This month’s entry for GKIDS’ Studio Ghibli Fest 2017 was Hayao Miyazaki’s 1986 action-adventure pic Castle in the Sky (which is also sometimes referred to as Laputa: Castle in the Sky). I was able to see the English sub version this week at my local Cinemark.
(© Studio Ghibli)
In the film, a young orphan girl named Sheeta is in possession of a magic crystal that other people aggressively want, namely the mysterious Colonel Muska and a family of pirates led by their mother, the relentless Captain Dola. Sheeta falls (literally) into the life of orphan boy Pazu, who happens to know about a floating city in the sky–a mysterious place that his now-deceased father was able to photograph before he died. Turns out that Muska and the pirates are looking for the floating city, too, and that Sheeta’s magic crystal is the key to finding it.
The adventure that follows is so fun, so inventive, and so delightful, I was pretty much in movie heaven for the entire screening. And after it was over, I couldn’t believe that it’s taken me all these years to see this wonderful film.
The film’s soundtrack by Studio Ghibli regular Joe Hisaishi is also a major highlight. Here’s a sample.
My friend Rachel Wagner invited me to be a part of her Studio Ghibli Fest 2017 podcast series and our initial reactions to Castle in the Sky are here.
Major thanks to GKIDS and Fathom Events for screening this delightful film. Can’t wait for next month’s entry in the Studio Ghibli Fest 2017, Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
Stanford Clark 