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| I came in expecting some Pixar movie with a heart felt story that is for all sorts of ages... that sort of magic... and was really disappointed to find out this has a very generic story with no heart in it. They did not bother with making the whole Castle thing to be all fantastic. The characters were bland. All of them. My favorite was the robot and the little Pokemon foxes on his shoulder. The animation was so good I can't believe this was almost 30 fucking years ago. Really amazing. Great scenery too. One of the best looking anime I've ever seen. 7/10 |
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| Pretty interesting characters, but not much else stood out for me ... music was all right, but not much "happened" in the story I felt :S Tbh I would've given this a 7.5 but the animation was absolutely beautiful, so I decided to round up ... yeah, I didn't like this one as much as I thought I would D: 8/10 |
| This was a really disappointing watch for me, probably my least favorite Ghibli movie yet. I agree with the people saying the story was generic (although tbh, I don't know if it was generic at the time or not) but even more with saying there was no heart in it. Even the world, the castle, it wasn't as fantastical and wonderful with as much detail as I expected/hoped. It was kind of lazily done. And then you have the characters, pretty much all of them are extremely bland and even one-dimensional. You know you have a problem when you can barely count a few traits of your MC (Sheeta at least), they aren't very likable either. This might work in movies that aren't as character-driven, or ones at least with a mesmerizing world that can keep your mind occupied on it. But here neither the story and world nor the characters managed to make me focused on them. This resulted in me being bored for most of the movie. I give them the good animation and a few really funny lines here and there. |
SalxerMay 5, 2014 12:46 AM
| Huh. Were those creatures mingling on the shoulder of that robot the same fox-squirrels that appeared in the earlier film "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind"? Unfortunately, this film ended up being only as interesting as "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", which is quite disappointing. Nothing bored me while watching it but there wasn't anything memorable in the two hours either. It was great to hear Colonel Muska, voiced by Mark Hamill, go full-on Joker at the end there. Edit: The theme song in this film sounded very familiar to me whilst I was watching, then I realized it had a very similar tune as the theme song of "From Up on Poppy Hill". Not sure if anyone else felt the same when viewing. |
StevenHuAug 5, 2014 11:00 AM
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| This movie was far better & more enjoyable than Miyazaki's previous work of Nausicaa. It's a really fun, kid's, adventure movie that was pretty much a fun romp from beginning to end. The dubbing is pretty great, particularly with Mark Hamill (Joker!!!) & Cloris Leachman though I did have some issues with Sheeta, mostly with an accent I don't quite think she knew if she had but it's nitpicks. I enjoyed a lot of this movie but mostly the comedy or should I say, the pirates. My favorite part of the film where the scenes of Pazu & Sheeta working on the Pirates ship that it was almost a shame that the plot started to rear it's head. But overall, I really liked the pacing of this one, never seemed to move to fast or slow & gave us good breather moments too. & the music, mainly the main theme of the movie, is absolutely brilliant. I can't say I entirely cared for the events that transpired once we actually got to the Castle in the Sky but none of it was bad of course. 8/10. Also, got to wonder if the movie helped inspired Oda with Skypiea. I mean, the Ohm inspired the Kurta from HxH so it wouldn't be too surprising if this movie had a similar effect with another mangaka. |
| I just loved everything about this movie. I've still got a few more of the big Ghibli films left before I can give my final opinion but right now this one my favorite. 10/10 |
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| Miyazaki's second major movie after Nausicaa. This time it's an action packed adventure where Miyazaki reused some elements from his previous work. The themes are kept light and some of the concepts were never touched upon. The characters are nothing but typical archetypes but as a film aimed for a kids it does a good job at staying memorable. |
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| I'm finally starting to watch the Ghibli movie, Castle in The Sky didn't disappoint a bit ! |
| Decent fun but dissapointing compared to the other Ghibli movies like Spirited Away and such .. |
| If Laputa's drifting off into space at the end, all the wildlife's gonna die horribly ;[ |
| opening is nice , it match the movie and put u in mood |
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| I love how all the people in the city are helping Sheeta and Pazu. Even though the robot in this film looks heavily dated from now-a-days ... it's pretty scary to look at and it was so sad when it died :/ Lmao, "pops" looked like Doctor Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog. Dola and her gang are amazing, allthough I have to say that I found her sons to be kind of creepy, crushing on Sheeta (guessing she's pretty young by her looks) LOLLED so hard when the boys thought Dola farted (grenade explosion) ... Masku is a pretty good shot to hit both ponytails accurately from that distance. Great film, start was kind of weird to me, I've seen too many films that have people going into a weird city where everything is new to them but this was just an actual world where everyone knew what was going on. Anyhow ... I really liked the film, the characters were amazing, so was the music, absolutely loved the pirate gang (Doctor Eggman .. lol) The only downside was the reveal of how Muska knew so much as it was kind of a twist but not really ... 10/10 for sure though, would watch it again. :) |
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| Ahh, classic old school Ghibli fun. The adventure was a lot of fun and compelling, the character were supremely likeable and everything was just gorgeous to look at. Makes sense for that castle in the sky so be the stuff of the legends all right. I did like some of the plot twists and found the story cool despite its share of cliches, but I do wish the antagonist had more to him. |
| This is really a well done anime by studio ghibli though it's an "old" anime but everything is good. This show is really worth to watch. |
| This film is my life, it was this film who made me want to discover other works of the Ghibli studio. It was a revelation to me when I saw it for the first time in 2003 when I was 7 years old. This movie symbolizes for me what a perfect work is, mastered from beginning to end. I love this movie so much that I know the dialogues by heart ^^ |
Eterna71Feb 26, 2017 1:48 PM
| This film sits in the middle of Miyazaki films for me. There are some I like better than this one such as Mononoke -- so it's more on the lines of Nausicaa. The setting is honestly the best part about this movie, followed by the pirates who I find very charming. I think it's an enjoyable movie that could have been improved with stronger main characters. 6/10 |
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| The animation was great for how old the film is. It's staggering how well it has aged. The mystery surrounding the castle was pretty cool. The soundtrack was very good. The only main criticism I have with the movie is the lack of character development. 8/10 |
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| Yet another beautiful, but average Ghibli movie. I just can't get into them. |
joe_g7Jul 6, 2017 8:43 AM
"At some point, I stopped hoping." |
| When I first read about "Castle in the Sky" I imagined the castle to be similar to those old castles in Germany or Fairy Tales. |
 She got him back. If you understand the characters well enough, you'd know she did! |
| This was leagues better than Nausiccä. The movie didn't beat you over the head with the environmental themes and as such didn't have much of a need to "argue" for them. The characters were much more charming too. All in all it was a fun adventure. Based on some descriptions from a friend, I figured this movie would be the safest bet for starting my exploration of the Ghibli films (having only seen Nausiccä and Grave of the Fireflies before), and it seems I was right. I thought it was really good. Seems like this would be easy to rewatch too. I'm pleased. |
| This is definitely one of Ghibli's best works. It was a fantastic adventure that stayed consistent till the end. There was never a dull moment in the movie. Pazu and Sheeta were great main characters and Dola was an amazing side character. Muska was a threatening villain and the mystery behind Laputa was great. This has been in my plan to watch list for a long time already. I'm glad I decided to pick it up because it didn't disappoint. If I had just one complaint about this movie, it would be the subtle pedophilic tendencies of the pirates. I was weirded out when I saw that particular scene but thankfully, it stayed subtle till the end and never really went anywhere. |
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| A film that amazed me, I thought I would have seen something melancholy, instead as for Nausicaä, there is a strong humanitarian and environmentalist mark. Fantastic the world of Laputa and all the backgrounds, more than history sometimes and just what surrounds the characters and the story, talking. Really a good movie, but I wanted to see the characters Pazu and Sheeta in their new life, what a pity! 9/10 |
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| I've watched a fair amount of Ghibli movies to say that I had a great time with this movie and it's now one of my 5 favorite Ghibli movies~ The characters were very likable (with the exception of all those bad guys), the main score was spectacular, and the flying overlord deathtrap castle of Laputa was a sight to behold. There were some moments where I almost teared up like the part where the robot gave the flower to Sheeta and their supposed final moments with the castle. Pazu playing Laputa of the Slag Ravine gave me a lot of Shigatsu memories too xD It's definitely one of the darker Ghibli movies out there. It just shows that once we've forgotten about our bloody past, it's best that we just leave it there. |
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| Had some spare time on my hands so i thought i might aswell get this onto my completed tab, i did not think it would be such a good film! Kept me intrested all the way through! |
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| Caught this at the movie theater this week, second time seeing it (first was the dub in 2010) and first time subbed. I was hoping I'd appreciate it more this time, but it's still underwhelming compared to Nausicaa and even Totoro (which I've also seen only once, dubbed, in 2010). In this thread some have said the characters in Nausicaa were better, others say the opposite. My take, going by the anime only (I've only read a little further in the consensus vastly superior Nausicaa manga): Sheeta vs. Nausicaa: Nausicaa is my favorite anime character by a mile. I don't think I can even imagine not being enchanted by her, so I can't evaluate fairly. Pazu vs. Asbel: Pazu obviously wins thanks to his screentime and agency in the story. However, I like Asbel's arc from an initial "us vs. them" POV to turning against his own people for seishun hormones the greater good. Laputa's main characters' objectives don't really change; Sheeta always wants to return to the happy comfort of her simple life on the farm, and Pazu always wants to find Laputa (for pure romantic reasons), and be with Sheeta. Dola vs. Lord Yupa: Dola is highly unconventional, complex, and lovable. To me Lord Yupa is (in the Disney dub) Captain Picard playing the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is awesome, so no fairness here. Patrick Stewart previously had a similar role as Gurney Halleck in David Lynch's Dune... but Yupa is cooler. Muska vs. Kushana and Kurotowa: here is where Laputa's cast really falls short IMO; to me Muska plays like a combination of the two Nausicaa villains, but is less entertaining than either. Watching Kushana's initial supreme power and confidence give way to childlike terror in the face of the Ohmu, or Kurotowa's dry comic relief, never gets old, even after six viewings of Nausicaa. Muska is... adequate. At times he made me think of Char Aznable, and that's a fine compliment. |
| I love this movie so much, it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside! I just love how Pazu, and Sheeta were so naturally drawn to each other, they were meant to be together. He decided to help her from the start, from the pirates, from the army, from whatever it was. He was her ally and her, in turn, decided to trust him. She didn't really want to put him in danger, or to turn him into a pirate, but she decided to trust him. They were separated by Muska once; poor Pazu was overwhelmed, and feeling terrible for having accepted those coins, and for leaving Sheeta behind like that, but thankfully Dola was there, and she was a good person. She became their biggest support in their quest for Laputa. And in the end, to prevent Muska from having his way, Pazu asked Sheeta to teach him the "spell of destruction", he wanted to do it with her because he didn't want her to carry this burden alone, they didn't know what was going to happen for sure, but they made a decision and went for it! Another half minute showing the two of them living together, tending to the yaks in Sheeta's farm would've made this perfect to me, but it's alright, I know they are going to stay together. This movie just gets going from the start, and it doesn't stop! The animation is great, the characters are great, the heartfelt moments between Pazu and Sheeta are great, this is still one of my favorite movies ever! I love the ending song too! |
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| Nice and original. Really liked it, the characters grew on me. |
| Good movie, underrated. |
| Overall, I give it a 4/5 |
| Film that follows the themes dear to Hayao Miyazaki, but here the female protagonist is less protagonist than the character of Nausicaä. Here too the imprint of "Conan, the boy of the future" is marked, but much more so at the level of characters. Much more opulent are the backgrounds shown compared to Miyazaki's first film, evocative, especially the heavens shown in large quantities here too. The soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi is less beautiful. As a film it is definitely a step below "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". 8/10 |
Terrablu2018May 25, 2019 9:34 AM
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| A really good movie, reminded me a lot of zelda BOTW. One of the negative points imo is that every single time one of them is about to fall, well, they don't. |
| Signature removed. Please have a positive iq. |
| I like it, the balloon airship reminds me of scenes in Final Fantasy IX Not that amazing like people said, definitely a weak movie from Ghibli |
"Signature removed"   |
| The part about Laputa and its ancient mysterious history was really interesting. I'm always a sucker for ancient, lost civilisations with different (often more advanced) technology. I really liked the two lead characters Pazu and Sheeta too, and their relationship even though they just met. Yeah, they're still kids, but it was still romantic and lovely to see. Didn't expect those pirates to be "good" guys by the end of the movie. But I did warm up to them, even if they are still criminals. Not a hardcore fan of Ghibli or Hayao Miyazaki myself, but had to see this after reading that it is one of Makoto Shinkai's favourite films as it is one of the anime films he remembers watching from his youth. I needed to see what sort of movie inspired him in his youth to become the legendary director and animator he is today (yes, he's my favourite). I see some of what inspired him in Laputa. It was great. I enjoyed it, especially the second half. The steampunk world is interesting and I enjoyed seeing parts of it (admittedly, others I was just okay). But it was still an interestingly crafted world. By the last half hour, I was totally hooked into it and couldn't stop watching. |
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| I enjoyed this movie very much. 7/10 |
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| 4th film of my Studio Ghibli marathon and my favourite one yet , I loved the story with the fantasy elements and the musics were really captivating. The cons were the low definition of the film since it was old and Sheeta's screaming too much . I'd love to watch a remake in HD : 8.5/10 |
 yikes |
| It's hard to believe that this movie was released almost 35 years ago. The scenery was gorgeous. |
| Rely on nothing under heaven |
| It is interesting to see how even back then, we could already see Miyazaki's anti-war messages. It is something that is definitely to him, but it really raises one of my first complaints : this movie just proves that Miyazaki's movies actually always provide the same messages... Anti-war, environmentals, feminists, and about growth. I get that those are important themes for him but it's too bad he never truly tried something else... Especially given what he said about Goro Miyazaki's first movie. But I liked Laputa, I truly did. It was enjoyable, the kingdom of Laputa was beautiful and made me want to go there, some scenes were beautiful as well (the one with the glowing stones and every scenes with the robots), the characters were fun to follow (I especially like Dola), so yeah, good movie. However, it isn't exempt of flaws. The movie is missing quite a lot. First, the characters barely got any development. Before you tell me Pazu and Sheeta grew, I must say that growth doesn't necessarily equal good development. Pazu's development was done more or less correctly, he didn't have much depth but at least he had a pretty memorable personality and his reactions made sense, though it was often way too quick. Sheeta though... For the big majority of the movie, I barely had any idea of who she is supposed to be. And I don't mean just her identity as a princess, I mean her personality, her very core. She barely displayed any emotions other than fear and shyness. Understanble given what she was going through, but it unfortunately made for a very flat character. She only stood out near the end, but due to the lack of development for the majority of the movie, it seemed to be coming out of nowhere. (Also, how exactly did she got her hair cut ?) As for the other characters, as I said, I liked Dola, my favorite character from this movie. She was fun and ultimately undearing, and her personality has been pretty fleshed-out, however I wish they gave her a bit of a backstory to explain how she came to be a pirate. I'm sure she would have an interesting background. The members of her crew were very cartoony, in the very childish way... I'm really not fond of them. (Plus, all their talk about Sheeta is super disturbing, she is a kid, they are grown men, these guys are pure pedophiles.) And the "final boss" whose name I forgot wasn't a good character. Unless I missed an information, he is just a bad guy for the sake of it. Really surprising coming from a Ghibli movie, and really disappointing, it felt too much like a plot device. Now for the rest, I think the movie was too fast-paced, the plot points just seemed to appear out of nowhere, that was pretty confusing and there were barely any breaks (definitely didn't expect that from a Ghibli). But this movie was good nonetheless. And I loved the scene with the grave and the robots, as well as the glowing stones, as I already said. |
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| Thanks Jeffar Vlogs for making a video of this movie, and apart from the fact that it is impossible to see this movie in Spanish, it is still a very good movie. By the way for those who do not know, "La Puta" means "The Bitch" in Spanish. :P |
| Ha of course Pazu became a pirate...now he just needs his Straw Hat and rubber powers and he is good to go. It's funny to hear Luffy coming out of a different character's mouth. Anyway this was a good one, not my favorite Miyazaki movie thus far but still very good. 7/10 |
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| This is an truly excelent film for its day. Of course there is no denying that Miyazaki took a little inspiration from his old show Future boy Conan, even the picture in Wikipedia is clear evidence to this. But besides that it was masterfully crafted and done with passion to animation. The action scenes are all around, we get all types of things in this movie and there really isn't much to add besides applausing Studio Ghibli for letting this be their first official film. I did not find this film boring at all and actually felt nostalgia that I can't explain while watching it. I guess Ghibli films can really touch more than your heart as they say. Its really a great film and an achievement to animation that even made the west animation giants impressed in later years. 9.2/10 is very fair score to this film I think. |
| Charming story loved the soundtrack. Like I always say they really make great movies |
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| -Plays "Kimi wo Nosete" -"My eyes. My eyes" No pun intended there. But seriously why i always feel like crying when i ever hear this song? I mean the ending wasn't that sad, in fact it was joyful! And yet again i don't know why i can't shake that feeling! If anything makes me sad is the fact that there's no way in real life where i could find the Dragon's Lair. Anyhow, Laputa is one of those works in which you need some time to recover before starting something new. |
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