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James Van Der Beek, Anna Paquin, Mark Hamill, Cloris Leachman, Richard Dysart ... see more see more... , Jim Cummings , John Hostetter , Michael McShane , Mandy Patinkin , Andy Dick , Mayumi Tanaka , Keiko Yokozawa

A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.

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89% liked it

74,102 ratings

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94% liked it

17 critics

PG, 2 hr. 4 min.

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki

Release Date: April 1, 1989

Keywords: adventure

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DVD Release Date: April 15, 2003

Stats: 5,013 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (5,013)

  • fb100002384654145
    January 18, 2012
    fb100002384654145
    The best action-oriented Miyazaki film. The animation is incredibly-detailed and the action is some of the most exhilarating ever put in an animated feature. The world the character's occupy is imaginative and fascinating. Combined with a great story and fun characters, this f... read moreilm is easily one of Miyazaki's best efforts.
  • fb1672039553
    December 7, 2011
    fb1672039553
    This is the first Miyazaki film I did not adore. I loved Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo, but this movie is weak in many aspects. None of these characters are interesting, save for a mineral miner who has a 3 minute part, and neither are any of t... read moreheir motives. The level of imagination Miyazaki is known for isn't here. The orchestral music drowns out the dialogue and often doesn't set the scene well. The pace of the story is slow, and since there is very little story to tell, I was forcing myself to finish it out of respect for the filmmaker. Since this was made 25 years ago and was only his second Ghibli film, it makes sense that he wasn't yet a master storyteller.
  • SirPant
    September 19, 2011
    SirPant
    You either love Studio Ghibli or you don't, that said, some are far superior than others. Laputa Castle in the Sky is definitely one of the better Ghibli's, its influence is evident of later works but I don't think it has been bettered (maybe only in colour). Definitely a new fav... read moreourite for me, quite close behind Tortorro and Spirited Away!
  • ironclad1609
    March 8, 2011
    ironclad1609
    One of Miyazaki's early works from the 80s, already showing all the characteristics of his highly praised later work of anime movies like Spirited Away or Mononoke: lovely characters, beautiful design, spectacular action and a message of friendship and respect towards nature. The... read more story of a little girl trying to find a legendary floating castle together with some pirates is not as complex and mysterious as some of his other plots and the action maybe a little too exciting for small kids, the result is just as fascinating, especially for grown-ups. There seems to be no limit to this man's imagination.
  • ariuza1
    January 25, 2011
    ariuza1
    By now you've probably heard a bit about the new Disney dub of Miyazaki's classic film, Laputa: Castle In The Sky. During late summer of 1998, Disney released "Kiki's Delivery Service" on video which included a preview of the Laputa dub saying it was due out in "1999". It's obvio... read moreusly way past that year now, but the dub has been finally completed. And it's not "Laputa: Castle In The Sky", just "Castle In The Sky" for the dub, since Laputa is not such a nice word in Spanish (even though they use the word Laputa many times throughout the dub). You've also probably heard that world renowned composer, Joe Hisaishi, who scored the movie originally, went back to rescore the excellent music with new arrangements. Laputa came out before My Neighbor Totoro and after Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, which began Studio Ghibli and it's long string of hits. And in my opinion, I think it's one of Miyazaki's best films with a powerful lesson tuckered inside this two hour and four minute gem. Laputa: Castle in the Sky is a film for all ages and I urge everyone to see it.

    For those unfamiliar with Castle in the Sky's story, it begins right at the start and doesn't stop for the next two hours. The storytelling is so flawless and masterfully crafted, you see Miyazaki's true vision. And believe me, it's one fantastic one. The film begins with Sheeta, a girl with one helluva past as she is being held captive by the government on an airship. Sheeta holds the key to Laputa, the castle in the sky and a long lost civilization. The key to Laputa is a sacred pendant she has which is sought by many, namely the government, the military and the air pirate group, the Dola gang (who Sheeta and Pazu later befriend). Soon, the pirates attack the ship and she escapes during the raid. She falls a few thousand feet, but the fall is soft and thanks to her pendant. As she floats down from the sky, Pazu, an orphan boy who survives by working in the mines, sees Sheeta and catches her. The two become fast friends, but thanks to her pendant, the two get caught up in one huge thrill ride as the Dola gang and government try to capture Sheeta. One action sequence after another, we learn all of the character's motives and identities as we build to the emotional and action packed climax which will surely please all with it's fantastic animation and wonderful dialogue. Plus somewhat twisty surprise. I think this film is simply remarkable and does hold for the two hour and four minute run time. The story is wonderful, as we peak into Hayao Miyazaki's animation which has no limits. The setting of the film is a combo of many time periods. It does seem to take place at the end of the 1800s, but it is some alternante universe which has advanced technology and weapons. Laputa is also surprisingly a funny film. The film has tons of hilarious moments, almost equal to the drama and action the film holds. I think the funniest part is a fight scene where Pazu's boss faces off against a pirate, and soon after a riot breaks out. It's funny as we see the men compare their strength and the music fits right in with it perfectly.

    Now let's talk about how the dub rates. An excellent cast give some great performances to bring these characters to life. Teen heartthrob James Van Der Beek plays the hero Pazu, who has a much more mature voice then in the Japanese version, where in the original he sounded more childlike. Either way, I think his voice is a nice fit with Pazu. Anna Paquin, the young Oscar winner from "The Piano", plays Sheeta. This is also a nice performance, but the voice is a bit uneven, she doesn't stay true to one accent. At times she sounds as American as apple pie, but at other times she sounds like someone from New Zealand. The performance I most enjoyed however was of Coris Leachman, who played Mama Dola. Not only is this an excellent performance, but the voice and emotion she gives the character really brings it to life. If there was ever a live action Laputa movie (G-d forbid), she would be the one to play her, you can just imagine her in the role (well, somewhat). Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill is Muska, and this is another top rate Hamill performance. You may be familiar with Hamill from a long line of voice work after he did the original Star Wars movies, but he renders Muska to full evil. His voice sounds like his regular voice and mix of the Joker, who he played for many episodes on the animated Batman series. Rounding out the cast is voice character actor Jim Cummings, who does a great, gruff job as the general and Andy Dick and Mandy Patakin as members of the Dola gang.

    Now let me talk about what really makes this dub special, Joe Hisaishi's newly arranged music! For those who have never heard of him, Mr. Hisaishi does the music and like all of Miyazaki's films, the music is very memorable. Each of his scores has it's own personas which fits the particular film perfectly. Now, these new arrangements he has done are more "American like", which I think was the goal of the new recordings. Don't worry, the classic tunes of the Japanese version are still here in great form. The score, to me, sounds to be arranged like this is a Hollywood blockbuster. It has more power, it has more emphasis, it's clearer and deeper. The film's prologue, the first seconds where we are introduced to the airships, has some new music (I am not sure, but I believe when we first saw the ships there was no music at all). But a majority of the music has new backdrops and more background music to enjoy. Things seem very enhanced. In a powerful scene, the music is more stronger then in the original versions. In a calm scene, it's more calmer. Overall, I think many of you will be pleased with the new arrangements an mixes, I highly did myself, and personally think it helps improve the film. I prefer the new score over the old one, and I hope Disney will release or license the music rights to a full blown soundtrack.

    Another plus side to the dub is that the story remains faithful, and much of the original Japanese lines are intact. In Kiki, I'm sure a few lines where changed, and this is the same way, lines have been changed. But a majority are close or exactly the original lines and dialogue Miyazaki has written. I was afraid some excellent lines would be butchered, but they were there intact. Some new lines have been added as well which help out. But I am not sure whether to consider this a good thing or a bad thing, Disney DID NOT translate the ending song, it was in Japanese. I was mortified when they did completely new songs for the Kiki dub, but with this version it's the original song... in Japanese. So I guess it's good it's still the original, but bad since a majority of people seeing this dub speak English.

    There is a big down side to this dub, and it deals with how the voices match the character's lips. Of course in any dub it won't be perfect, but I think in Kiki and Mononoke the dubbing of lines to match were much better executed (and Disney had a little bit more time with this one...). Some of the time everything matches perfect, some of the time it doesn't completley match, and in a rare case, someone says something and the lips don't move at all (there's a scene where Sheeta chuckles and her mouth doesn't move one bit).

    As far as things about the film itself, these are my thoughts. I thought the most amazing part of Laputa was the animation. From the opening sequence to the ending, the animation is so lush and detailed, you just have to watch in awe. You see the true nature of each character, true detail to their face with extreme close ups and action. You have to give a ton of credit for the effort that these animators put into this film. Everything is so well done and beautifully hand drawn, it's like a moving piece of art. And to think, this was done in the mid 1980's. The animation is quite different from Disney, Ghibli has it's own distinctive flare which is very different, but very good. And after all these years, the colors look as vibrant as ever. Laputa also has tons of action sequences, lots of plane dogfights plus a few on ground. These sequences are so well done and so intriguing, it's scary that they are comparable to a big budget action film. And the finale is just something you MUST see. The sound effects are pure and classic and fit explosions, guns firing and everything else well. And like all Miyazaki films, each one focuses on a different theme (i.g. Kiki: Confidence). This one has a great a lesson on greed and power. People don't realize how greed can take over you, and how having too much power isn't good. People are obsessed with power, and are greedy, and the main villian, Muska, greatly shows this.

    All in all, Laputa: Castle In The Sky was a great film to begin with, and is now improved for the most part. I am glad a more mainstream audience now have the chance to see this classic animated film in all it's glory. With a great voice cast who put a lot into the film with the excellent redone musical score from Joe Hisaishi, Disney has done a nice job on this dub and is quite worthy. Though I think the voices matched the mouths better in the Kiki and Princess Mononoke Disney dubs, Castle In The Sky is still a great dub and is worth the long delays because now more can expierence a fantastic film.

    "BTW" Aything more to say???
  • animegirlaya
    January 6, 2011
    animegirlaya
    -Great and Worse project 1 (Studio Ghibli)

    Directed by Hayao Miyazaki and voices by Keiko Yokozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Minori Terada and Kotoe Hatsui

    Erin rating: General

    Astonishingly Hayao Miyazaki's best movie I have seen by him. Let me just say this is my all time favou... read morerite childhood movie, I have never forgotten this and I never will in a million years. I am also starting a great and worse project made up of different genres so this is the first of it my Studio Ghibli one.

    [IMG]http://i53.tinypic.com/2litoqe.jpg[/IMG]

    A really old legend tells that Mankind was fascinated by the idea of civilizations in the sky and even found a new source of materials to make that dream come true. They all lived on massive civilizations in the sky. But one day nothing they all just came crashing back down after some really unknown event. Millions died because of it and once again we walk back on land.

    Though times have changed we have already by the early 1800s advanced more then 200 years with flying machines, though the civilizations in the sky have all but been forgotten Laputa still remains somewhere still to be discovered. That's the only reason this legend still lives on...

    [IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/fmrvc9.jpg[/IMG]

    I think I am more of a fan of Miyazaki's old work more then the new, to me Spirited Away is amazing yes but I think it's a bit overrated I mean with all the critical acclaim over a confusing story and really dragging plot. I still liked it though. Not sure what I love more about this. The story? The animation? The Visual designs?

    100% for story: Besides the whole idea of children looking for Laputa with the whole adventure thing it has a major political design to it, it's a bit hard to explain but take Monsters (2010) for example. But overall just the epic adventure that no body will forget.

    100% for voice dubbing: It amazingly flawless I haven't seen the English dub yet and I don't really plan to because I don't really want to see what they ruined.

    100% for animation: It is just incredible and this is 1986 its better then today's standards. I like traditional animation over CGI to me there is one big differences and its quality and CGI doesn't have the Expressions with the color and animation like you see. The designs for everything People, Places, Landscape is just breathtakingly amazing.

    100% for characters: I really like Sheeta she is one of my all time favourite characters and same goes for all the rest, they just look stunning.

    100% for everything else: I can't think of one negative thing that ruins the film and that's the way I would always like to keep it.

    This is my favourite animated movie of all time and its in my top 5 films of all time. And I think everyone should see this.

    Keiko's score 100%
  • 3niR
    April 29, 2010
    3niR
    Not bad.
  • FilmFanatik
    February 17, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    Another masterpiece. Love it.
  • deano
    January 5, 2010
    deano
    A joy to watch! Pirates are hilarious!!! What an incredible animated family adventure of two leads, Pazo and Sheeta who are on explore to the mystery castle in the sky. I believe this is one of my best Studio Ghibli animated films ever seen since Spirited Away and Howl'... read mores Moving Castle.
    There is plenty of adventure, but not blood and gore. The animation is smooth, detailed, and cinematic ally composed - not a lot of flat shots. The backgrounds are wonderful.
  • newvogueravyn
    July 23, 2009
    newvogueravyn
    Sweet, but not one of his best. It felt a bit too long, and was a bit predictable characterwise, but it's a good one for the kids even if you don't like it.

View All Castle in the Sky Reviews

Critic Reviews

Caryn James
August 30, 2004
Caryn James, New York Times

Liable to strain the patience of adults and the attention spans of children. Full Review

Richard Harrington
March 7, 2002
Richard Harrington, Washington Post

Frequently astounding. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
March 29, 2010
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A Star Wars-like animated feature about a legendary city behind the clouds and the many secrets it holds about nature, robots, light, and magic. Full Review

Bill Gibron
March 6, 2010
Bill Gibron, PopMatters

Castle in the Sky is an...uplifting experience. It's the perfect place to view where Miyazaki has been and where he intends to go. Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.
April 29, 2009
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed

Simply amazing. Full Review

Charles Cassady
March 13, 2009
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media

Exciting, all-ages anime airborne fantasy epic. Full Review

Robert Pardi
September 3, 2008
Robert Pardi, TV Guide's Movie Guide

Unusually detailed animation glides hand in hand with the film's aura of wonderment. Full Review

September 3, 2008
Film4

Miyazaki's flying contraptions are a sight to behold, rivaled only by the film's epic sweep and nonstop parade of action set-pieces. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
April 21, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

It shows the master still learning, still discovering his pacing. Full Review

James O'Ehley
January 27, 2004
James O'Ehley, Sci-Fi Movie Page

I especially liked the designs of giant floating flying machines that seem taken straight out of 1920s science fiction magazine illustrations . . . Full Review

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Castle in the Sky Trivia

  • It what Miyazaki film does Star Wars star Mark Hamill lend a voice to?  Answer »
  • famouse actress Anna Paquin has stared in all the X-Men films amoung others but which Hayao Miyazaki ANIME film did she star in?   Answer »
  • In the Hayao Miyazaki movie 'Laputa: Castle In The Sky', what was the element that made the castle float and was also on Sheeta's necklace?   Answer »
  • What is the name of the castle in the sky in ?castle in the sky??  Answer »
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