Castle in the Sky, also known as 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. The film stars the voices of Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, , and Minori Terada. In the film, orphans Sheeta and Pazu 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.
Castle in the Sky was 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 1984–1985 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"., cited in . 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. An English dub commissioned by Tokuma Shoten 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 attained cult status, and has influenced several notable artists working in multiple media.
Plot summary
An airship carrying Sheeta– an orphan girl abducted by the government agent Muska– is attacked by Dola and her air pirate gang, who seek Sheeta's crystal necklace. Attempting to escape, Sheeta falls from the airship but is saved by the crystal's magic, which gently lowers her to the ground. Pazu, an orphan working as a mechanic in a 19th-century mining town, catches her and takes her home to recover. The following morning, he shows Sheeta a photograph his father took of Laputa, a mythical castle on a flying island that Pazu hopes to find. Soon afterward, Dola's gang and Muska's soldiers arrive searching for Sheeta. Fleeing through the town, Pazu and Sheeta fall into a mine shaft, where the crystal again saves them. In the tunnels, they meet Uncle Pom, who reveals deposits of the glowing mineral Aetherium, the same material as Sheeta's crystal.
Sheeta reveals to Pazu her secret name that ties her to Laputa, confirming that the legend is true. The army captures the pair and imprisons them in Titus Fort, where Muska shows Sheeta a deactivated robot bearing the same insignia as her crystal and reveals she is heir to the Laputan throne. He releases Pazu in exchange for Sheeta's cooperation in locating Laputa. Returning home, Pazu is captured by Dola's gang, who intend to steal the crystal from Titus Fort. He joins them in an attempt to rescue Sheeta. At the fort, Sheeta recites an ancient phrase taught by her grandmother, inadvertently activating the crystal's power and reanimating the robot. The robot protects her from the soldiers and devastates the fort before being destroyed by the military airship Goliath. Amid the chaos, Pazu and Dola rescue Sheeta, but Muska retains the crystal, whose magic guides him toward Laputa.
Using clues she observed from the crystal, Sheeta helps Pazu persuade Dola to take them to Laputa in exchange for temporarily joining her crew. During the journey, Goliath attacks Dola's airship. Dola detaches the crow's nest– containing Sheeta and Pazu– which functions as a glider tethered to the ship, while Pazu identifies a massive storm where he believes Laputa is hidden. Violent winds destroy the airship and sever the glider's tether, sending Pazu and Sheeta through the storm.
They arrive safely on Laputa, finding it largely deserted except for wildlife and a peaceful robot caretaker. The castle lies in ruins beneath a giant tree growing from the island's center. The army soon arrives and begins looting the castle after capturing Dola's gang. Muska betrays the soldiers, destroys their communications equipment, and takes Sheeta into the castle's core, which houses Laputa's ancient knowledge and weaponry. Using the crystal, he activates the city's defenses and reveals that he, too, is descended from the Laputan royal line. After demonstrating Laputa's power by causing a massive explosion over the ocean and destroying Goliath, Muska declares his intention to use the city to dominate the world.
Horrified, Sheeta steals back the crystal and flees, but Muska corners her in Laputa's throne room. Pazu arrives and negotiates a brief truce, allowing Sheeta to teach him the spell of destruction. Together, they recite it, causing Muska to fall to his death as Laputa collapses around them. The giant tree shields Sheeta and Pazu from the destruction and preserves part of the castle, along with Dola's glider, as the island rises into space. Sheeta, Pazu, and Dola's gang escape safely and briefly reunite before parting ways.
Voice cast
Character nameVoice actor English Japanese Japanese English Pazu Mayumi Tanaka Barbara Goodson. "Yeah, Pazu. Friends were watching it – Castle in the Sky... and I said 'Yeah, I'm in this.'" James Van Der Beek Sheeta Keiko Yokozawa Louise Chambell Anna Paquin Debi Derryberry Dola Rachel Vanowen Cloris Leachman Muska Minori Terada Jack Witte Mark Hamill General Ichirō Nagai Mark Richards Jim Cummings Uncle Pom Fujio Tokita Richard Dysart Mr. Duffi / Boss Hiroshi Ito Charles Wilson John Hostetter Charles Bob Stuart Michael McShane Henri Sukekiyo Kameyama Eddie Frierson Andy Dick Louis Yoshito Yasuhara rowspan=5 Mandy Patinkin Okami / Sheeta's grandmother Machiko Washio Tress MacNeille Madge Tarako Isono Debi Derryberry Motro / Old Engineer Ryūji Saikachi Eddie Frierson Train Operator Tomomichi Nishimura Matt K. Miller
Development
Early concepts
Following the success of his previous film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind(1984), Hayao Miyazaki began looking for different projects to direct. Tokuma Shoten, the company backing Miyazaki financially, proposed producing a follow-up to Nausicaä, which he refused. He envisioned creating an old-fashioned adventure film that would be a "pleasure" to watch, for which he took a research trip to the city of Yanagawa. He developed an initial film concept set in the city, tentatively titled Blue Mountains, which he pitched to Tokuma Shoten in June1984. However, he stated in a later interview that he "wasn't in shape to direct" at the time, and was unable to make progress on the concept., cited in .
The film was never produced, but the city's canals inspired Miyazaki's longtime collaborator, Isao Takahata, to propose they create a documentary about them rather than an animation. This eventually became The Story of Yanagawa's Canals(1987), which focused on the environmental effects of industry on the local waterways. A documentary, however, was unlikely to be commercially viable and had no prospect of support from Tokuma Shoten. Miyazaki therefore financed its production through his personal office, Nibariki, using the profits he had made from Nausicaä.
Takahata rapidly spent the funds on research; to recover the expense and help complete the filming, Toshio Suzuki, an editor of Animage at the time, recommended that Miyazaki direct another film. According to Suzuki, Miyazaki immediately agreed, and quickly developed a concept for the film based on an idea he had in elementary school., cited in . Suzuki later commented that "if Takahata had made his movie on schedule, [Castle in the Sky] wouldn't have been born".
Pre-production
Miyazaki completed a project proposal in December1984, tentatively titled Young Boy Pazu. According to the animation scholar Seiji Kanō, its concepts constituted a "direct rebellion" against popular animation trends at the time; instead of a protagonist with superhuman powers and a futuristic setting, the proposal featured an ordinary child within a fantastical nineteenth-century period. Although Miyazaki had expected Nausicaä to appeal to teenagers, he realized that his audience also included many younger children. This led him to conceptualize a film catered to this demographic, opposed to the trend of increasingly adult-oriented animations.
The proposal was also unusual in that it did not adapt an already-successful manga, which weakened its commercial potential. Feeling that it was unlikely to be green-lit, Miyazaki preemptively began work on a back-up proposal. However, Tokuma Shoten was eager to back Young Boy Pazu, and immediately approved it to begin production, with Takahata acting as producer as he had done on Nausicaä. Miyazaki continued working on the proposal, producing a second draft in February1985. Kanō wrote that this one contained a shift towards a more realistic perspective; refinements were made to the plot, multiple settings were described in detail, and additional characters were included.
Miyazaki had previously visited the country of Wales in 1984, where he witnessed the 1984–1985 coal miners' strike in protest of the push from Margaret Thatcher's government to close many of the mines. On Takahata's suggestion, Miyazaki traveled there again in May1985 to conduct location scouting for the film. With Takahata and Suzuki occupied with the documentary and with building the film's production crew, Miyazaki went alone. Although using real locations as inspirations for fictional settings was a common practice among Japanese animators, Miyazaki's intention for the film was only a generally Western appearance., cited in .
He was significantly influenced by the region's architecture and landscapes; the Big Pit Mine– by then converted into a museum– influenced the opening scenes set in the mining village. Cardiff Castle, and other edifices like it around Wales, provided references for the film's Titus Fort. He was moved by the empty facilities and defeated atmosphere of the miners he witnessed, which resonated with him politically and influenced the themes that he eventually explored.
Writing and production
While Miyazaki was away, Takahata, Suzuki, and Tokuma Shoten's searched for an animation studio willing to take on the new production, but were unsuccessful. The company responsible for Nausicaä production, Topcraft, had gone bankrupt around the time. They therefore decided to set up a new studio, hiring some of their previous collaborators, including – Topcraft's founder– and the colorist Michiyo Yasuda. After scouting several properties on which to set up an office, they selected a location in Tokyo's Kichijōji neighborhood, and were set to begin production upon Miyazaki's return. Studio Ghibli opened on June15, 1985, as a subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten.