CASTLE IN THE SKY (Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta)

Both a rousing adventure, and an astonishing example of what can be done with hand-drawn animation, Castle in the Sky is a true classic.

Now, I've seen many Studio Ghibli films over the years, and like everyone who has witnessed the magic of what that studio has produced, became a huge fan. But somehow I missed Castle in the Sky until now. But, WOW! This gorgeousness of this film had me simply agog.

Castle in the Sky, unlike the sweeter, gentler films like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service is all-action, all the time right from the beginning. Air pirates on buzzy dragonfly-like planes overtake a dirigible. In the attack, it is obvious that they are after a young girl named Sheeta (Anna Paquin) who escapes out a window and ends up falling through the sky. Enter a boy on the land, Pazu (James Van Der Beek) who looks up and sees something strange... what is that glowing thing dropping from the sky? A girl? How strange! She gently lands, and her magic necklace loses its glow, but none of its mystery.

Apparently Sheeta was held captive on the dirigible, so no only are her captors after her (and her magic necklace), but so are the pirates (led by a busty and feisty granny named Dola, voiced by Cloris Leachman). The necklace might solve a mystery about the fabled floating castle of Laputa... which has never been documented (expect perhaps by Pazu's own father), and is reputed to be castle full of amazing riches and perhaps supernatural powers. Needless to say, everyone wants to find Laputa and be the first to get their hands on the fabled riches.

Castle in the Sky soars in all aspects. The art design of this film is simply amazing, from Pazu's Welsh-themed mining town that hugs cliffsides and is the setting of amazing chase scenes right out of the best Indiana Jones films, to the glorious floating castle of Laputa, that will take your breath away, just as it does to the characters. The floating ships are completely imaginative, and I was even impressed with how beautiful the realistic the animated clouds were!

But like all Ghibli films, Castle in the Sky wouldn't be a masterpiece based simply on looks alone. The characters are wonderfully rendered, from the feisty and strong Sheeta, to  her loyal friend Pazu, to the hilarious Dola and her band of pirates. And, whoah, in the English version, it is none other than Mark Hamill, chewing up his juicy role as the uber-bad buy Muska!

Castle in the Sky is one of those films that you want to immediately re-watch to see what you missed. Every frame could be frozen and printed as a work of art. Every minute is packed with excitement, drama, sadness, and beauty. This is an amazing film.

DVD NOTES

Castle in the Sky has been re-released by Disney with a 2-disc Special Edition. Like the other Special Editions, it includes a feature-length, shot by shot original storyboard presentation. "Enter the Lands" is an interactive collage of characters from various Studio Ghibli films. And "The World of Ghibli" is a collection of fascinating-to-fans featurettes, featuring new interviews with Hayao Miyazaki, as well as his long-time producer and composer, among other treats.