X
- 1989
- PG
- Fathom Events
- 2 h 5 m
- 1989
- PG
- Fathom Events
- 2 h 5 m
Summary A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki
Written By: Jonathan Swift, Hayao Miyazaki
- 1989
- PG
- Fathom Events
- 2 h 5 m
- 1989
- PG
- Fathom Events
- 2 h 5 m
Castle in the Sky
78
8.5
Where to Watch
Summary A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki
Written By: Jonathan Swift, Hayao Miyazaki
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
78
86% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
14% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
78
86% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
14% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Another example of the explosive imagination that Miyazaki has. The world of the movie looks to use early 20th Century technology, yet it's filled with these giant airships and flying cities. There's a giant, yet lovable, robot that instantly becomes one of the most memorable characters in the film. Combine all of that with an excellent and memorable Joe Hisaishi score, and you have a jewel of animation.
Miyazaki’s concerns with the fragility and wonder of our less tangible surroundings haunt the picture without overpowering it.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 122 User Ratings
8.5
93% Positive
113 Ratings
113 Ratings
7% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 122 User Ratings
8.5
93% Positive
113 Ratings
113 Ratings
7% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
I cannot begin to describe how much I love this film. I love Studio Ghibli, and Castle in the Sky is one of my absolute favourites from them. It has a highly imaginative story for starters, every bit as imaginative as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind's. Once again, the animation is magnificent, as is the haunting and poignant music score. The dialogue and pacing are fine too, and the characters are never devoid of their likability and are wonderfully voiced by a top notch voice cast. Castle in the Sky is an absolutely beautiful film, but it is also quite haunting helped enormously by the music and visuals. It is an amazing and I think unforgettable film, one of the best animes, perhaps even animated movies I have seen. 10/10 Bethany Cox
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To be completely honest, this is the best movie I have ever seen. I am not exaggerating! It is truly the best of the best. The reason that Studio Ghibli was so successful and is still the "Disney of Japan" is Castle in the Sky. Not only was it the first Ghibli movie, but in my opinion, the absolute best.
There is something about Castle in the Sky that makes it very different from Hayao Miyazaki's other movies. The feeling that flows through you is not the same feeling you get when watching Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, or anything. It is a deep, warm feeling from the inside, that is impossible to put into words. Only after watching it would you understand what I mean. When I first watched this movie, I didn't think it would be anything special at all. That is until I got to the opening credits. The theme song combined with the animation completely blew me away. The first Miyazaki movie I watched was Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, which was amazing but did not impress me nearly as much. A few days later I was scrolling through Netflix and came upon Castle in the Sky (at that point, I did not know that it was a Studio Ghibli movie). I decided to watch it, after all, there was nothing to lose. After some of the best two hours in my life, I went to bed astonished and completely dumbfounded. Even now, it is impossible to explain what it felt like. If I could, I would give this movie a 1 trillion stars. Unfortunately, ten is the max. :( I highly recommend you to watch Castle in the Sky; you won't be disappointed. There is nothing to lose! Hayao Miyazaki's stunningly great directing and Joe Hisaishi's breathtaking music combined makes this the best movie ever in my opinion. What Mr. Miyazaki did well was to directly control the audience's feelings, which he mastered using Mr. Hisaishi's music. Though I am someone who rarely has emotions (people used to call me "stone-face"), much less feelings when watching movies, Castle in the Sky changed everything. Tears welled up in my eyes when I heard the end song, Kimi o Nosete. Though I don't know Japanese, the feelings conveyed by the words and music are universal. Throughout the movie, you could journey alongside the characters; it feels like you are actually there with them. And the only time I cried when watching a movie was during Castle in the Sky. If that's not amazing, I don't know what is.
To conclude this review, these are the two words I can say: ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID! Have a great day and watch Castle in the Sky sometime!
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Viewed from a purely narrative perspective, Castle in the Sky is a fun, engaging two hours. Miyazaki knows how to keep things moving without belaboring certain scenes. He doesn’t speak down to his audience and isn’t afraid to mix in exposition with action.
Miyazaki's world, so full of color and life, is always just across the borderline of imagination, its acute details softened by clouds and shadows, its principles revealed by actions more than words. Laputa has resonance and complexity.
On the lighthearted end of the Miyazaki spectrum, but it features more dashing adventure.
Unusually detailed animation glides hand in hand with the film’s aura of wonderment.
Its detailed fantasy world, including a dark turn-of-the-century mining town and candy-colored futuristic space bikes, is as alluring as any live-action film. Yet this two-hour story about a lost princess, a flying island and space pirates is liable to strain the patience of adults and the attention spans of children.
The most frustrating period of my life was the gap between accidentally catching a viewing of this film during a very limited release and then being able to buy it on VHS or DVD.
This was my introduction to Studio Ghibli and it hass been a love affair that's lasted thirty years.
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I have seen just about all of Miyazaki's films, and they are all beautiful and captivating. But this one rises above the rest. This movie totally impressed me!
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