Customer Reviews
Not A Children's Movie 
2008-08-18
Apparently most, if not all the reviewers, did not mind subjecting their children to a very violent movie. I do not care what artistic wonder this film may be, it is definitly not a movie for children under 8 or 9 years of age.
Totally cool. 
2008-08-17
This movie took me a few watches to get to like, but ended up really liking it.
terrible voice acting 
2008-07-13
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.
Beautiful animation and wonderfully written story 2008-07-09
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.
Not Miyazaki's best. 
2008-06-25
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.
A Wonderous Fantasy (Volume 1: Part 2) 2008-06-08
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
Not Miyazaki's best, but very exciting 2008-05-10
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.
The Search for Laputa 2008-04-16
"Castle in the Sky" is another Studio Ghibli film by Hayao Miyazaki. The directors name alone is a mark of quality. It's been classified as an anime' film. The word `anime'' has become a generic name for any Japanese animation. Under this condition, I'd rather not use the term. Studio Ghibli's work varies as much as that of any major studio.
The movie begins with a magnificent airship coming under attack by aerial bandits, the Dola Gang. Their objective is a girl held in the custody by government agents. We know they're government agents because they wear suits and sunglasses at night indoors. The girl, Sheeta, escapes from both groups only to fall off the airship into the night.
She loses consciousness. The crystal in her necklace begins to glow. Instead of crashing to her death, she floats down right into the arms of a most capable boy named Potsu.
Potsu is an apprentice mechanic working for a broken down silver mine. Orphaned, he is the son of a discredited airman. Potsu's father claimed to have discovered the legendary floating island of Laputa. Laputa is real and Sheeta is the key to finding it. That's why she is being pursued by both the government and the Dola Gang. Laputa is reputed to be a place of great wealth and terrible power.
This movie is a grand adventure in the traditions of "Raiders of the Lost Ark". The action is fast paced. The look and feel is the early twentieth century. There is an incredible array of flying machines and airships none of which could fly in reality but they are cool nonetheless.
Casting Cloris Leachman as the voice of Ma Dola was a stroke of genius.
This film had a look I thought familiar but not from Studio Ghibli. On my third watching I made the connection. The artwork has been heavily influenced by Max Fleischer's Superman cartoons of the 1940's. I also detect a hint of Herve's Tin-Tin.
This cartoon would work as an action film. If I were Steven Spielberg, I'd raid Studio Ghibli for their story boards.
My daughter enjoyed the movie 2008-04-07
My 14 year old daughter had requested this movie. I typically do not care for this type of movie especially the graphics; but I thought I would give it a chance. I survived the experience and will probably watch the movie again.
Wow. Another great movie. 2008-03-28
I recently watched Spirited Away and I loved it so much I have bought several other movies of Miyazaki.
I have to admit that of the ones I've seen, Howls' Moving Castle is my favorite but all of them are worth watching.
Castle in the Sky is about a young girl who needs to discover her ancestor's history in order to unlock a power that has fallen into the wrong hands. This is actually a really over simplified version of the plot, but that is the gist of it. As always, the movie is visually amazing. All of the Miyazki films make me feel like I am watching art in motion.
