CASTLE IN THE SKY (Theatrical Release USA 1989)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.2|5.0 Starsììì

Castle In The Sky, a Hayao Miyazaki animated feature, does not vary from the same gentleness that defines Hayao Miyazaki filmography. While Hayao Miyazaki has completely stolen Ben Meyers International Movie Critics team’s hearts with his more than wonderful animated features, this one, while not a ‘ho-hum’ film by any means, does seem a little slow in the first half of the film with the last half of the film picking up its timing. This storyline does not seem as ‘fresh’ as some of his other stories. The movie follows the ‘evil man wants all power, the good boy saves the day with the help of a princess who knows spells’ theme. As usual, the parent can count on these films to be clean and morally well driven.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

The young girl, Sheeta’s (voice of Anna Paquin) airship is under attack by Dola (voice of Cloris Leachman). Sheeta crawls out a ship window, tries to scale a beam, trips, and falls. But, a necklace around her neck gently floats her to a town where Pazu (voice of James Van Der Beek) lives. Sheeta learns that the necklace is made of a stone that keeps cities afloat in the upper atmosphere. Through a series of adventures, Sheeta arrives in Laputa, one of these floating sky cities.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Hayao Miyazaki for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producer Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Producer Isao Takahata, and Co-producer Todd Olsson for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Colonel Muska (voice of Mark Hamill), Uncle Pom (voice of Richard Dysart), General (voice of Jim Cummings), Boss (voice of John Hostetter), Charles (voice of Michael McShane), Louis (voice of Mandy Patinkin), and Young Sheeta (voice of Debi Derryberry).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. Hayao Miyazaki delivers clean, quality entertainment that easily engages younger children to the adult audience.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers