Castle in the Sky |  | Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Actors: Mayumi Tanaka, James Van Der Beek, Anna Paquin, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
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Rating:  221 reviews
Sales Rank: 3182
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Japanese (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 124 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: D25340D
ISBN: 0788833979
UPC: 786936175219
EAN: 9780788833977
ASIN: B00005JKYG
Theatrical Release Date: 1986
Release Date: April 15, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
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
Product Description
Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 04/15/2003 Run time: 125 minutes Rating: Nr
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 221
 Rousing, soaring, high-flying all-ages fantasy fun. December 17, 2009
Jonathon Turner (Highland Park, NJ USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
About eleven years ago, Disney released an English version featuring a cast of big-names such as James van der Beek, Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, Mark Hamill, Mandy Patinkin as well as some cameo appearances by veterans such as Tress MacNeille and Jim Cummings. It also features an ambitious reworking of Joe Hisaishi's gorgeous musical score for a performance by the Seattle Music Orchestra (interestingly, the man behind this rescore is none other than the composer himself). As much as purists have cried blasphemy over this version for its occasional extra dialogue and the aforementioned rescore, Miyazaki had no such problems; in fact, he is said to have applauded the reworking, and for good reason, because the newly rerecorded music is truly the star of the new dub. While there are some instances where filling in some critially silent scenes from the original Japanese is a bit jarring (notably the journey through a dragon-infested storm cloud), the overall reworking is fantastic and in many ways improves on the original, particularly in scenes such as when a robot attacks a fortress and the climactic moments toward the end. Here, Hisaishi displays his musical versatility and genius for matching music to visuals.
As far as the performances in the dub go, the leads are probably at the short end of the stick; 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 supporting 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 with the rescore, these two really warrant a listen to the Disney dub. 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. (They're also better than Streamline/JAL's more literal but frightfully robotic, lifeless, abysmally acted and poorly written older dub from the late 1980's.)
In 2003, Disney brought this film to DVD (after a long-delayed release from its initial 1999 date) with the dub as well as the Japanese language track, complete with a widescreen anamorphic transfer and a surprisingly scanty amount of extras. However, this upcoming re-release promises correct that latter flaw by providing more extras, although it remains to be seen if the literal subtitles will be better synched for purists.
Either way, you can't go wrong with CASTLE IN THE SKY. It's one of Miyazaki's greatest, and I highly recommend it.
Floating in the sky December 16, 2009
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
Steampunky airships, robots, sky pirates and an ancient city that floats in the sky -- even if it weren't a brilliantly-written movie, Hayao Miyazaki's "Castle in the Sky" would be a glorious experience. And fortunately this simple gem of a fantasy movie is triumphant in every way: vibrant animation, outstanding writing, and a brilliant mix of fiery action, comedy and a teeny bit of romance.
After pirates raid an airship, a young girl named Sheeta escapes and falls from the ship... only to float down slowly to the ground, courtesy of a glowing crystal on her necklace. A miner boy named Pazu catches her and takes her home, and the two kids immediately become fast friends... but then the same sky pirates, working for their crabby mom Dola, have come searching for the crystal and Sheeta.
It turns out that Sheeta's crystal is made of aetherium, a super-awesome mineral that powers the mythical floating city of Laputa, which the pirates are searching for. Pazu has a special interest in this city, since his father claimed to have seen it but was ridiculed.
Unfortunately, the pirates aren't the only ones after Sheeta. Both kids are apprehended by military forces led by the ruthless Muska, who has found a tangible relic that proves Laputa's existence -- an ancient robot that fell from the sky. Now Pazu must join forces with Dola and her bumbling sons to rescue Sheeta and find Laputa -- and if he doesn't stop Muska quickly, he will use Laputa for his own evil ends.
"Castle in the Sky" is the sort of movie that a lot of people try to make, but only a rare few can actually pull off -- a richly imagined fantasy world with likable characters, and a powerful message about caring for the earth (which thankfully avoids being preachy). Not only does he succeed, but Miyazaki makes the whole thing seem effortless, weaving these themes together with a solid plot is both complex and refreshingly simple
He also does an excellent job juggling comedy (Dola's goofy sons), a hint of romance, and a heavy dose of action -- lots of aerial battles, explosions, gun chases high-speed chases, and one harrowing scene where a broken robot follows Sheeta through a burning fortress. The script (both in English and Japanese) is written well with plenty of amusing moments ("Make your shirt explode!"), but also striking, moving ones, such as Sheeta's final monologue to Muska about the people of Laputa.
The animation deserves a special shout-out -- it's rather simple and somewhat old-fashioned in style, but Miyazaki crafts a world of sunlit cliff-clinging villages, shadowy ruins full of roots, and shimmering seas under a vast swirling storm. And it's in exquisite bright colors that make it seem to have been painted on glass.
Sheeta and Pazu are both likable, pure-hearted heroes for this story -- one a young girl troubled by her ancestral past, and one a hardworking boy determined to save her (and salvage his father's reputation). The gang of pirates are a fun bunch once they've left the "villain" zone, and Dola is a gloriously vivacious, gutsy old lady. And Muska makes an excellent villain for the piece -- amoral, intelligent, and honestly believing himself superior to others.
"Castle in the Sky" is a truly enduring anime classic, a beautifully-animated tale of friendship, adventure and fantastical splendor. Do not give this a miss.
Castle in the clouds December 12, 2009
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Steampunky airships, robots, sky pirates and an ancient city that floats in the sky -- even if it weren't a brilliantly-written movie, Hayao Miyazaki's "Castle in the Sky" would be a glorious experience. And fortunately this simple gem of a fantasy movie is triumphant in every way: vibrant animation, outstanding writing, and a brilliant mix of fiery action, comedy and a teeny bit of romance.
After pirates raid an airship, a young girl named Sheeta escapes and falls from the ship... only to float down slowly to the ground, courtesy of a glowing crystal on her necklace. A miner boy named Pazu catches her and takes her home, and the two kids immediately become fast friends... but then the same sky pirates, working for their crabby mom Dola, have come searching for the crystal and Sheeta.
It turns out that Sheeta's crystal is made of aetherium, a super-awesome mineral that powers the mythical floating city of Laputa, which the pirates are searching for. Pazu has a special interest in this city, since his father claimed to have seen it but was ridiculed.
Unfortunately, the pirates aren't the only ones after Sheeta. Both kids are apprehended by military forces led by the ruthless Muska, who has found a tangible relic that proves Laputa's existence -- an ancient robot that fell from the sky. Now Pazu must join forces with Dola and her bumbling sons to rescue Sheeta and find Laputa -- and if he doesn't stop Muska quickly, he will use Laputa for his own evil ends.
"Castle in the Sky" is the sort of movie that a lot of people try to make, but only a rare few can actually pull off -- a richly imagined fantasy world with likable characters, and a powerful message about caring for the earth (which thankfully avoids being preachy). Not only does he succeed, but Miyazaki makes the whole thing seem effortless, weaving these themes together with a solid plot is both complex and refreshingly simple
He also does an excellent job juggling comedy (Dola's goofy sons), a hint of romance, and a heavy dose of action -- lots of aerial battles, explosions, gun chases high-speed chases, and one harrowing scene where a broken robot follows Sheeta through a burning fortress. The script (both in English and Japanese) is written well with plenty of amusing moments ("Make your shirt explode!"), but also striking, moving ones, such as Sheeta's final monologue to Muska about the people of Laputa.
The animation deserves a special shout-out -- it's rather simple and somewhat old-fashioned in style, but Miyazaki crafts a world of sunlit cliff-clinging villages, shadowy ruins full of roots, and shimmering seas under a vast swirling storm. And it's in exquisite bright colors that make it seem to have been painted on glass.
Sheeta and Pazu are both likable, pure-hearted heroes for this story -- one a young girl troubled by her ancestral past, and one a hardworking boy determined to save her (and salvage his father's reputation). The gang of pirates are a fun bunch once they've left the "villain" zone, and Dola is a gloriously vivacious, gutsy old lady. And Muska makes an excellent villain for the piece -- amoral, intelligent, and honestly believing himself superior to others.
"Castle in the Sky" is a truly enduring anime classic, a beautifully-animated tale of friendship, adventure and fantastical splendor. Do not give this a miss.
Castle in the sky is for all ages November 11, 2009
Linda E. Ross (NY , USA)
I purchased this movie first for myself and then for my nephew when he told me repeatedly as it was his favorite movie in the world. This is a wonderful story about a young boy who who helps a young girl overcome the villians that want to steal her necklace and its powers for themselves. They join together and eventually sacrifice the power in the necklace to save the world. This movie would be loved by anyone that loved "Howl's Moving Castle". Great Japanese animation and wonderful and meaningful fun.
Great Movie September 28, 2009
Tornado
I bought this DVD several years ago and I enjoyed it very much. This time, I bought one for my friend, who will enojoy it just as much as I did.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 221
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