal Necklace |
| Music | Soundtracks |