MR Laputa

After all this time, here's another Studio Ghibli movie review!
"Officially", their very first productions, though the same animation team had been formed during Nausicaa.

It's yet another Hayao Miyazaki production!

Movie: Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Release date 1986
Genre Anime/fantasy adventure
Country Japan

Miyazaki wrote and directed this very first film for the newly formed Studio Ghibli then.

Mostly inspired by stories that influenced Hayao Miyazaki as well as some travels he did across Europe, principally in Wales.
It takes notably heavy inspirations from the Earthsea novels as did Horus or Nausicaa to some extend. As well as Gulliver's Travels, from which the floating island Laputa takes its name.

Onto the story...

The story takes place in a sort of vague world resembling ours.
In a sort of medieval western-inspired times.

The story follows a boy named Pasu.
Pasu lives in a mining village and dreams of the skies. Many years ago, his father almost brought back some proof that there is a floating island in the skies. Now decided to prove he wasn't lying.

One day a girl literally fall from the skies into his arms.
Her name was Sheeta. She had been abducted by a certain Muska.

Sheeta's necklace seems to be tied into the legend of the castle in the sky.
Now with pirates as well as the army after Sheeta, both our heroes end up running from one place to another.

Sheeta ends up a captive of Muska again and they discover he wants to use her to find the old city in the sky, remnants from an old empire that ruled the world many years ago with technology surpassing anything ever imagined. (giant robots, floating castles, ..)

Pasu joins the air-pirate Dola and her sons to rescue her and they all end up reaching Laputa, the Castle in the Sky.

The story might follow the point of view of two children, but I find the overall movie a bit darker than some of Miyazaki's more recent work.
It's a powerful story with great characters, great action scenes and memorable sequences.


I can only really criticize Sheeta, who is not as proactive as other Ghibli heroines, she certainly has less presence on screen than Pasu.

The music by Joe Hisaishi is - as always - simply gorgeous, very atmospheric. There's lots of catchy pieces (the trumpet song!) and wonderful themes.

Overall, a mostly entertaining movie!
Very imaginative, stays on your mind for a while and lets you wonder~

A classic for the Studio Ghibli, and a great opening for their filmography!

More rooted in Hayao Miyazaki's influences that some later adaptations (of mangas or novels) from the Studio.
A great fantasy adventure!

I give it:

2 / 3 DonPatchis!