Castle in the Sky

Castle in the Sky(Japanese: 天空の城ラピュタ, Hepburn: Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta), a.k.a. Laputa: Castle in the Sky, is a 1986 steampunk fantasy adventure anime film. It was directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki, musically composed by Joe Hisaishi, cinematography by Hirokata Takahashi, edited by Takeshi Seyama and Yoshihiro Kasahara, and produced by Isao Takahata and Studio Ghibli.

Plot
Young orphan Sheeta and her kidnapper, Col. Muska, are flying to a military prison when their plane is attacked by a gang of air pirates led by the matronly Dola. Escaping from a mid-air collision via a magic crystal around her neck, Sheeta meets fellow orphan Pazu and the pair join forces to discover the mystical floating city of Laputa while pursued by both Muska and the pirates, who lust for the city's myriad treasures.

Why It's a Great Start

 * 1) It's the very first animated film by Studio Ghibli.
 * 2) It has dazzlingly stunning animation that's very creative, and is the very first film to utilize Ghibli's distinctive art style.
 * 3) The very appealing art style and character designs. Even Laputa is beautifully drawn.
 * 4) Good voice acting in both the sub and Disney's 1998/2003 dub.
 * 5) Much of the backstory of Laputa is never explained, in a good way. It was once inhabited and now abandoned. Why? The viewer doesn't need to know, and they just need to accept the rest.
 * 6) It's considered to be a milestone in the steampunk genre, having a strong influence on Japanese pop culture and inspiring many media, such as Final Fantasy, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, WALL-E, and Up.
 * 7) The main heroine, Sheeta, is a very interesting, willful, and caring character. She also has great chemistry with Pazu.
 * 8) This was the first of Hayao Miyazaki's movies to have a villain who ended up becoming an ally.
 * 9) It has superbly excellent soundtrack, even the ending song, Carrying You, is also pretty awesome. (Interestingly, there are two soundtracks to this film.  The Japanese version has a more synthesized soundtrack, while the Disney American release has a lengthier and more orchestral one.  Both contributed by Joe Hisaishi, and approved by Miyazaki.  The GKIDS BD release gives viewers an opportunity to view the Disney dub with either score.)
 * 10) Muska is a cunning villain. Bonus points for being voiced by Mark Hamill in the Disney dub.
 * 11) The sky pirates, led by Dola, are arguably some of the funniest characters in any anime. Cloris Leachman's vocal performance as Dola, in particular, is a real treat.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The original 1980's English dub. Streamline Pictures' Carl Macek (who distributed the dub in question) didn't think highly of it.
 * 2) Some viewers may find the film to be a bit more "archetypal" in style as opposed to Miyazaki's later works.

Videos
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