Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa (Castle in the Sky)

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Tenkuu no Shiro Rapyuta

Japanese: 天空の城ラピュタ

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Information

Type: Movie

Episodes: 1

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Aug 2, 1986

Producers: Tokuma Shoten, Streamline Pictures

Licensors: Disney Platform Distribution, GKIDS

Studios: Studio Ghibli

Source: Original

Genres: Adventure, Award Winning, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi

Duration: 2 hr. 4 min.

Rating: PG - Children

Statistics

Score: 8.26¹ (scored by 295,022 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #287²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #455

Members: 469,975

Favorites: 4,119

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8.26

Ranked #287Popularity #455Members 469,975

MovieStudio Ghibli

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Episodes: /1

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Trailer English version

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Synopsis

In a world filled with planes and airships, Sheeta is a young girl who has been kidnapped by government agents who seek her mysterious crystal amulet. While trapped aboard an airship, she finds herself without hope—that is, until the ship is raided by pirates. Taking advantage of the ensuing confusion, Sheeta manages to flee from her captors. Upon her escape, she meets Pazu, a boy who dreams of reaching the fabled flying castle, Laputa. The two decide to embark on a journey together to discover this castle in the sky. However, they soon find the government agents back on their trail, as they too are trying to reach Laputa for their own greedy purposes.

Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa follows the soaring adventures of Sheeta and Pazu, all while they learn how dreams and dire circumstances can bring two people closer together.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa was the first film to be produced and released by Studio Ghibli. It won the Animage Anime Grand Prix in 1986.

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Adaptation:

Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Pazu

Main

Tanaka, Mayumi
Japanese

Sheeta

Main

Yokozawa, Keiko
Japanese

Dola

Supporting

Hatsui, Kotoe
Japanese

Muska

Supporting

Terada, Minori
Japanese

Uncle Pom

Supporting

Tokita, Fujio
Japanese

Lui

Supporting

Yasuhara, Yoshito
Japanese

Shalulu

Supporting

Kamiyama, Takuzou
Japanese

Anli

Supporting

Kameyama, Sukekiyo
Japanese

Shogun Mouro

Supporting

Nagai, Ichiro
Japanese

Ganger

Supporting

Fukushi, Hideki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Takahata, Isao

Producer

Miyazaki, Hayao

Director, Theme Song Lyrics, Character Design, Screenplay

Shiba, Shigeharu

Sound Director

Hisaishi, Joe

Music

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Opening Theme

"Sora kara Futtekita Shoujo (空から降ってきた少女; The Girl Who Fell from the Sky)" by Joe Hisaishi

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Ending Theme

"Kimi wo Nosete (君をのせて; Carrying You)" by Azumi Inoue

Reviews

Apr 23, 2023

EvenWeirder

Recommended

I have watched this movie dozens of times going all the way back to watching the VHS at age 5. It remains my favorite Studio Ghibli film and will remain a masterpiece that is endlessly re-watchable.

An all-ages Indiana Jones action caper combined with Ghibli's unbeatable animation and Miyazaki's obvious love for aviation created one of my favorite films of all time. The movie runs at a breakneck pace and is constantly moving. You are on board with the characters who know just as much as the audience does. As the film continues, the villain becomes a ruthless menace to the main characters, culminating in one ...

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Sep 28, 2023

Wildflower3

Mixed Feelings

My mind played a trick on me, convincing me I watched this when I was a child. Guess I was wrong (or I really can’t remember it at all). So before reading this review please note that there is no nostalgia involved which will clearly affect my rating as well.

Animation 7/10
As expected from Studio Ghibli movies the art is beautiful and makes you feel like you entered a completely different world. However, compared to other Ghibli movies I watched, it seems to lack in some aspects. It’s still beautiful and lovely. Especially considering the time this movie was made. I’m sure it was ... a milestone for future movies in many aspects.

Story 6/10
I can really see the appeal this movie had for many people and that it was ahead of its time. So a part of me understands why it’s so popular and beloved among anime fans. That being said… For as much as it was hyped to watch it I’d have expected more and ended up being disappointed when it comes to the plot. With most of these movies they appeal of course to children but watching them as an adult makes you view them from a different perspective, making them as intriguing (if not even more). That’s what makes a good children’s movie or book. If it can still be enjoyed by an older audience. Not implying it’s a bad story but personally I felt it wasn’t really captivating. So in itself the story was rather average. Girl who is special because of her roots, a mystic artifact many people are after and two orphans who bond during their adventure and develop a beautiful friendship. Which is really nice but unfortunately the most focus of this story was on the chasing as well as on the more “action” loaded scenes, making the story weaker than it could have been without that (or at least a little less chasing). Like I’ve mentioned before I have no nostalgia for this movie so I’d probably feel different about it if I had. But to me it’s more for kids than for adults who enjoy anime (and this comes form someone who absolutely loves fairytales and even some kids shows. To be fair towards most of them I still feel very nostalgic). My point is that I don’t really get the hype this movie got in the past while at the same time I kind of understand. At least when it comes to personal attachment you have to something you watched in the past (sorry if this doesn’t make any sense to you). The time-frame in which it was set was also a little confusing to me. On one hand it seemed to play in the past and then we had Sci-Fi elements which I wish would have been explored a little bit more (but I guess that was simply to show how different and advanced people from Laputa were).

Characters 6/10
Except for the pirates maybe, most of the characters seemed rather blank to me. And while I liked Pazu and Sheeta as well as their friendship, they didn’t seem fleshed out enough. At least for being the main characters. Pazu had a little more depth because what I could really appreciate about him was the fact that in the beginning he didn’t ask questions, he simply accepted Sheeta’s situation and helped her regardless of what it meant for him (then again it lead him to an adventure he was striving for to begin with and while he worked hard before it didn’t seem to matter to him). But the main villain was probably among the worst I’ve ever seen. You could smell his schemes miles away. And even the reveal about his own background fell flat to me. Like at that point I didn’t even care about him anymore. But once again I want to point out how much I loved the pirates. As much as I hated them in the beginning because they were the stereotypical bad guys. They still were at the end of the movie but I simply love them. Especially Dola. There’s only one tiny detail that bothered me… The pirates going on about how cute Sheeta was. How old was she supposed to be? Maybe 11? It crept me out a little to be honest. But I really want to believe it was simply to show they had a soft side to them.

Music 10/10
Music and themes is really something Ghibli movies can’t do wrong in my opinion. There is nothing more to say. Except for maybe I’ll listen to the OST more than I’d rewatch this movie.

Overall 6/10
If you would ask me if I would recommend this movie I’d be torn. Because I don’t think it’s a waste of time but I also didn’t enjoy myself. For me it was a movie I always wanted to watch (mostly due to the hype and high expectations this fostered). So if you go into this not knowing anything about the movie, maybe don’t expect too much. Because I think it’s mainly this beloved because of nostalgia and those who can see its value. I think maybe you should judge it for yourself and maybe you will end up loving it and having an entire different opinion about it. One thing I’m going to admit is that I think this movie changed a lot and had to exist so other beautiful anime movies could be created. This alone makes it worth it in my opinion. (Still, probably never going to re-watch it).

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Jan 16, 2021

1buki_Mioda

Not Recommended

Last night I watched Castle in the Sky with my club, and after having watched Spirited Away for the last movie night, I was excited for another Miyazaki film. I have to say though, I'm very disappointed.

I want to start by saying that I didn't watch Ghibli movies as a kid. I know a lot of people who say they love Ghibli movies but I suspect that that was because of nostalgia, and they aren't realizing that each of these movies needs to be judged with a more critical, mature eye.

I liked Spirited Away a lot, but Castle in the Sky is just worse it ...

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Recent Forum Discussion

Dub Discussion JTurner - Feb 21, 2008	17 replies	by IamCheri »» Sep 24, 6:05 AM
Poll: Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Cele - Dec 3, 2009	116 replies	by mydaddy »» Jun 11, 6:54 AM
What's the Philosophical Significance of Certain Motifs in Castle in the Sky? Hethalos - Jun 9, 2013	8 replies	by hypergoob »» Jul 23, 2022 8:13 PM
Anna Paquin as Sheeta Duckielover151 - Jan 13, 2019	5 replies	by JTurner »» Feb 5, 2019 11:48 PM
Is this movie a ripoff?? tobanga - Dec 23, 2015	2 replies	by Ichilicious »» Dec 7, 2016 10:41 AM

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