Story: Castle in the Sky starts out with us viewing an airship that's traveling with a seemingly ordinary girl, Sheeta. The problem? She's being held hostage by some unknown men. Some pirates invade the airship and are after a "special" crystal that Sheeta possesses. During the chaos, she unintentionally falls down into the clouds where they all lose her. Switch to the ground, and we meet a young boy, Pazu, who lives alone and works in a mining town. He works with the men in the mines and he seems to be pretty good at his job, to boot! When he goes home, he sees a falling Sheeta... but with the crystal, gently floating her to the ground. She goes on to tell Pazu about where she came from, including a civilization that is only heard of in legends. Coincidentally, he's already heard of some these legends and has been seeking a way to find out more about it himself.
I, historically, do not like Studio Ghibli films at all. They're often way too strange for my liking. However, this one has a fantasy world where that we see represented in a lot of modern day movies. In fact, this movie was made in 1986, so it was way ahead of its time. It holds up so well today.
The story from beginning to end is one that I loved between our characters, to the fact that the plot never stops moving. There's an importance to every scene and it transitions so well to the next one. Nothing is wasted here. It somewhat plays like an adventure game, in that we take steps to get from one point to the other, only to know there's more to it. There's a lot of detail in the old mining town and it all meshes together really well. It even has its own lighthearted and funny moments mixed in there too.
One exceptional part of this movie is that it doesn't stay in one spot for too long - we get to see so much about the world, something Studio Ghibli films frequently do. This is why I was comparing the movie to an adventure story. Sheeta and Pazu go to so many places, meeting so many different people and they're all likable. The story also very clearly tells us about the legends that Pazu was chasing, and it's wonderfully told. Simply put, its story is excellent. (10/10)
Characters: We don't get to know much about Pazu's past, but his dream takes a gigantic step when Sheeta literally falls into his arms. This can come off as too much of a coincidence, but it does ignite our story. He's extremely noble, something that was likely instilled in him in his work. He's a solid character for this tale and an excellent companion for Sheeta. Something you can appreciate is that even though we're in a bit of a fantasy world, he does of limitations, most of which are physical. He's not a complete weakling because of his job though. The film does a good job at tempering expectations. Sheeta is the mysterious girl who possesses knowledge of a civilization from legends, Sheeta tells Pazu, in somewhat of reluctance, why people are after her. However, she doesn't want to burden others, rightfully so, with her problems. What I do like is that she's not some helpless princess, who can't do much on her own. This is further reinforced in the middle portion of the movie. She has great morals and is very much willing to learn from others. She puts on a brave front, regardless of the situation. Her, along with Pazu, act older than their actual age - and it makes sense considering their upbringing. This makes the film so much more believable, even though we see them as kids.
Muska is one of the villains in this film, keeping Sheeta hostage in the beginning of the film. His role gets elevated as the film goes on and he's actually a pretty smart one. His role stays pretty unknown to us for most of the film, but we see why later. Dola & the Pirates have a role in the film that ends up being pretty important and you do learn about them about halfway through. I'm glad they took the time to go through who they are because it adds so much. They're a ton of fun. No, this doesn't feature the most expansive cast, but they're all done really well. (9/10)
Art: For a film that's as old as this one, the art actually does hold up today on Netflix. It looks really nice. Studio Ghibli's style is pretty easily recognizable, at least in the early years, and this does keep that type of feel to it. It does boast more of its graphical prowess as the film carries on as well. (8/10)
Sound: Some of the tracks really add to the film while others just kind of feel like they are there. The ending theme matches the ending to the film really well too. The VOs back then definitely pull this off really well. James Van der Beek (Pazu) was the best of the bunch. Anna Paquin (Sheeta) is known more so for her work on Fox's X-Men movies and she's also really good here. I'm hard pressed to say anyone was bad, but those two were above all else. (8/10)
Overall Enjoyment: Castle in the Sky was my introduction to Studio Ghibli films and it's unfortunately the only one I liked out of the bunch that I've seen to date. They tend to be over-the-top with their stories, but this one strikes a nice balance between mystical and "normal". It still holds up today and is easily worth the watch. (9/10)
