Laputa: Castle in the Sky

Alt title: Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa

Movie (1 ep x 125 min)
1986
4.136 out of 5 from 29,920 votes
Rank #491

Legends tell of a floating island in the sky known as Laputa, upon which is rumoured to be treasure beyond a person’s wildest dreams. Sheeta is an orphan girl who is being hunted down because of her necklace, a rare Levistone, which legend says will lead the way to Laputa. One day she is saved by Pazu, a miner apprentice and also an orphan, and together they set out to escape from her would-be captors. Unfortunately, their friendship must go through endless trials in their quest to hide Laputa's location. What is Sheeta’s mysterious legacy, and what hidden motives do Sheeta’s enemies have in regards to finding Laputa?

my anime:

User Stats

67,842 users are tracking this. to see stats.

If you like this anime, you might like...

Reviews

FalseDawn
9.5

Story I've always been wary of reviewing a Ghibli presentation - the fandom surrounding the studio is not only a Japanese phenomenon, but also one that's spread internationally. However, with Hayao Miyazaki's new film (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) having recently been released in Japan and set to hit Western shores sometime next year, it seems like now is the perfect time to take a retrospective look at the movies that have made him famous. Hayao Miyazaki plays to his strengths in Laputa: his world-building skills are astonishing, submersing the viewer in a pseudo-Victorian landscape, complete with an active mining trade and a horde of classic vehicles. However, it becomes immediately apparent that this is actually taking place in an alternate timeline that Miyazaki has created, with huge zeppelins, complex flying machines and a whole host of mythical robots. This technique was later used for Steamboy, a movie set in Victorian England, but I feel that Miyazaki is more successful in using this particular setting because he doesn't fall into the trap of rewriting the histories of well-known contemporaries. While Steamboy's premise is relatively complex, Miyazaki approaches world-building from a simpler concept: what if Jonathon Swift (author of Gulliver's Travels, in which a flying island named Laputa is visited) wasn't a fictional writer but actually a researcher? The movie seems to be built on these hypothetical situations, with a number of the flying machines seemingly based on designs by Leonardo Da Vinci. The story itself is also relatively simple compared to other Miyazaki presentations; the plot is a reworking of a "rat race" concept, where several characters are competing to get to the same place first, and this is also one of the few Ghibli features that uses a specific antagonist. These two traits have triggered criticism for the movie, but if we consider that children are the specified audience for this film, I think it's an understandable change of direction. The storyline is gripping and original enough to justify its two-hour screen-time and there are enough twists and changes of direction to keep even the most hyperactive child interested. Miyazaki has effectively created an "epic" in Laputa, while still focusing on the characters, a feat he doesn't quite recreate in his later Mononoke-hime. AnimationThere are very few movies from the mid-eighties that have dated as well as Laputa, largely due to Ghibli's unique style. The huge machines that hold such importance to the overall feature are intricately detailed and surprisingly realistic. What makes Laputa stand out in the Ghibli canon, however, is the impressive scene changes, where we move from a rural, mining scenery to a stunningly beautiful garden to a vast, ruined city made of stone. Each setting is perfect in its own right and I believe this is why the movie is successful as an epic - just as the storyline is constantly changing focus, so does the scenery. Only Ghibli could create such an interesting and realistic fantasy landscape. The robot design in particular was a favourite of mine.SoundUnfortunately, Laputa's soundtrack has met with controversy with fans over time, due to Disney's adamant stance on it. For the DVD release in 2003, they commissioned Joe Hisaishi (the original composer) to completely rewrite the soundtrack, which in my opinion, changed the emotional emphasis of several scenes. A number of changes included adding music where there had been silence before and erasing the presence of electronic music. I urge fans to seek out the original Japanese version of the soundtrack as the scenes where silence is more prevalent are very atmospheric. The electronic sections of the soundtrack are not particularly missed though, as they seem a little dated now, but again, I feel the absence takes the movie out of its historical context (a film made in the mid-eighties when Asia had a love affair with Electronica) and some of the songs featured in Laputa are among the most memorable and most serene that I have heard in anime, despite their dated edge.CharactersBefore I start this section, I must remind everyone that this is a film aimed primarily at children. As such, I've scored this section accordingly: these characters are perfect for children to enjoy. We have evil characters who are blatantly motivated by power and greed (none of this namby-pamby "I only did it to be loved" type of villain that seem to be rife in most films nowadays), we have good characters who you immediately care about and characters who start out as antagonists but slowly become allies. In a sense, this movie caters for every choice of character type. There's the dimwitted, hotheaded, greed-driven General: noble but naïve Pazu: innocent but brave Sheeta: scary and power-hungry Muska... Miyazaki successfully creates memorable characters to the point where a minor character like Old Man Pom, who has less than ten minutes screen time, can still stick in your mind after watching the two-hour movie. I also feel that the characterization of the robots, who never speak a word, is done spectacularly; Miyazaki pitches them the right side of sentimental while highlighting their devastating power.OverallI realize I'm probably going to receive a lot of grief for this score, but Laputa truly deserves it. It's a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, and no matter how many times I watch it, I always enjoy the twist of events. There are some scenes that really stand out visually, like the scene where they fly through the Dragon's Nest, or their first glimpses of Laputa on landing. Where this anime movie really shines though, is in creating an alternative fantasy world that is utterly believable and completely enthralling, and I feel that this is the attribute that has made Miyazaki so popular, both in Japan and internationally. He always instills an epic tradition in his features (as can be seen with the later, more ostentatious Mononoke-hime) and only its age has denied this great film a perfect score. Well worth its extended length and less of a slowburn movie than some of Miyazaki's other "greats".

galacticdude7
10

Recently I have really gotten into the works from Studio Ghibli, and Castle in the Sky was on my list so I decided to watch it. -Story- The story is very interesting and intense. It keeps you on the edge of your seat with the action, but it is also endearing for the heartwarming scenes that it has. Throughout the film I felt very emotionally invested in the film. I cared about the characters and what happened to them, which is the mark of an excellent film. The story starts out with this boy named Pazo who catches a girl who floats out of the sky named Sheeta. The story follows these two as they go on an adventure to find the lost floating city of Laputa, and along the way they meet interesting characters, both friends and foes, and foes that become friends. There really isn't anything that I can complain about the story. -Animation- As expected with a Miyazaki film, the animation is top notch. Castle in the Sky is a well animated treasure of a film. The animation looks smooth and interesting, the Miyazaki style is still as heartwarming as ever, the environments that the characters lived in were both amazing, and quite realistic as well. -Characters- I loved the characters in this film a lot. The relationship that Pazo and Sheeta share is quite remarkable, and both of them are very interesting, and they made me quite emotionally invested in Castle in the Sky. Their struggles were my struggles, their triumphs were my triumphs. There is also an exceptional secondary cast in this film, from the villian Muska to the antihero Dola. This film has a great cast of characters and they are all quite fun to watch. -Overall- What more can I say about Miyazaki's work here. He did an excellent job like he always does, and if you haven't seen Castle in the Sky, then you need to watch it.

CaseyJewels
9

I think this has to be one of my favorite Ghibli movies. I love the animation, the story, the sense of wonder, but, most of all, the characters. I love the opening of the movie, as it sets everything up so perfectly while still giving a sense of wonder. Sheeta is an adorable girl, and it's easy to see why others would want to protect her, but then she's shown, even in the beginning, to be more than just a damsel in distress. With Pazu, I love how uncomplaining and hardworking he is, and the way they animate him just adds to his charm. As for the other characters (aside from the military), I love how they interact with one another. It's clear that this is a hard world, but that doesn't stop people from being caring and kind. I'll talk a little bit more about certain characters in my spoiler section, but that and the animation of this movie are its greatest strengths. It makes this movie into a gorgeous film, and one that I wouldn't get tired of watching. You can't help but care about the characters--even ones you thought you wouldn't, at first. . SPOILERS BELOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . First, there's Colonel Muska. I loved how he seemed to be such a calm and collected individual, but as soon as he doesn't have to pretend anymore, he turns out to be a crazy man. A part of it could just be he's mad with power, but I didn't feel like it was the power that changed him. He was just always crazy, but knew how to hide it until he got what he wanted. Then there's the pirates. I loved them! They were so funny with Sheeta, all going to help her out and then getting jealous of one another. Dola was much slower to reveal that she cared, but that made the reveal all the more sweet. She puts on such a tough exterior, and at first she really didn't care about Sheeta, but it was great to see her slowly show her softer and more caring side. Which, she still tried to stay gruff, but it was really sweet. Then, to switch to Laputa, I loved how the spell of destruction at the end destroyed all of the technology, but not the grave/nature above it. That was so cool that even such a powerful spell respected the monument up above. I do have to wonder at the shine of the stone, keeping the castle afloat. Did it lose all of its powers except for the ability to make the castle float? That's what I believe, though none of the characters mentioned it at all. Still, it was a great movie, and it's one I would like to own.

See all reviews

Related manga

Characters

See all characters

Staff

See all staff

Discussions

Custom lists

See all custom lists