Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa

In a world filled with planes and airships, Sheeta is a young girl who has been kidnapped by government agents who seek her mysterious crystal amulet. While trapped aboard an airship, she finds herself without hope—that is, until the ship is raided by pirates. Taking advantage of the ensuing confusion, Sheeta manages to flee from her captors. Upon her escape, she meets Pazu, a boy who dreams of reaching the fabled flying castle, Laputa. The two decide to embark on a journey together to discover this castle in the sky. However, they soon find the government agents back on their trail, as they too are trying to reach Laputa for their own greedy purposes.

Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa follows the soaring adventures of Sheeta and Pazu, all while they learn how dreams and dire circumstances can bring two people closer together.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Pazu Main

Tanaka, Mayumi Japanese

Sheeta Main

Yokozawa, Keiko Japanese

Dola ing

Hatsui, Kotoe Japanese

Muska ing

Terada, Minori Japanese

Uncle Pom ing

Tokita, Fujio Japanese

Lui ing

Yasuhara, Yoshito Japanese

Shalulu ing

Kamiyama, Takuzou Japanese

Okami ing

Washio, Machiko Japanese

Train Operator ing

Nishimura, Tomomichi Japanese

Anli ing

Kameyama, Sukekiyo Japanese

Takahata, Isao Producer

Miyazaki, Hayao Director, Theme Song Lyrics, Character Design, Screenplay

Shiba, Shigeharu Sound Director

Inoue, Azumi Theme Song Performance

Reviews

Jan 18, 2008

JTurner

Recommended

Retitled from its original Japanese name of Laputa (for being an offensive phrase, something which director Hayao Miyazaki was oblivious to at the time), Castle in the Sky is the master animator's third film, and it's one of his most beloved of all time. Initially a box office disappointment in its 1986 release, it has since been embraced by critics and audiences around the world. Inspired by Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels", Castle in the Sky is a steampunk-themed action adventure tale about two young orphans -- young miner Pazu, and mysterious girl Sheeta (who wears a magic crystal around her neck) -- who team ... up to find the long-lost island of Laputa, which is rumored to have great riches and gems. They are aided by a band of bumbling yet sympathetic air pirates led by the feisty Dola (who at first chase them, yet turn out to be true allies) and pursued by the government headed by its villainous topmost-secret agent, Muska, who wants the power of Laputa for his own benefit.

For anyone looking for an exciting way to spend two hours, this film is an excellent choice, featuring just the right amount of humor, exploration, wonder, and mystery to keep one interested. The artwork, although not as spectacular as in some of Miyazaki's later movies, is fantastic and gorgeous enough to watch with imaginative characters and locations, incredibly exciting action scenes, and breathtaking flight sequences that will make one feel giddy. And while the characters that populate this tale are less complex than Miyazaki's other works, each has a memorable, endearing personality that stays with the viewer long after the film is over. Dola, in particular, makes for a terrific comic character, shouting orders to her dimwitted sons one moment and being protective of Sheeta the next. Muska is one of the few Miyazaki creations to ever come across as an irredeemable villain, but like Dola, he commands every scene he's in with a sinister charisma that is both alluring and chilly.

Anime fans have often compared this movie to Gainax's sci-fi adventure series Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. After all, both works share similar story and character elements... not to mention that they were both created by Miyazaki himself. Where both differ is in their execution. Nadia, although charming for the most part, suffered from taking a wrong turn at its midway point, devolving into cartoonish nonsense which all but distracted from the main plot, even though it did have a strong ending. Castle in the Sky, on the other hand, remains consistently entertaining and focused for its two hour running time, and is all the better for it. While the film's epic tone is sometimes broken up by some "cartoonish" moments, like a brawl between Pazu's boss and one of Dola's sons, it's never to the point that it detracts from the film.

While purists will probably prefer to listen to the original Japanese version, I am of the opinion that there's nothing bad about watching Miyazaki's movies in English, and this is no exception. That said, there are two different dubs of this film. The first one, dubbed by an unknown company but released by Streamline several years ago, was a hastily produced, badly acted, poorly written trainwreck briefly released in 1989 but quickly disappeared afterwards. The current version, produced by Disney in 1998, features an all-star voice cast and, interestingly, a rerecorded score by the film's original composer, Joe Hisaishi with the Seattle Music Orchestra. There has been a lot of heated debates arguing over which is the better version. Personally, even after seeing the Japanese version once and having distanced myself from it enough to appreciate it on its own , I'm ready to offer up the following: Disney's Castle in the Sky, despite its faults, is an entertaining listen in its own right.

The leads aren't the strongest voices in the dub; James Van Der Beek's Pazu sounds significantly more mature than his character, while Anna Paquin's Sheeta speaks with an odd accent that fluctuates at times (a problem which actually works in favor of the character). That said, both do good jobs overall and provide a fairly believable chemistry throughout. It's the lively ing cast, however, that really make this dub so much fun, particularly Cloris Leachman's Dola and Mark Hamill's Muska. Both are perfectly cast and steal every scene they're in as the cantankerous sky pirate captain and treacherous agent, respectively. If there's any reason to see this dub, it's for these two. Another reason to check out the dub is for the aforementioned rescore by Joe Hisaishi. There are some instances where filling in some critically silent scenes from the original Japanese is a bit distracting (notably the journey through the dragon-infested storm cloud), but the overall reworking is fantastic and in many ways improves on the original, particularly the scene where a robot attacks the army's fortress and the climactic moments toward the end. Here, Hisaishi displays his musical versatility and genius for matching music to visuals. (The original Japanese track is on the DVD, complete with its original, unaltered score.) The script adaptation borders on the loose side at times--there's quite a bit of extra lines and/or commentary (some of which are pricelessly funny and others somewhat overdone)--but aside from at least one debatable alteration (Sheeta's speech in the climactic showdown "the world cannot live without love" as opposed to the original "you can't survive apart from Mother Earth"), the overall characters, story, and spirit remain fairly faithful to the original. On the whole, there is little point comparing the Disney version to the original language track; each puts their own stamp on this legendary masterpiece, and I like them both.

Either way, though, you can't go wrong with Castle in the Sky. It's one of Miyazaki's all-time greatest, and I highly recommend it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Sep 28, 2023

Wildflower3

Mixed Feelings

My mind played a trick on me, convincing me I watched this when I was a child. Guess I was wrong (or I really can’t it at all). So before reading this review please note that there is no nostalgia involved which will clearly affect my rating as well.

Animation 7/10
As expected from Studio Ghibli movies the art is beautiful and makes you feel like you entered a completely different world. However, compared to other Ghibli movies I watched, it seems to lack in some aspects. It’s still beautiful and lovely. Especially considering the time this movie was made. I’m sure it was ... a milestone for future movies in many aspects.

Story 6/10
I can really see the appeal this movie had for many people and that it was ahead of its time. So a part of me understands why it’s so popular and beloved among anime fans. That being said… For as much as it was hyped to watch it I’d have expected more and ended up being disappointed when it comes to the plot. With most of these movies they appeal of course to children but watching them as an adult makes you view them from a different perspective, making them as intriguing (if not even more). That’s what makes a good children’s movie or book. If it can still be enjoyed by an older audience. Not implying it’s a bad story but personally I felt it wasn’t really captivating. So in itself the story was rather average. Girl who is special because of her roots, a mystic artifact many people are after and two orphans who bond during their adventure and develop a beautiful friendship. Which is really nice but unfortunately the most focus of this story was on the chasing as well as on the more “action” loaded scenes, making the story weaker than it could have been without that (or at least a little less chasing). Like I’ve mentioned before I have no nostalgia for this movie so I’d probably feel different about it if I had. But to me it’s more for kids than for adults who enjoy anime (and this comes form someone who absolutely loves fairytales and even some kids shows. To be fair towards most of them I still feel very nostalgic). My point is that I don’t really get the hype this movie got in the past while at the same time I kind of understand. At least when it comes to personal attachment you have to something you watched in the past (sorry if this doesn’t make any sense to you). The time-frame in which it was set was also a little confusing to me. On one hand it seemed to play in the past and then we had Sci-Fi elements which I wish would have been explored a little bit more (but I guess that was simply to show how different and advanced people from Laputa were).

Characters 6/10
Except for the pirates maybe, most of the characters seemed rather blank to me. And while I liked Pazu and Sheeta as well as their friendship, they didn’t seem fleshed out enough. At least for being the main characters. Pazu had a little more depth because what I could really appreciate about him was the fact that in the beginning he didn’t ask questions, he simply accepted Sheeta’s situation and helped her regardless of what it meant for him (then again it lead him to an adventure he was striving for to begin with and while he worked hard before it didn’t seem to matter to him). But the main villain was probably among the worst I’ve ever seen. You could smell his schemes miles away. And even the reveal about his own background fell flat to me. Like at that point I didn’t even care about him anymore. But once again I want to point out how much I loved the pirates. As much as I hated them in the beginning because they were the stereotypical bad guys. They still were at the end of the movie but I simply love them. Especially Dola. There’s only one tiny detail that bothered me… The pirates going on about how cute Sheeta was. How old was she supposed to be? Maybe 11? It crept me out a little to be honest. But I really want to believe it was simply to show they had a soft side to them.

Music 10/10
Music and themes is really something Ghibli movies can’t do wrong in my opinion. There is nothing more to say. Except for maybe I’ll listen to the OST more than I’d rewatch this movie.

Overall 6/10
If you would ask me if I would recommend this movie I’d be torn. Because I don’t think it’s a waste of time but I also didn’t enjoy myself. For me it was a movie I always wanted to watch (mostly due to the hype and high expectations this fostered). So if you go into this not knowing anything about the movie, maybe don’t expect too much. Because I think it’s mainly this beloved because of nostalgia and those who can see its value. I think maybe you should judge it for yourself and maybe you will end up loving it and having an entire different opinion about it. One thing I’m going to it is that I think this movie changed a lot and had to exist so other beautiful anime movies could be created. This alone makes it worth it in my opinion. (Still, probably never going to re-watch it).

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Sep 9, 2019

Optigisa

Not Recommended

Studio Ghibli is the most illustrious Anime film studio ever conceived, and might as well be one of the best movie studios of all time, even outside the realm of Anime. Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata have both produced some of the most imaginative works ever put to the animation medium, and their genius efforts show in most of their creations. Add in to the fact that Joe Hisaishi is one of the best soundtrack composers in all of Anime, and you’ve got yourself a trio that has produced works that were nearly perfect in every sense of the word. Unfortunately, a group of professionals ... and talents can’t always emulate perfection in every work they create, as consistent quality is something that is impossible to achieve, especially with the quantity of movies that Ghibli has put out throughout the years, and every person or studio will have their ups and downs every now and then. In Ghibli’s case, it's futile failure had to be a movie known as Castle in the Sky.

Considering that this movie has one of the highest review mean scores ever, it seems hard for someone to dislike it. Unfortunately, this movie never managed to be appealing nor striking nor cathartic in any way, shape or form, as this one is the most laborious and unimaginative movie Ghibli have ever produced, even with the fantasy elements sprinkled all over it. Saying that this movie should not be given such harsh criticism considering the old age of it is fair, but people tend to forget that Ghibli had made a movie two years prior to Laputa, which has aged extremely well, and that movie is called “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”. It’s really not about the age of the work at the end of the day, since a really old work can stand firmly against the test of time when given well executed directing and a well thought out script and characters. This wasn’t the case with Laputa though, as it’s plot feels trite now after it’s release, and so do it’s characters, due to several factors that is. Perhaps not having a manga to adapt to movie form, and it being the studio’s first film with no source material to work with, turned it into such a nauseating catastrophe.

The plot tries to implement a sense of mystery with a missing father that the two main characters have to find, but unlike My Neighbor Totoro, the mystery is not intriguing nor does it work in any way. Isao Takahata was needed in order for the mystery to work, but he wasn’t there to save this film, and an amateur Hayao Miyazaki wasn’t enough to save it on his own as well. The plot is also unoriginal, compared to some of the better Ghibli movies out there, which have the same exact premise but are filled to the brim with better execution and directing. The characters are all one dimensional archetypes, be it the cartoony villains who switch from being evil to the side of good very easily, or the main heroine who resembles every other Ghibli heroine, only much less developed this time around. All of this wouldn’t be so bad if the movie was made by a third rate studio, but unfortunately, Studio Ghibli made this movie. Studio Ghibli, one of the best studios when it comes to creating memorable, well written characters in the short span of one to two hours only, made such vacuous and poorly thought through, simplistic characters with this movie.

Perhaps it was trying to be simplistic, but with that, it deemed itself unwatchable for an older audience, and mostly became a movie for kids. It doesn’t tackle the same mature themes that others within the same studio tackle, and it lacks the directing genius that Miyazaki would later go on to showcase in his later works. As far as themes go, there is no theme exploration here, especially the environmentalism theme which Miyazaki likes to preach about in most of his other works. If there was theme exploration, then it was handled and conveyed in a much better fashion in most of his other works. The comedy displayed here is lackluster as well, and the emotional catharsis is nowhere to be found. Nothing, I felt nothing while watching this movie. It lacks the depth of Princess Mononoke, it lacks the imagination of Spirited Away, it lacks the emotional catharsis of Kiki’s Delivery Service, and it falls short in most regards, especially when it comes to creating emotion and resonating with people.

The animation has not aged well at all, and it shows throughout most of the movie. At least Nausicaa had some memorable art and colossal amounts of imagination poured into it, something that made it age all the more better, even when it’s animation was flappy at times. What also made Nausicaa age very well, is how extravagantly Joe Hisaishi’s tracks flowed with the movie’s memorable moments and gave them a certain feel that is hard to find anywhere else. Laputa felt much worse than Nausicaa when it came to the animation aspect, add in to the fact that the atmosphere was not intriguing, and the artwork was not memorable, and you’ve got yourself a work that is inferior to it’s predecessor in almost every aspect. Laputa fails in the animation and visuals department, and even when it comes to the directing and memorable scenes, it fails as well.

Moving on to the final aspect of the film, which is the soundtrack - it was neither striking nor memorable, nor could one say it was good, even as a standalone soundtrack and without having to compare it to Hisaishi's other works. This is rather surprising considering that this is a movie which composer Joe Hisaishi worked on. No track stood out, unlike some of the top Ghibli movies out there, and neither were the tracks immersive or good.

Other contentions a viewer would have with this film is that it is excruciatingly slow, as scenes take forever to translate. This movie is also too long for it's own good, spanning a length of two hefty hours. Any movie which fails in the audiovisuals department, in the script department, and in the characters department, must at least redeem itself by not having the viewer tortured for hours on end. A perfect length for a movie is to span between an hour and an hour and thirty minutes, which are more than enough to tell an entire narrative. Two hours is very long for a movie, even the Studio Ghibli ones, especially when the movie has nothing of value or substance to convey.

Aside from all of this, what is truly astounding about Laputa, is the fact that this movie might as well have one of the highest review mean scores an Anime could have, as there has yet to be a negative review for it. It being higher than movies such as Kiki’s Delivery Service and Only Yesterday in general mean scores adds more insult to injury, especially due to the fact that those movies sur this one in almost everything - from sheer imagination, to directing, to the raw emotion poured into them, etc.

All in all, there really isn’t much else to say about this movie. It is not memorable in the slightest, bordering on nauseating boredom. The animation has not aged well at all, and the soundtrack is neither striking nor helps in making the scenes better. It’s technicalities would have been forgiven if it had a good story or characters, but alas, it is boring and trite, especially for those who have seen many other Ghibli movies, which have taken the same exact premise and executed it in a much better fashion. Laputa is Ghibli’s first feature film, and the studio would go on to write and produce some of the best and most memorable Anime movies ever made, leaving this one in the dust, right where it belongs.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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