Laputa: Castle in the Sky Anime Movie Review

You know when you see the waves hit the rocks in the anime film intro, that it's going to be amazing.

A Miyazaki Film, Produced by Ghibli (their first ever!), and Distributed by Toei, Laputa: Castle in the Sky rose to huge success as a timeless adventure fantasy film that is still great to watch today.

Back in the 80's an anime selling 15 Million in Box Office was unheard of, and this particular Anime has influenced Japanese pop culture themes for many decades since it's release. Castle in the Sky remains a fan favorite and a cult classic today.

Fun Fact: Walt Disney Pictures created the first English dub and presented sound and music score changes to make it more suitable for American audiences.

Table of Contents

Frequently Asked Questions

Anime Review

Author

Characters

Plot

Conclusion

Where to Watch

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Laputa Castle in The Sky Based On?

A: Miyazaki based his movie Castle in The Sky on a trip to a Welsh Mining Town in 1984, where he observed strikes and opposition similar to Japan's miner situation. Miyazaki wanted a main character who fought for his dreams that had no super powers. The film drew inspiration from both Treasure Island and Gulliver's Travels Novels.

Q: Is Castle In The Sky Worth Watching?

A: Yes. Castle in the Sky is a Classic Anime Movie loved by millions.

Q: What is the meaning of Laputa?

A: Laputa is the name of an imaginary flying island in Jonathan Swift's novel "Gulliver's Travels". The English dub omits many references to themes from Gulliver's Travels as well as Treasure Island.

Anime Review

Castle in The Sky was one of the classic films and was the first film produced by Studio Ghibli in 1986 that was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, just hearing his name had me left with a conclusion that the story will be amazing. But, of course I will still be asking the same question

Laputa Castle in The Sky Miyazaki Studio Ghibli Anime Movie

Is ‘Castle in The Sky’ worth watching?

Another, yes. Especially, if you’re into fantasy-adventure films this would be perfect for you. The story was set in the late 90th century, wherein a young girl and a boy met and had decided to look for the famous floating city or the castle in the sky that was said to be named ‘Laputa’.

Sheeta, is one of the main protagonists in the film and she was abducted by a group of people who wanted the heirloom that was given to her which is a crystal necklace that was made of Aetherium which also possesses magical powers. This necklace also symbolizes the royal family of the famous floating city which they soon found in the movie.

When I was watching the movie, some scenes at the beginning were confusing to me at first, I thought that everything was going too fast with Sheeta getting chased by a group of people and pirates as well. But, it eventually made sense.

Fantasy Adventure Castle in The Sky

I find it so relieving when they arrived in Laputa, knowing they went through a really hard time with all the people chasing after the crystal necklace. This movie may seem confusing, but as you watch it everything will make sense. I still remember when Laputa was first shown in the film and The Laputian Robots were shown as well, I found them really adorable. I really had goosebumps seeing the visual of this movie, given the fact that this is hand-drawn as well.

All I can say about this movie is the visuals are enchanting and the story may not be clear at first, but all the questions I had in my mind were answered in the movie.

Aesthetic of Castle in The Sky

I would really recommend you to watch this movie if you’re a fan of fantasy genre films, the visuals will really fascinate you along with the characters in Laputa that you’ll be seeing. Overall, this movie really gave my heart some sort of fulfillment and if you started it and it was confusing to you at first, I suggest that you watch it until the end.

Author

Hayao Miyazaki

Characters

Sheeta eating an egg, classic scene

Sheeta, who soon revealed her full name which is Lusheeta Toel Ul Laputa is one of the main characters in the movie. She was being chased by a group of people because of her crystal necklace which gives directions towards the floating castle that’s called Laputa. Sheeta is more of a shy girl unlike the young boy, Pazu, who was always filled with energy and courage.

Pazu, is the young dedicated boy who helped Sheeta to get into Laputa, the floating castle. He showed how brave of a character he is during the movie and had protected Sheeta at all times, even if Sheeta had tried to deny his offer he was persistent and stayed true to his words.

Muska is the main antagonist in the film, he was one of the people who was chasing over Sheeta’s crystal necklace and aims to take over Laputa using the aetherium crystal.

Dola, is the leader of the air pirates that was chasing after Sheeta. She was with her three sons ( Louis, Henri & Charles) the whole time. She was a greedy character at first who just came after the treasure of the floating castle, but she soon developed a soft spot for Pazu and Sheeta.

Sheeta and Muska Cute

Where to Watch Castle in The Sky

Stream:

HBO MAX

Buy:

Youtube

Apple TV

References:

Felleti F. (2012, April 26). Castle in the Sky. Retrieved from.

https://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2012/04/castle-in-the-sky