A Film by Hayao Miyazaki

While I enjoy every Studio Ghibli production, there is just something about some of the older Hayao Miyazaki films that (in my opinion) set them apart from the rest of the pack. 1986’s Castle in the Sky stands as a crowning jewel, coming across as a near perfect film in just about every way. Many films aspire to achieve the tight pacing, world-building, and action this film masters, and one can see many creators that have been heavily-inspired by both this and his previous masterpiece Nausicaa.

Perhaps due to their proximity to one-another, those two films are the most thematically-similar, and have an overall tone that laid out the trajectory of any action film from the studio afterwards. As part of Ghibli Fest 2023, I had the pleasure to attend a screening of this film on the big screen, and as you can imagine, I loved it.

“Castle in the Sky is a timeless story of courage and friendship, with stunning animation from acclaimed Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki. This high-flying adventure begins when Pazu, an engineer’s apprentice, spies a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky, held aloft by a glowing pendant. Both Sheeta and Pazu are searching for the legendary floating Castle, Laputa, and they vow to travel there together to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal. But their quest won’t be easy, as soon they are being pursued by greedy air pirates, the military, and secret government agents, who all seek the power Sheeta alone can control.”

Castle in the Sky transports the viewer to a bygone era, where the skies hold secrets and legends of a mythical castle said to hold unimaginable power. This is a world where scientific development has escalated slightly, resulting in airships, planes, armored trains, and other wonders of technology appearing slightly early. While not wholly fitting into all the tropes of what would later become the “steampunk aesthetic”, by taking place in a fantasy version of the late nineteenth century, and showing a world of retro-futuristic ideas that many would later imitate, I would argue that this is a solid contender for one of the better works of proto-steampunk fiction.

The term “Steampunk” was not even coined until late into 1987 (one year after this was released) by K. W. Jeter, the author of the novel Morlock Night. He used the term to describe a genre of speculative fiction in which steam, not electricity, drove technological advancements. Personally, I wish more works in the genre were like Castle in the Sky rather than what is popular now.

The film contains a colorful cast just as exciting as one would expect from a Hayao Miyazaki film. From eccentric sky pirates to enigmatic robotic beings, each character leaves an indelible mark on the journey of our heroes. As the story unfolds, we meet Pazu, a resourceful and kind-hearted young boy with dreams of clearing his father’s name and cementing his legacy. Pazu’s Father’s greatest discovery was the legendary floating city of Laputa in a small airplane, locating the city within the center of particularly harsh cyclone. He managed to snap a shot of the city with his camera before the storms forced his aircraft from the area.

It is alluded to that he was ridiculed relentlessly and seemingly died of guilt after being called a liar for so long. It’s honestly amazing Pazu is a light-hearted as he is, because that sounds like a horrible thing to see happen to someone you love. Fate intertwines Pazu’s path with Sheeta, a mysterious girl possessing a mysterious crystal necklace, sought after by both benevolent seekers and nefarious forces alike. She knows more about Laputa than she lets on, and is the key to finding the hidden treasure that everyone seems to be lusting after.

Beyond its captivating narrative, Castle in the Sky showcases the artistic brilliance of Studio Ghibli once again. Every frame of this film is a mesmerizing work of art. Even after nearly FORTY years later, the HD scan of the film looks absolutely stunning, and stands well above many modern animated films, many of which using far more technological crutches to lean on than what was available in 1986. Miyazaki is a true visionary, and comes up with some really astounding set pieces that meld the technological and natural worlds in a way that many fail to achieve. Scenes such as the train chase and the robot attack have always burned themselves into my mind as some of the best scenes the studio has ever done.

While I have seen some folks mistakenly credit the author Diana Wynne Jones as the basis for this story, this is not true. Jones wrote a book in 1990 called Castle in the Air that is a sequel to her earlier book Howl’s Moving Castle, which Miyazaki based his film of the same name on. I have not read Jones’ book, but they appear to have nothing in common, and it came out much later. The true inspiration for the story appears to be Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, wherein “Laputa” is a floating island much like in the movie. According to Pazu, Swift’s Laputa “is just a story in a book”, and the basis for the name in the film.

As always, I took my son to this, and as a result I watched this dubbed into English. I am seemingly one of the few anime fans that prefers dubs (if done well) because I don’t know Japanese, and have no idea if the original voice acting is good. I’ve read articles from people fluent in Japanese say that their dubs are not really good acting either, and the reverence given by Western anime fans is misguided. That’s an argument for another day, but occasionally I get people jumping on me for simply mentioning the English cast, and that needs to go elsewhere.

This was a pretty decent dub, including the vocal talents of Anna Paquin, James Van Der Beek, Cloris Leachman, Mark Hamill, and Mandy Patinkin. Disney usually does pretty well with these, utilizing the same dubbing methods used for their own animated features, and it shows. Like many early Miyazaki films, this movie was originally dubbed and hacked apart by Streamline Pictures under the guidance of Carl Macek. There was apparently a dub that I have never heard, only featured on a rare laserdisc, and an alternate version of the Disney dub from 1998 that added background chatter and one-liners where dialogue was not originally present. Assuming this is the re-tooled one, this 2010 remaster is fine enough for me, and better than most early Disney/Ghibli dubs.

As with all of these Ghibli Fest showings, Fathom Events featured a clip of a Hayao Miyazaki documentary as a bonus feature after the credits rolled. In July, Fathom Events almost did a double-bill with Nausicaä and Castle in the Sky airing on alternating days. This actually made it hard for me to see both in theaters, seeing that I just started a new job, but thankfully I pulled it off. August actually has THREE separate showings for some reason! Hopefully, I can make all of them.

In closing, Castle in the Sky has been captivating audiences with its charming fantasy adventures for nearly four decades now, and stands as one of Studio Ghibli’s greatest works. Containing gorgeous visuals, an engaging story, heart-pounding action, and just enough emotional moments to give the film depth, it’s perfect for any family movie night. If you missed out on Ghibli fest 2023, the film is available on Max (formerly HBO Max) as with most all of their catalog in stunning HD. If you are an anime fan and have somehow missed this film, do yourself a favor and rectify that mistake very soon.

That’s it for now, join me again soon when I review the seventh screening from Ghibli Fest 2023, Princess Mononoke!