My retrospective on the works of Hayao Miyazaki has finally caught up to the big shift in his career: the founding of Studio Ghibli. When Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind came out, it saw great success. The proceeds allowed Miyazaki to found his own studio alongside director Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. Today’s film is Castle in the Sky, the first production of one of the biggest names in animation.

Like Nausicaä before it, Castle in the Sky takes place in an adventure world with science fiction trappings. But where Nausicaä fell into the broader science fiction genre, this film fit into a smaller sub-category: the then-budding steampunk genre.

Story of Castle in the Sky

Inspirations

Castle in the Sky was directly inspired by the works of Jonathan Swift, specifically Gulliver’s Travels. In fact, the name of the titular castle is Laputa, directly originating from Swift’s work. Miyazaki was apparently unaware of the wordplay behind this name (for those who don’t know, la puta is a rather offensive term in Spanish).

The film was also clearly influenced by the same sort of pulpy film serials that gave us Indiana Jones.

Plot

Castle in the Sky kicks off with a daring air pirate raid on an airship. In the chaos, a young girl named Sheeta attempts to escape from a group of men in suits. In the attempt, she falls from the airship, but is saved by the mysterious power of her necklace which safely floats her to the ground. She’s found by a boy named Pazu, who takes her in and tells her of a floating island named Laputa. But then forces pursuing Sheeta are not far behind.

Ultimately, the two kids, the pirates, and the military/government agents (which were responsible for Sheeta’s initial captivity) must compete against each other in an attempt to find the titular castle. The varying motivations lead to an ever-shifting web of alliances, culminating in a dramatic finale in the Sky.

Characters of Castle in the Sky

Sheeta

Sheeta is the true heir of the ruling family of Laputa, though she doesn’t know this at the start of the film. She’s a girl with a magical necklace, a couple ancient spells, and a surprising amount of determination.

In the very first scene of the film, Sheeta appears to be filling a traditional damsel in distress role, trapped by Muska’s agents on an airship. Then she seizes the opportunity presented by the air pirate raid by knocking out the closest agent with a bottle, taking back her necklace, and climbing out the window. That becomes a recurring element of the film, as Sheeta keeps getting re-captured, but then reasserting her agency in surprising ways.

Pazu

Pazu stumbles into the events of the story by accident. He just happens to see Sheeta floating down from the sky after her fall from the airship. However, this does not mean that Pazu doesn’t have his own stake in the narrative.

Pazu is a good-hearted kid who wants to help Sheeta. However, he also wants to prove Laputa exists to vindicate his late father. This desire occasionally clashes with Sheeta’s more pacifist ideals, as Pazu pays far less attention to the danger.

Not caring for his own safety is a recurring thing with Pazu. The stunts he pulls in pursuit of the lost castle rival the likes of Lara Croft and Nathan Drake. Several of his scenes will likely prove problematic for the acrophobes in the audience.

Captain Dola and Her Gang

Dola has become one of my favorite Miyazaki characters. I’m always a fan of the Action Grandma archetype, and Dola is one of the best. Her drive and competency pair nicely with her underlying decency.

Dola’s crew is also fun, most of the time. Her sons provide a fair amount of goofy comic relief, which provides some nice levity to the proceedings. Their showdown with the Mining Boss towards the beginning of the film is a real highlight.

I don’t love the fixation the crew has on Sheeta considering she is CLEARLY underage. What’s interesting is that this appears to be a product of the English dub, as the original Japanese presents it as more of a maternal Wendy-and-the-Lost-Boys thing.

Muska

Muska has a rather interesting claim to fame. He’s the only overtly and irredeemably villainous character in Miyazaki’s original work. There isn’t even a twist. Muska is overtly sinister from the minute he shows up. He’s obviously running his own plan from the start. Far from being a problem, it’s refreshingly straightforward. Muska has clearly defined goals, and he pursues them.

It certainly helps that they got one of the best on the business to voice him in English. Mark Hamill offers a stellar performance as the scheming government agent. He plays it a lot smoother and calmer than many of his most famous roles, but his delivery is impeccable.

Themes of Castle in the Sky

Castle in the Sky is a lot more lowkey in it’s thematic explorations than many other Miyazaki films. They’re certainly there, but it’s a much more plot-heavy experience. Here’s what I caught when I watched it.

Animism

Uncle Pom tells Sheeta and Pazu that the power of aetherium is tied to the earth. It cannot be used for selfish aims. We see this connection elaborated on when the character arrive on Laputa, as the artificially-created robots still take great pains to preserve the natural world.

It’s a notable juxtaposition with the army. In particular, Muska ignores this truth. Several of his scenes on Laputa demonstrate a complete lack of respect for the natural world. It’s fitting then that he ultimately fails and dies when Laputa sheds its weaponized platform, leaving the central tree intact.

Balance

Sheeta’s positive spells require her to know negative spells as well. The one specifically named is the spell of destruction. Ultimately, it’s the spell of destruction that saves the day.

Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it seems to me that the need for glance exists on both a metaphorical and practical basis. There may be literal truth to Sheeta needing to know the negative spells. But there’s also a less tangible truth that Sheeta SHOULD only benefit from the power if she has the ability to destroy it if necessary.

Children and Their Capacity for Good

Miyazaki frequently appears fundamentally misanthropic. His animist themes reflect a basic sentiment that humanity ruins the world. Yet at the same time his work reflects a fundamental optimism that young people can be better. There’s a subtextual current in this film that all of the “good” adults are ones who place trust and faith in Sheeta and Pazu, believing that they are people with valuable perspectives to contribute. That faith is ultimately rewarded when the two kids save the day.

More than just about any other theme, this becomes a recurring factor in Miyazaki’s work. It can even be seen to a certain extent in both Nausicaä (via the title character) and Lupin (via Clarisse).

The Visuals of Castle in the Sky

General Aesthetic

Castle in the Sky is a critical work in the steampunk canon. As with most steampunk, the world and technology appear to be based in the early 20th century, but with more fantastical elements sprinkled in. The most obvious example is the airship technology, although the magitek associated with Laputa also fits.

Castle in the Sky was not necessarily a transformative work in the genre to the level of some others. In fact, I don’t think it inspired a huge number of purely steampunk works. However, it played a big role in introducing steampunk concepts to the Japanese creative community, which led to an increase in those concepts being used in video games and animation.

Backgrounds

I swear, the backgrounds just get progressively better with each film. I don’t know how many more ways I can say “It’s pretty,” but I’m certain I’ll exhaust my supply before I’m done.

The backgrounds of Laputa itself deserve special mention. The mix of Future tech with ancient ruins is a fantastic combo, and the version shown in Castle in the Sky launched a lot of what came later. But more on that in a bit.

Character Designs

I absolutely love the designs in this film. They’re all distinct without being over-designed.

Sheeta and Pazu have very simple, normal designs, but the simplicity combines with solid color choices for iconic looks.

My favorite designs though are the pirates. The outfits they wear when on the job are superb, influenced by earlier aviator attire but with a brighter color palette. However, I also want to call out their “incognito” attire, as the idea of a bunch of burly men attempting to ask around a mining town in white tuxedos and top hats is hysterical.

I also love the design of the Laputian tech, especially the robots. I know this wasn’t the first work to depict the more fluid, tentacle-like robotic appendages (Doctor Octopus had been around for a while), but the design certainly had an impact on lots of designs moving forward.

Animation

It’s a production of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Excellence is the standard, and Castle in the Sky doesn’t disappoint. In fact, this marks a massive step up even from Nausicaä. Instead of wasting your time repeating exactly how good everything is, I’m just going to point out some of the standout sequences.

The very first scene of the film is incredible. The plot-starting pirate raid on the airship is a fast-paced and kinetic sequence that sets the tone for just how action-packed the film will be.

The opening credits (and a handful of similar flashback scenes) have a distinct “rough sketch” look. It’s different than the usual Ghibli style, but I still really like it.

The sustained train/car chase across the rails may be the single best sequence in the film. It shifts from a frenetic railroad escape from Dola’s gang to a three way conflict between Sheeta/Pazu, Dola’s crew, and the military.

The sequence in the storm protecting Laputa also stands out. The clouds and lightning are lovingly rendered. They encapsulate the requisite terror AND awe in equal measure.

Music of Castle in the Sky

There are some weird details regarding the music in Castle in the Sky. There are actually two different scores, both done by Joe Hisaishi. Which one you have will depend on what release of the film you procured. The second score was commissioned by Disney to better fit Western tastes, but more recent re-releases have wavered between which version to include. The 2017 release luckily has both.

Personally, I prefer the original Japanese. It’s more minimalist. It doesn’t include music in scenes that don’t need music, and it frequently uses the bare minimum even when music is necessary. It creates a more contemplative effect in many scenes, but makes the more action-oriented sequences even more bombastic.

However, the Disney score is till entirely respectable, and was given the thumbs-up by both Hisaishi and Miyazaki. It’s far from an objectively inferior product.

The Legacy of Castle in the Sky

I’m just going to name off a bunch of other works that appear (to my eye) to be influenced by Castle in the Sky.

–Final Fantasy, but also a LOT of other JRPGs and video games- Do you remember a game with airships, magical crystal-based technology, or floating land masses? You can thank Studio Ghibli. Off the top of my head, I’d wager Castle in the Sky influenced everything from Chrono Trigger to Bioshock Infinite. This is pure speculation, but I’d even guess that Tomb Raider and Uncharted got some of their serial influences filtered through it.

–Atlantis: The Lost Empire– Like, basically everything about this film seems inspired by Studio Ghibli’s first outing. I could write an entire separate article on the likelihood of the connection.

–One Piece’s Skypieia arc- Beyond the premise, the airships in Castle in the Sky’s opening credits are a dead ringer for Eneru’s Ark.

–Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra– Both works have clear Miyazaki influences in their art style, setting, and presentation. The more steampunk touches likely originated here.

-And much, much more. Those are just the things that have substantial and obvious roots in the film, but I’m sure plenty of other stuff picked up a thing or two.

Conclusion

Castle in the Sky is an excellent film, certainly. It also has a large continuing impact on pop culture. However, I think the the article underpinnings of the narrative are a lot weaker than in Miyazaki’s best work. It’s an excellent adventure story with some animist ideas in play, but they aren’t executed as well or as consistently as in Nausicaä. It’s informative of the overall caliber of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s work that a film this excellent can be considered anything other than the best, but I have to make a call.

Castle in the Sky takes the #2 spot on my still-developing rankings of Miyazaki’s work.

PS- If you read these Miyazaki Film Rankings and you liked what you saw, consider donating to my Patreon! Donations from readers like you make this site possible. And if you’re new to the site check out what else I’ve been up to!

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