Castle in the Sky (1986)

Inspired by "Gulliver's Travels," the fantasy-adventure Castle in the Sky (1986) was Hayao Miyazaki's third feature, and helped to establish his reputation as a visionary in both Japan and America. The orphan Sheeta inherited a mysterious crystal that links her to the legendary sky-kingdom of Laputa. With the help of resourceful Pazu and a rollicking band of sky pirates, she makes her way to the ruins of the once-great civilization. Sheeta and Pazu must outwit the evil Muska, who plans to use Laputa's science to make himself ruler of the world. Castle echoes elements in Myazaki's earlier Nausicaä, and anticipates imagery in his later films, from My Neighbor Totoro to Spirited Away. Disney's new English dub, which features Anna Paquin (Sheeta), James Van Der Beek (Pazu), and Cloris Leachman (pirate matriarch Dola), is lively and close in tone to the original Japanese, if a bit talkier. The exciting flying sequences, appealing characters, and fantastic vision of a steam-powered future Jules Verne might have imagined make Castle in the Sky a must-have for fans of Japanese and Western animation. (Unrated: suitable for ages 10 and older: violence) --Charles Solomon Amazon.com

terrible voice acting

the voice acting was atrocious, from top to bottom with the exception of mark hamil. unbelievable voicing, it really hurt the film to have this constant feeling that "Yes I'm reading my lines from a page, and I do every line the exact same because I am a terrible actor."

It's a great film, but the voicings ruined it for me. It probably wont make much difference to kids, though, so this film gets the 5 stars, they won't notice how terrible all the voice actors are. July 13, 2008

Beautiful animation and wonderfully written story

Castle in the Sky is a 1986 anime film directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released by Studio Ghibli.

The story begins with a young girl named Sheeta being taken to an unknown area by Colonel Muska. When sky pirates attack the flying vehicle, Sheeta is able to grab the pendant from Colonel Muska and escape. But when the sky pirates try to capture her, Sheeta falls off the vehicle. Her pendant emits a blue light and allows her to float gently to the ground. A boy named Panzu sees her floating and catches her.

Panzu and Sheeta become friends, and Panzu shares that his deceased father saw Laputa, an ancient city that, according to myths, floats in the sky. Panzu was the only person to believe his father, and Panzu is determined to find the city someday. Panzu and Sheeta have some adventures together, and Panzu ends up learning that Sheeta is actually part of the royal family of Laputa. When they're ambushed by government agents, Panzu and Sheeta are separated. During the rest of the film, Sheeta learns more about her heritage and connections with Laputa, while Panzu ends up teaming up with the sky pirates to rescue Sheeta.

This DVD release was a bit of a disappointment. While the film itself is great, there isn't much in the way of bonus features. The first disc includes an introduction by Pixar's John Lasseter (which is exactly the same as what you see at the beginning of the film), a "Behind the Microphone" feature that features most of the voice actors from the English dub (however, Anna Paquin, the English dub voice of Sheeta, is noticeably absent from the documentary), and the original Japanese trailers (but the trailers only run for slightly over four minutes). The second disc just contains the storyboard version of the film.

Castle in the Sky combines beautiful animation and a wonderfully written story. During the film there is action, adventure, drama, and even a giant robot. While the DVD release is a little disappointing, you should still acquire it for your DVD collection if you're a fan of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, because the film itself is worth the money you spend on buying the DVD. July 9, 2008

Not Miyazaki's best.

Sure the artwork is fantastic, and the characters and voice work are decent, but no matter how hard I tried I just could not get into this movie. The plot tries too hard to be mature, and then it seems like they decided to switch the direction of the film halfway through and made it seem like they were trying to aim it towards kids. Normally I like Miyazaki's plots, and how they can appeal to everyone, but something just went wrong here. I actually consider this to be Miyazaki's worst. I'd say it's still worth checking out if you're a Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli fan. June 25, 2008

A Wonderous Fantasy (Volume 1: Part 2)

After seeing a film such as 'Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind' I was very curious to see the rest of Studio Ghibli's work. The next film in their collection is 'Castle In The Sky'. Pazu is a young hard working orphan with big dreams. While he enjoys working as an apparentice for a stern but caring Miner he dreams of fulfilling the goals of his late father. To uncover the mythical ciy of Laputa that floats way above the clouds. One night he catches a young girl that falls from the sky with a mysterious glowing blue stone around her neck. Suddenly Pazu is carried away in an unforgettable chase from government spies and hysterical air pirates only to help this mysterious girl named Sheeta. What Pazu is soon to find out is that Sheeta carries a huge secret that's got them both on the run, the possible way to Laputa. Now the young children must trust in one another and understand the power of the crystal to unlock the secrets it holds so they can keep it away from the wrong hands.

Hayao Miyazaki's second film such an amazing one. It is filled with drama, comedy and unforgettable characters. The chemistry between the characters is very real in a story that is so fantastic and inventive you just can't help but wonder what will happen. I recommend this movie to anyone looking for a great story that will unlock the deepest parts of your imagination.

June 8, 2008

Not Miyazaki's best, but very exciting

Laputa, also known as "Castle in the Sky," is yet another Miyazaki masterpiece. However, the messages and themes are not quite up to his standards, which is why I can't give it my highest ranking.

The film opens with a group of bandits raiding a zeppelin to get a valuable necklace from a young girl, named Sheeta. She falls while trying to escape the bandits. The necklace, however, gives her floating powers. Pasu, a miner orphan, finds the girl and lays her to rest in his home, not too far from the mine where he works.

After the girl wakes up, Pasu and Sheeta become good friends. When Sheeta finds a picture of a floating castle, however, Pasu tells her about the legend of Laputa, based on the castle in "Gilligan's Island." His father took the picture of the floating castle.

However, he soon discovers that bandits and the army are after Sheeta and her necklace. In fact, Sheeta's last name is Laputa. And she knows quite a few spells, some of which could destroy the world. And a man in the government also needs Sheeta and her necklace to gain the ultimate power.

As much as I love the premise of this film, I can't fully recommend it. Although the chase sequences are exciting and the sentimental moments are truly memorable, I couldn't help but think that the film wasn't quite as empowering for women as Miyazaki's other films. Sheeta's shy character makes for excellent drama, but she's not quite as aware of her powers as female characters in later Miyazaki films.

It's true that the film's message against nuclear proliferation is important. However, I wish that Sheeta didn't have to depend on Pasu so much. Especially after the ending, I think Sheeta really could have ended the entire film a lot sooner, without Pasu.

With all that aside, I'd have to say that this is a great film for young kids. However, in my opinion, "Nausicaa" was a much more empowering film for girls and women. Still, the designs of the airships and zeppelins in this movie are worth the purchase. May 10, 2008

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