Castle in the Sky
Movie, 1986, The '80s, Set in Laputa
Castle in the Sky is #2 of 25 in release order and #2 of 25 in chronological order in the Studio Ghibli.
The story
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.
Castle in the Sky recap
Castle in the Sky (1986) follows a mining-town boy and a girl who falls from an airship as they race pirates and the army to Laputa, a legendary floating city. Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed Studio Ghibli's first production. Sheeta (Keiko Yokozawa) escapes the government agent Muska (Minori Terada) when her glowing crystal pendant lowers her gently into the arms of Pazu (Mayumi Tanaka), an orphan whose late father photographed Laputa. The air pirate Dola (Kotoe Hatsui) and her sons want the crystal too. The army captures the children, Muska reveals that Sheeta is heir to the Laputan throne, and her recited charm wakes a giant robot that wrecks the fort. Pazu joins Dola's crew to rescue her, and they follow the crystal's light into a storm, where the floating island waits, overgrown and guarded by a gentle robot gardener.
Castle in the Sky ending explained
Castle in the Sky ends in Laputa's throne room, where Muska, also of the royal line, seizes control of the city's weapons. Pazu and Sheeta hold the crystal together and speak the spell of destruction, "Balse". The lower city falls away, Muska is lost, and the great tree carries Laputa's garden up into the sky while the children reunite in the sky with Dola's gang on their gliders.
Post-credits scenes
No. Castle in the Sky has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Castle in the Sky
Castle in the Sky is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes 97%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, before My Neighbor Totoro.
- Chronological order: after Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, before My Neighbor Totoro.
Cast
- Keiko Yokozawa as Sheeta (voice)
- Mayumi Tanaka as Pazu (voice)
- Minori Terada as Muska (voice)
- Kotoe Hatsui as Dola (voice)
- Fujio Tokita as Uncle Pomme (voice)
- Ichiro Nagai as Shogun Mouro (voice)
- Hiroshi Ito as Oyakata (voice)
- Machiko Washio as Okami (voice)
- Takuzō Kamiyama as Charles / Shalulu (voice)
- Yoshito Yasuhara as Louis (voice)
- Sukekiyo Kameyama as Henri (voice)
- Eken Mine as Underling (voice)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki.