Castle in the Sky (1986)

Welcome to day 2 of my Studio Ghibli marathon!  Today we're looking at the first official film produced by Studio Ghibli: Castle in the Sky (1986).

SYNOPSIS:
A technologically-advanced castle named Laputa, which floats hidden in the clouds, becomes more than legend when an advanced robot falls to the ground one day.  In pursuit of the mythical castle in the sky, government agents, the military, and even sky pirates pursue a young orphan farm girl named Sheeta (Anna Paquin), who possesses a rare gemstone that can point the way to the fabled city!

REVIEW:
This film was originally released in Japan under the title Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), but its creator, Hayao Miyazaki, discovered later that "la puta" means "the whore" in Spanish.  Regretting the name choice, it was renamed Castle in the Sky (1986) for most of its international audiences.  Laputa is actually a floating island in Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels, which inspired parts of this film.

For these Studio Ghibli films, I will be crediting the American voice cast in my reviews, as most of my readers are English-speaking and may not be familiar with the Japanese cast.  Besides, since Disney bought the rights for American distribution of Studio Ghibli films, they've always made sure to have a star-filled cast.

Some of the cast were just starting their careers in these early films too, like Anna Paquin (Sheeta) and James Van Der Beek (Pazu), who play the two main children.  But we also have some big names in the industry, like the return of Mark Hamill (Muska) and Tress MacNeille (Okami), as well as Jim Cummings (General), Cloris Leachman (Dola), and Andy Dick (Henri).

This film jumps right into the action, with a captured Sheeta being transported in an airship by government agents.  But then they're attacked by Dola and her sky pirates! Attempting to evade everyone, Sheeta climbs out a window and clings to the outside of the airship... until she slips and plummets into the night sky!

Pazu catching a floating Sheeta

But her stone jewel necklace heirloom begins to glow and she floats gently to the ground, where she's found by an orphan miner boy named Pazu.  With the government, military, and pirates on their heels, Pazu and Sheeta take off while the miner townsfolk attempt to distract their pursuers.  Sheeta is eventually recaptured and the location to Laputa is revealed! It becomes a mad race between the pirates, military, and government agents to reach Laputa before anyone else.

Pirate vs. Miner! Manly man contest! Who can flex through their shirt best? Who can take a gut punch?

As with most Studio Ghibli films, you can't make assumptions of anyone's character or intentions based on their first impression.  Dola and her sky pirates are initially seen as a dangerous threat to Sheeta and Pazu, but once the government agents get their hands on Sheeta, Pazu teams up with the pirates to help save her.  They end up befriending the pirates and we learn that Dola and her crew are actually good people.  They become strong allies who help Sheeta save Laputa from the corruption of the military.

Originally assumed to be a threat, Dola and the sky pirates end up being good friends and allies!

We do get a solid nonredeemable villain in this film in the form of Muska, which is rare for a Studio Ghibli film.  The government agent has his own agenda and is willing to do whatever it takes to gain control over Laputa.  Played by a young(er) Mark Hamill, I definitely caught a hint of his evil Joker voice sneaking out a bit when he laughed.  He played The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series (1992) for many years; it's probably his most famous acting role outside of playing Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy.

Muska, holding Sheeta captive as a robot pursues them.

There were a lot of parallels between this film and Hayao Miyazaki's former film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984).  To name a few, Sheeta is revealed to be a princess who is taken hostage by the military, there's another royal member who is pursuing her for their own selfish reasons, and the ultimate goal of multiple parties is to claim an ultimate weapon that will make them the undisputed rulers of the world.  Also, we see a small gathering of fox squirrels on Laputa, exactly like Nausicaä's pet Teto.

Fox squirrels!  I want one!

Sheeta herself receives a ton of help and support from Pazu, as she's just an ordinary farm girl.  But she has her own independent strengths that help her throughout the film.  Both of her parents have passed away, so she's been tending a farm by herself and is completely self-reliant.  Despite being captured several times, she's not a damsel in distress, waiting to be saved.   She manages to escape on her own every time.  And even though she has no interest in Laputa or its history, power, technology, etc., she still feels a need to save it from the corrupt powers looking to take advantage of the advanced former civilization.  She and Pazu join the sky pirates to stop the military from taking over the floating castle.

This film takes place in an era of industrial revolution, as is evidenced when Pazu admires a motorcar that pulls up to his house.  Not to mention, the flying military zeppelin, the sky pirates' own small airship, and other more primitive forms of transportation like trains.  This film actually inspired a steampunk wave across anime (animated films/shows) and manga (comic books) for the next few decades.  A lot of Japanese steampunk media today can be traced back to this film.  Not that steampunk wasn't known prior, but it had a resurgence of popularity thanks to this film.

Older military weaponry and vehicles (like airships/zeppelins) make common appearances in many Studio Ghibli films, as Hayao Miyazaki is a fan of European WWII weaponry and machinery, despite his distaste for war.  The military is portrayed as a bunch of greedy, trigger-happy fools in this film.  As soon as they set foot on Laputa, they immediately start looting treasures and antiquities, haphazardly throwing them in a pile to be loaded onto their zeppelin.

I have to say, I have a minor fear of heights, but this film does everything in its power to set it off.  From the very beginning where Sheeta falls off an airship, to Pazu trying to climb on the crumbling vines covering the underside of the floating castle.  I definitely felt anxiety watching him climbing stone pillars that were collapsing and falling miles into the ocean below, right beneath him.  Not to mention, there are no guard rails anywhere on Laputa. So many narrow paths with nothing to keep you from falling... *shudder*

Quit goofing off on that ledge! You're giving me an anxiety attack!

RECOMMENDATION:
This early Studio Ghibli film gives you a taste of the steampunk/sci-fi/fantasy adventures to come in future films, while also leaning heavily on the original film that inspired the creation of the studio (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)).  It was a great start to Studio Ghibli's history, and a fun film for Studio Ghibli enthusiasts.  I definitely recommend it!