Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta (1986)

Director:

Hayao Miyazaki

Writer:

Hayao Miyazaki (written by)

Release Date:

2 August 1986 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Mine | Young Boy | Pirate | Flying | Castle

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Mayumi Tanaka	...	Pazu (voice)
James Van Der Beek	...	Pazu (2003) (voice: English version)
Anna Paquin	...	Sheeta (2003) (voice: English version)
Keiko Yokozawa	...	Sheeta (voice)
Kotoe Hatsui	...	Dola (voice)
Cloris Leachman	...	Dola (2003) (voice: English version)
Mark Hamill	...	Muska (voice: English version)
Minori Terada	...	Muska (voice)
Richard Dysart	...	Uncle Pomme (2003) (voice: English version)
Fujio Tokita	...	Uncle Pomme (voice)
Jim Cummings	...	General (voice)
Ichirô Nagai	...	Shogun Mouro (voice)
John Hostetter	...	Boss (voice: English version)
Hiroshi Ito	...	Oyakata (voice)
Machiko Washio	...	Okami, Mrs. Daffy (voice)

Also Known As:

Castle in the Sky (UK) (USA)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (UK) (DVD title)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:6 | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:All | Finland:K-7 | Argentina:Atp | France:U | Hong Kong:I | Spain:T | USA:PG | UK:PG | Australia:G | New Zealand:PG | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:G (Quebec)

Company:

Studio Ghibli

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Hayao Miyazaki] [Pigs]A pig is seen being shooed out of a little girl's house.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dola announces that Goliath is off of the port bow, she looks in horror towards the Tiger Moth's starboard stern, the opposite direction from that which she announces.

Quotes:

[when Pazu and Sheeta are preparing to launch in the kite]
Dola: Are you up there, Sheeta, my dear?
Sheeta: Yes.
Dola: Best ya come down right now!
Sheeta: But why?
Dola: Uh? 'Cause you're a GIRL! A FEMALE! That's MAN'S work!
Sheeta: But YOU'RE female captain! And I was born up in the mountains, I can do this.
Pazu: No, Sheeta!
Sheeta: [to Pazu] Be quiet!
[to Dola]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mononoke-hime (1997)

Pretty damned amazing

Thanks to the success of SPIRITED AWAY, I was recently able to obtain this title. In fact, thanks to SPIRITED, it is now available just about anywhere videos are sold, along with PRINCESS MONONOKE and KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE. (The warm and fuzzy MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO remains widely available, of course.) This one is a bit different, being a sci-fi adventure, but it retains many of the themes close to the director's heart so that it bears close ties to some of his other works. While not his best work by any means (that honor would fall to PRINCESS and SPIRITED), this is well worth viewing at least once, and possibly a second and third time. Kids of course will watch it over and over again. The music is by far the best of any of his existing films. It absolutely soars. (No pun intended, for those familiar with the plot.)