Castle in the Sky
Castle in the Sky (Japanese: 天空の城ラピュタ, Hepburn: Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta), also known as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was produced by Isao Takahata, animated by Studio Ghibli, and distributed by the Toei Company. In voice acting roles, the original Japanese version stars Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, and Minori Terada. The film follows orphans Sheeta and Pazu, who are pursued by government agent Muska, the army, and a group of pirates. They seek Sheeta's crystal necklace, the key to accessing Laputa, a legendary flying castle hosting advanced technology.
This article is about the 1986 animated film. For other uses, see Castles in the Sky (disambiguation).Castle in the Sky
天空の城ラピュタ
Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta
Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta
Hayao Miyazaki
- Mayumi Tanaka
- Keiko Yokozawa
- Kotoe Hatsui
- Minori Terada
Hirokata Takahashi
- Takeshi Seyama
- Yoshihiro Kasahara
- August 2, 1986
124 minutes
Japan
Japanese
¥500 million (US$8 million)
Castle in the Sky is the first film to be animated by Studio Ghibli. Its production team included many of Miyazaki's longtime collaborators, who would continue to work with the studio for the following three decades. The film was partly inspired by Miyazaki's trips to Wales, where he witnessed the aftermath of the 1984 coal miners' strike. The island of Laputa is used to highlight the theme of environmentalism, exploring the relationships between humanity, nature, and technology, a reflection of Miyazaki's ecological philosophy. The young protagonists also provide a unique perspective on the narrative, as a result of Miyazaki's desire to portray "the honesty and goodness of children in [his] work."[1] Many aspects of the film's retrofuturistic style – the flying machines in particular – are influenced by nineteenth-century approaches, which has earned the film a reputation in the modern steampunk genre.
The film was released in Japanese theaters on August 2, 1986. It underperformed expectations at the box office, but later achieved commercial success through rereleases, earning over US$157 million as of 2021. An English dub commissioned by Tokuma Shoten in 1988 was distributed in North America by Streamline Pictures, and another dub was produced by Disney in 1998, released internationally by Buena Vista in 2003. The film's score was composed by Joe Hisaishi, who would become a close collaborator of Miyazaki's; Hisaishi also composed a reworked soundtrack for the 2003 English dub. The film was generally acclaimed by critics, though the English dubs received mixed reviews. It was well-received by audiences, being voted as one of the greatest animated films in polls conducted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Oricon. The film also received several notable accolades, including the Ōfuji Noburō Award at the Mainichi Film Awards and the Anime Grand Prix from Animage. Castle in the Sky has since earned "cult status",[2] and has influenced several notable artists working in multiple media.
Plot summary[edit]
An airship carrying Sheeta – an orphan girl abducted by government agent Muska – is attacked by air pirate Dola and her gang, who seek Sheeta's crystal necklace. Attempting to escape, Sheeta falls from the airship but is saved by the magic of the now-glowing crystal, which lowers her gently. She is caught by Pazu, an orphan who works as a mechanic in a 19th-century mining town, and he takes her to his home to recover. The next morning, Pazu shows Sheeta a picture his father took of Laputa, a mythical castle on a flying island, which Pazu now seeks. Dola's gang and Muska's soldiers shortly arrive looking for Sheeta. After a chase through the town, Pazu and Sheeta fall into a mine shaft, but are saved again by the crystal. In the tunnels, they meet Uncle Pom, who shows them deposits of the glowing mineral Aetherium, the same material as Sheeta's crystal.
Sheeta reveals to Pazu that she has a secret name tying her to Laputa, proving the myth is real. The two are captured by the army and imprisoned in a fortress. Muska shows Sheeta a dead robot that fell from the sky, bearing the same insignia as on Sheeta's crystal, and reveals she is the heiress to the Laputan throne. Muska releases Pazu under the condition that Sheeta guides the army to Laputa. Pazu returns home, but is captured by Dola's gang, who prepare to fly to the fortress and take the crystal. Pazu joins them in an attempt to save Sheeta. In the fortress, Sheeta recites an ancient phrase her mother taught her and inadvertently activates the magic of the crystal, reanimating the robot. The robot protects Sheeta from the army and destroys the fortress with its weapons, but is destroyed in turn by the military airship Goliath. In the chaos, Pazu and Dola fly in and rescue Sheeta. However, Sheeta's crystal is left behind, its magic still active, allowing Muska to use it to navigate to Laputa.
Sheeta having seen the crystal's directions and being able to navigate to Laputa, she and Pazu convince Dola to take them there in exchange for temporarily joining her crew. In the middle of the night, Sheeta and Pazu keep watch from the crow's nest when Dola's airship is attacked by Goliath. Dola detaches the crow's nest, which also functions as a glider attached to the ship with a line. Pazu spots a massive storm, wherein he believes his father saw Laputa. Dola attempts to steer into the clouds, but is halted by violent winds. Goliath destroys Dola's airship, severing the line connecting it to the glider. Sheeta and Pazu pass through the turbulent lightning storm.
They land safely on Laputa, which they find deserted but for some fauna and one peaceful robot. The castle is in ruins, and a giant tree now grows out of the top of the island. The army arrives and begins looting the castle, having taken Dola's gang captive. Muska and his accomplices betray the army, destroying their communication systems, and capture Sheeta, taking her into the core of the castle. Pazu frees Dola's gang from their bindings and pursues Muska. The core of the castle is the epicenter of Laputa's ancient knowledge and weapons, which Muska activates using Sheeta's crystal, revealing to her that he is also descended from the Laputan royal line. Muska demonstrates Laputa's power by causing a massive explosion over the ocean, destroying Goliath, and declares his intention to destroy humanity using Laputa, believing them inferior to himself and Sheeta. Horrified, Sheeta takes back the crystal and flees, but is cornered by a pursuing Muska in Laputa's throne room.
Pazu appears and bargains for a brief truce. Sheeta teaches Pazu another ancient phrase, the spell of destruction, which they recite, causing Laputa to begin to collapse. The light of the spell blinds Muska, who falls to his death, while Sheeta and Pazu are protected by the giant tree's roots. While Laputa's bottom falls out, the rest of the castle – along with Dola's glider – is preserved by the giant tree, and the island begins to rise into space. Sheeta, Pazu, and Dola's gang are able to escape, and briefly reunite before flying away.
Themes[edit]
Roles of nature and technology[edit]
Castle in the Sky contains a strong theme of environmentalism, questioning humanity's relationship with nature and the role of technology.[25] McCarthy interprets the giant tree of Laputa as a "metaphor for the reviving and life-giving power of nature."[26] However, in contrast with the more optimistic conclusions of Miyazaki's previous works, Napier notes that the film ends with an "unsettling view" of the castle flying away, suggesting that humanity may not deserve to exist in the natural world.[27] Literary scholar Anthony Lioi interprets Laputa as an ecological utopia that demonstrates the peace that can be established between nature and advanced technology, but also serves as a criticism of modernity when "[the] peace is shattered by human violence."[28] The characters of Muska and the army are used to criticize modern militarism in particular.[29] Lioi notes that this outlook differs from dominant Western ideas, eschewing the extremes of capitalism and industrialism, as well as radical environmentalism and conservationism.[28]
Style[edit]
Miyazaki's affinity for flight is repeatedly displayed in Castle in the Sky, a motif that continues throughout the feature films of his career.[51] A variety of fictional flying machines appear across the film, including the island of Laputa, the airships, and the pirates' ornithopters; Sheeta's crystal also allows her to float through the air.[52] However, many of the other flying machines in the film are retrofuturistic, influenced by nineteenth-century stylistic approaches.[53] Additionally, Miyazaki was inspired by the literature of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson when considering the style of the film.[54]
Another stylistic trait that Miyazaki drew from nineteenth-century influences is the depiction of machines that "still possess the inherent warmth of handcrafted things."[55] Pazu is shown to enthusiastically build and work with flying machines,[56] and literary scholars Jeff VanderMeer and S. J. Chambers argue that this gives the film's airships "a realistic physicality."[57] Commenting on the mecha anime popular at the time, Miyazaki expressed his hatred for shows that glorified machines without portraying the characters struggling to build or maintain them.[58] As critic Eric Reinders puts it, "you can't just flip the switch on a Miyazaki contraption."[56] Animation scholar Thomas LaMarre argues that the film provides an "alternative to our received technologies" and thus a critique of more contemporary technologies and society's perception of them.[59]
Many of these elements have become major influences on the steampunk genre.[60] Cavallaro writes that Castle in the Sky is like many other works of the genre in the way that it portrays retrofuturistic technology in contrast with fictional versions of electronic technology, such as the weapons system in the underside of Laputa.[61] While the other machines are presented as joyful, Laputa's underside is used exclusively as an instrument of destruction.[56] Miyazaki stated that, as a child, he was attracted to the design and power of military planes, a view that has since been replaced with revulsion for the indiscriminate acts of violence that the machines have been used for.[51] Miyazaki's love for flying machines, as well as their innate destructive potential, are highlighted in his later film The Wind Rises (2013).[62]
Castle in the Sky
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Castle in the Sky has been generally acclaimed by film critics in the years since its release. In 2001, Animage ranked Castle in the Sky 44th in their list of top 100 anime.[87] Animation critic and writer Raz Greenberg calls Castle in the Sky "one of the greatest adventure films ever made",[88] and critic Manabu Murase names it "quite possibly the most entertaining anime that Miyazaki ever made".[89] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rate of 96% from 28 critics, with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10. The site's critic consensus reads, "With a storytelling palette as rich and brilliant as its animation, Castle in the Sky thrillingly encapsulates Studio Ghibli's unique strengths."[90] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[91]
While multiple reviewers felt that the film's two-hour runtime would turn audiences away,[92] The New York Times's Caryn James commenting that it is "liable to strain patiences of adults and the attention spans of children",[93] others argued that the film had the appeal to keep audiences entertained.[94] IGN's Jeremy Conrad felt the characters are "so likable that you never get bored, you always want to see what adventure is next for them".[4] Reviewers were split over the 1988 English dub,[95] with the Dayton Daily News's Terry Lawson calling it "the film's weakest element",[96] while The Cincinnati Post's David Lyman felt the dubbing into English had been done "superbly".[97] The 2003 dub similarly received mixed reviews, with The A.V. Club's Tasha Robinson calling Disney's recordings "almost comically bland",[98] and Conrad expressing his appreciation for Anna Paquin as Sheeta and Mark Hamill's performance as Muska.[4] Many critics also praised the animation,[99] the Asheville Times's Tom Sabulis considering it "state-of-the-art"[100] and The Philadelphia Inquirer's Steven Rea naming it "masterful".[101] However, some felt the motions lacked fluidity,[102] with Lyman describing it as "stiff-limbed".[97]
Most reviewers highlighted the imaginative capacity that Miyazaki displays in the film.[103] Slant's Chuck Bowen noted the subtle details included in the film, which he felt lends it "texture and originality".[104] A review in the Weekly Asahi highlighted the film's dynamism, favorably comparing its flying sequences with Peter Pan (1953).[105] Several reviewers praised the use of color, which made the film "a joy to watch" according to James.[106] A reviewer for City Road noted that the film could present themes that were critical of modern society while still maintaining a "warm and caring" view of humanity.[107] Several reviewers noted the film's strong ecological theme, with The Washington Post's Richard Harrington appreciating the "moral duality" of Laputa's technology,[108] and the Asahi Journal's Yomota Inuhiko praising the depiction of Laputa as a utopia which gradually developed dystopic elements.[109] Critics and scholars also noted the film's connections to Miyazaki's previous works; Greenberg felt that the film is "deeply rooted within Miyazaki's filmography of the two decades that preceded it",[47] and Denison called it a "compendium of Miyazaki's previous interests as an animator".[110]
Audience response[edit]
Castle in the Sky was the second-place winner in the Reader's Choice award category hosted by Animage in 1986.[111] In a 2006 poll by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs conducted at the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival, the film was rated the third-best animation of all time, after Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995).[112] In a 2008 audience poll conducted by Oricon in Japan, Castle in the Sky was voted the best animation of all time.[113]