After Jonathan Swift ‘s Gulliver’s Travels, Studio Ghibli’s first animated film was 1986’s Castle in the Sky . While Ghibli’s other works overshadow it, it’s arguably the best anime ever made.
Set in an alternate take of the 19th century, Castle in the Sky tells the story of the search for a real castle floating in the sky. Known as Laputa, this floating city ruled over a planetary empire that dominated human prehistory.
Relics of Laputa fall from the sky, and certain gems seem to be imbued with infinite power. For the final gem, a character named Cheetah wears a similar gem around his neck.
From a mysterious government agency to a flying hacker, this blue gem appears to hold the key to unlocking Laputa.
In all of this is Baju, the young miner who replaced Cheetah at the beginning of the story. Baju’s father has spent his life searching for Laputa, and Baju wants to prove his father’s legacy to those who doubt him.
Here is one of the most beautifully animated and accurate stories in all of cinema. The secret of the Laputas and the power that kept their empire afloat lies at the heart of the story and provides enough mystery to keep the narrative interesting.
Where the characters of Paju and Sheeta make you sympathize with their quest, they are drawn to the irrepressible charm of the pirates.
What makes the Sky Castle so special is its impeccable construction and craftsmanship. It is not only visually original, but also tells a subtle and interesting story with charming characters.
The film also has a great soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi. The combination of synthesizers and orchestras draws on the technological collision of the modern steam world and ancient technology that drives Laputa’s courage.
Even so, if any of the above stories and locations sound familiar, it’s because writer-director Hayao Miyazaki has already worked on many similar themes in the excellent Conan . In many ways, Conan and Lana are the archetypes of Paz and Shit, with a common theme of mistrust of ancient technology also woven into the narrative fabric of both works.
Castle in the Sky is definitely a more condensed story than the future boy Conan , but in many ways the pacing and plot structure are very similar.
The original soundtrack for this Blu-ray and DVD release is also a highlight, as the English dub has a completely different tone, although it’s still written by Joe Hisaishi. This additional soundtrack makes this set unique, as most of the animation retains the original Japanese music rather than creating an entirely new soundtrack for the English version.
As for changing the name of the Western version of the film, perhaps for the same reason Swift used the name “Laputa” for the same technological floating city in Gulliver’s Travels . The name “Laputa” has a rather unfortunate meaning in Spanish, and Disney no doubt wanted to avoid the hassle of distributing the film in the West.
Before that , Castle in the Sky used its Japanese title, Laputa, for overseas release, as I remember seeing it on British TV as a kid. The English dubbing at the time was also serviceable, but not great, and not much improved by the new English dubbing (unfortunately, the Hollywood gimmick is to blame here).
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