Castle in the Sky

It is also known as ‘Laputa : Castle in the sky’. It is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film. Written & directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The voices of Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa with others.

The film follows orphans Sheeta & Pazu, who are chased by government agent, Muska, the army & a group of pirates over Sheeta’ s crystal necklace on their way to Laputa, a mythical castle flying in the sky.

Miyazaki again uses children as the protagonists. He values portrayal of children as good hearted, confident in their own agency , resilient & upbeat in response to adversity.

Miyazaki watched ‘Panda & the magic serpent’ (1958) at the age of 17, & it moved him to pursue a career in animation. In a lecture he said, “When I saw ‘Panda & the magic serpent’ the scales fell from my eyes, I realized that I should depict the honesty & goodness of children in my work’. The theme of innocence is explored more focally in Miyazaki’s succeeding film ‘My Neighbor Tororo’ (1988 ). Another beautiful film!

The film was inspired by Miyazaki’ s trips to Wales, where he witnessed the aftermath of the 1984 coal miner’s strike. The flying machines are influenced by the nineteenth century approaches, which has earned the film a reputation in the modern steampunk genre.

The film received several notable accolades. It has since earned a ‘cult status’. It has influenced several notable artists working in multiple media.

This film follows Miyazaki’s previous film, Nausicaa of the valley of the Wind’. A commercial success.

Nothing succeeds like success! He has given us a treasure of excellent films!