Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta (1986)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

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 | Pirate | Castle | Flying | Army

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)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

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

Company:

Studio Ghibli

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Hayao Miyazaki] [gorging on food]Dora eats greedily when she confronts Pazu at his house.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Pazu sets off with Dola and her sons to rescue Sheeta from Muska and the army, he is wearing goggles that he had put on moments earlier. When they take off on their Flaptors, one moment the goggles are above Pazu's eyes, then a bit later on, as they rise into the air, they are covering his eyes, only to be back above his eyes again a bit later.

Quotes:

[Dola comes thundering into Pazu's town on her automobile where her boys are brawling with the citizens]
Dola: Full speed ahead!
[to Louis and Henri in the distance]
Dola: Hey, boys!
Louis: Wha - ? Hey, it's Mom!
Louis, Henri: [Dola drives up to Louis and Henri] Hi, Mom!
Dola: [incensed] You chowderheads! Get your brother and hop on!
Louis: [dumbfounded] Huh? But Sheeta's hiding inside that house!
Dola: Lamebrain! They made an escape! Now step on it!
Louis: [jumping onto Dola's car] They ESCAPED?
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Silent Running (1972)

Haunting and brilliant!

I first saw this film when I was about 8 years old on TV in the UK (where it was called "Laupta: The Flying Island"). I absolutely loved it, and was heartbroken when it was repeated a while later and I missed it. I was enchanted by the story and characters, but most of all by the haunting and beautiful music. It would have been the original English dubbed version which I saw - sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Streamline Dub" (the dub was actually by Ghibli themselves and only distributed by Streamline) which is sadly unavailable except as part of a ridiculously expensive laser disc box-set.

Unfortunately I feel that the release has been partly spoiled by Disney. The voice acting is OK but the dialogue doesn't have the same raw energy that the "streamline" dub or the original Japanese had, and I think James Van Der Beek sounds too old to play the lead. They have made some pointless alterations, such as changing the main character's name from "Pazu" to "Patzu", and added some dialogue. But worst of all I feel that they have ruined many scenes with intrusive music - the opening scene of the airships for example was originally silent but has been spoiled thanks to Disney's moronic requirement that there be music playing whenever anyone is not speaking, which I find annoying in many Disney films.

This film still blows away most recent animated films, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The plot is simple yet captivating and the film shows a flair which is sadly missing from most modern mass-market, homogenized animation.