Wonderful character development!

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Sadly Over-hyped

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Most animated movies that come out are pretty good. Not all of them are perfect, but you'd be surprised how many good ones there are. But there's one that in my opinion, is the definitive one. The one that stands out above all. That movie is Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky.In a different time period or world, there exists a legend of a floating castle named Laputa. Only few people have heard or seen it. One of them is a boy named Patzu, an adventurous thirteen year old kid who's father was obsessed with the castle after he took a picture of it. He is determined to find the castle and prove justice for his father.At the same time, the princess of the Laputa, a girl named Sheeta, is kidnapped by a goverment agent named Muska who wants her amulet that is the key to a secret room on Laputa. As Muska is taking her away, a group of pirates hijack the ship and try to take the amulet from her. She climbs outside of the blimp and accidentally falls before they can get her. Her amulet saves her from falling and she gently glides down to a mysterious location. Patzu discovers her and takes care of her.From then on, it turns into a full on adventure movies complete with robots, evil corporations, fighting, and the discovery of Laputa.Watching this movie is like an experience. Something that takes you away from reality and puts you in this fantasy realm. When I first watched this movie, everything on screen that Studio Ghibli did, they did right. The animation, the music, the voice acting, the plot, and the resolution.James Van Der Beek and Anna Paquin do fantastic jobs as both Patzu and Sheeta. So does Cloris Leachman as the main pirate. But the person that steals the show is Mark Hamill as Muska. Mark Hamill is a definitive villain. Just hearing his voice when he's threatening Sheeta gives me chills. This is probably his best performance since The Joker from Batman the Animated Series.Hayao Miyazaki and his team did a really good job creating the world and Laputa. You could probably take any frame from this movie and hang it on your wall. Just the way they put so much detail into Laputa is a real treat.If you're looking for an adventure movie that is also an anime, has fantastic characters and of course and original story, then what are you doing reading my review. Go watch it.

Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa aka Castle in the Sky is tied as my favorite Miyazaki movie. The story of Castle in the Sky is about, you guessed it; a castle in the sky. There's a legend about a floating island castle, called "Laputa" that contains all the riches a person can ever dream of having. The main male character, Panzo believes that the castle exists, and dreams of one day following his deceased father's footsteps, and finding the castle for himself. The only problem is, he doesn't know where the castle is. Then there's the main female character, Sheeta whom Panzo finds falling/floating down from the sky with a shining sky blue necklace that has some sort of relationship to Laputa's location. Panzo and Sheeta begin a friendship, perhaps love relationship and they decide to go on a journey to find Laputa together. But they run into trouble with, and clowny pirates, the greedy army along with some mysterious men led by an even more mysterious man named, Muska. The stupid army was really funny, as were the pirates. Panzo and Sheeta are your average Miyazaki main characters, absolutely tragic and lovable! Honestly there's nothing to dislike about this anime and so much to love. It's truly a heart-pounding adventure story about friendship, loyalty, greed, and people's connection to nature. The anime starts off innocently and happily, but it quickly becomes darker as the evil ambitions of the antagonists make themselves known. The characters, good and evil, are all fully developed and interesting to watch.

I have seen plenty of animated movies since the late 80s, but very few stand up to this film's originality and adventurousness. And why stop at animated movies? I mean, "Avatar" is fine and everything, but I'll take this. Miyazaki has a unique gift for storytelling (and characters). Watching movies like this with my kids has been a gift.

There are not many filmmakers like Hayou Miyazaki, especially here in the United States. The Japanese animation director and head of Studio Ghibli films has become a household in both the U.S and Japan for crafting motion pictures bound to push the boundaries of imagination since his directorial debut in the late 70s with 'The Castle of Cagliostro', a film that didn't see the light of day in the U.S until a little over a decade later. Castle in The Sky is a breathtaking adventure that dares to explore the indefinite world of heart and imagination, and what comes about Miyazaki's craftmanship is an journey that is by no means a tear-jerker, but an ultimately moving picture with an appeal for both kids, teens, and adults. Whether you are watching the original Japanese version or the English dub, the magic of Miyazaki's directorial hand shines like gold and transcends the picture into something more than your average family-friendly fairy tale. The film follows young teen Pazu (voiced by James Van Deek), an mechanical engineer who witnesses a young girl Sheeta (voiced by Anna Paquin) floating from the sky by the power of a glowing crystal she wears around your neck. When the two find themselves in a crash course between league of pirates lead by the dubious Dola (voiced by Cloris Leachman) and an army lead by a shady general (voiced by Jim Cummings) and the equally shady Muska (voiced by Mark Hamill), each of whom are after Sheeta to claim the crystal; the two youngster set out on a race to a secret temple floating thousands of feet in the sky. Together, they must learn the secret hidden within the mysterious castle. What Hayou Miyazaki proves is that he is not a filmmaker who takes ambition to granted. Every inch of storytelling he carries is poured into the picture with no amount of ambition squander in the slightest. And the magic of his efforts shine through nearly every frame. Blending elements of high-classed fantasy and science-fiction with a potent touch of human drama, this beautifully animated film hits the right notes from beginning to end, and the excitement upheld in every scene following the introduction of our young characters dares to leaves us gripped. When young protagonist Paza and his newly found friend Sheeta unexpectedly find themselves cross paths with a group of shady individuals and corrupt army officials, tension almost immediately takes hold and set the story in a sleek, solidly-paced motion. And as the story strolls along, an absorbing humanity within the two characters grows; and that combined with the voiced performances by James Van Deek and Anna Paquin are the leading aspects of the character's winning over the hearts of audiences. Although the story is nothing necessarily revolutionary, Miyazaki proves capable of crafting a plot with complex layers mixed with biblical symbolism which is more than likely to fly over children's heads; and that is only part of the whimsical magic lying within the director's grandeur.Castle in The Sky is a spellbinding journey of spectacular proportions, and definitely what earns the title of an outstanding achievement in Japanese animation. Whether you are a child, teenager, or an adult, there is something truly magical to be experienced in this adventure, something that many animated pictures are less than likely to uphold. For what Miyazaki accomplishes here, this is not far from the heights of a blistering masterpiece.