Castle in the Sky

Rating:
Summary: An anime work high up in the firmament
Review: Laputa, Miyazaki's greatest work, simply soars higher and higher. It's both a cautionary tale and a knockout epic, both charmingly innocent and deeply romantic. Pasu and Sheeta, the two children heroes of Laputa, rival the greatest romantic pairs in cinema.
What makes Laputa so memorable is Miyazaki's careful development of story, the stunning action sequences, and the elevation of movie in terms of suspense, expectation, moral issues, and literally in reaching for the sky. Some of the action sequences are literally out of this world, as mindblowing as ever imagined or attempted.
Miyazaki has in abundance what few directors can even grasp; sense of epic proportion. No other director is better at presenting man standing at the precipe of the grand unknown, a realm both alluring and terrifying. Laputa's message is it's human to dream but when man tries to cage that dream within his ego, seeking godlike power, he--and often rest of mankind--is doomed, and deserve, to fail.
Parents should be warned that Laputa is violent and has scenes of destruction and mayhem that are on a Wagnerian scale, but Miyazaki makes us--kids and adult--confront, thru exultation and shocked realization, the aspect in our psyche that's forever fixated on the notion of power.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible Movie
Review: Not only is this movie childish and predictable, it's also very boring. The characters are unrealistic. The girl had some sort of weird accent. It was like a mix of Britain and U.S. accents. Very annoying. The two main characters had little depth, and I didn't care what happened to them in the end. The graphics weren't very good either. I don't like the way the people were drawn, and the colors in most of the movie were dull and gray. I didn't like how Dola and Pops looked and sounded like chararacters from Spirited Away. Some of the same music was used too. Spirited Away is a much better movie, though. I would highly recommend that you buy Spirited Away instead of Castle in the Sky.

Rating:
Summary: Creative Animation Masterpiece
Review: Injections of new ideas and thoughts are typically a good thing. In the case of "Castle in the Sky," the 1986 Hiyao Miyazaki film, the approach to animation is a great thing. The world created by Miyazaki is surrealistic and futuristic. The landscapes are immense and provide an other world feel though the flora and fauna are that of Earth. While the central characters are very young, the theme and story rival some of the best science fiction and fantasy live action movies produced in The United States. Animation provides a media that allows limitless creation bounded only by the imagination of the artist.

Sheeta, voiced by Anna Paquin, is being chased by a variety of people, including what appear to be government types, the military, and pirates. At first it's difficult to understand who is a good guy and who is a bad guy, which mirrors Sheeta's own confusion in separating the two. Sheeta soon meets up with Pazu (voiced by James Van Der Beek) who dreams of visiting far off lands. When Pazu discovers that Sheeta has a connection to the mythical floating castle Laputa Pazu resolves to help Sheeta, though he has yet to discover where assisting Sheeta might take him.

Sheeta finds herself continually chased throughout the film by various persons with different agendas. Most are after the treasure of Laputa, but some are after power. Sheeta herself is just the girl next door who also happens to be a princess and whose only goal is to grow up without people chasing her around. Along the way she demonstrates her love for nature and the desire to protect beautiful things.

What is amazing in this film is the technology. There are a host of flying machines that reminded me of Jules Verne's "Master of the World." The castle itself is a technological marvel of an advanced civilization with its own set of interesting features. Military armament is sophisticated and powerful, and yet can appear graceful. Contrasting with the advanced technology is the wide-spread use of steam power and the relatively lower technology evident for civilians.

The characters are often over the top, and include Cloris Leachman, Mandy Patinkin and Mark Hamill. While they are often caricatures, the combination of humor and seriousness tends to be a trait of Japanese animation.

This movie is generally suitable for most of the family, but the violence at some points may be unsuitable for the pre-school members of the family. If you enjoy creativity in your animation, and enjoy a story with a bit of science fiction and fantasy, kick back with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: A Feel-Good Movie of Great Humor, Wit and Adventure
Review: Castle in the Sky was conceived, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese anime genius responsible for Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, among others. It tells the story of Sheeta, an orphan whose grandmother has gifted her with a pendant that is a relic of the legendary floating city of Laputa (the Castle in the Sky of the title). Sheeta is kidnapped by evil government agents who want to use her and the pendant to find Laputa and loot its technological secrets.

When the Dora Pirate Gang, consisting of the matriarchal Dora and her band of daring but not terribly bright sons, raid the military transport carrying Sheeta and her captors because they want the pendant for themselves, Sheeta falls off the transport, from immense height....and right into the arms of Pazu, a resourceful boy of her own age. Pazu lives in a mining town, as assistant to an engineer. He spends his days working to keep the machinery of the mine running. After many adventures and near escapes, from both the government/military and the pirates, Sheeta and Pazu decide to join the Dora Pirate Gang (who are really not such bad folks after all).

There are so many things to like about this movie. Sheeta and Pazu are both plucky and determined, a true young heroine and hero. They're living examples of the old saying, "If you're handed lemons, make lemonade." They take turns of fate that would have most people fuming and whining in stride and, through their innate decency, somehow magically turn them around into positive experiences. As just one example, when they join the pirates, Pazu is put to work maintaining their flying ship's engine room; Sheeta is shown a filthy, degenerate kitchen and told this is now her domain, it's up to her to produce five meals a day for the pirates. These both hardly sound like appealing fates. But Pazu thinks the engine room is really cool, he loves machinery, and immediately pitches in with such real enthusiasm and skill he soon earns the respect and liking of the ship's irascible chief engineer. Sheeta so charms the male pirates with her beauty, grace and sweet personality that these rough hewn, dangerous men fall all over themselves to help her, and soon her kitchen is full of pirates peeling potatos, cleaning pots, etc. Not only does this make her job much easier, but everyone's having a great time.

The artwork and animation throughout this movie are both uniformly excellent. The best of many thrilling scenes, in my opinion, occurs when Pazu, who makes Young Indiana Jones look like a wimp, along with Sheeta as passenger, pilots a kite through an electrically charged hurricane. The sight of Pazu's face, wearing flying goggles almost bigger than he is, features illuminated by lightning bolts, his expression of mingled determination and wonder, is one of the most arresting images I've even seen in any medium.

I would describe this movie as "a great viewing experience for the entire family" were it not for the fact there's stuff in here that might be a bit rough for some younger children. There are several scenes of Sheeta and Pazu being hit by much larger adults, so hard it results in unconsciousness at times. And although we never see anyone die on-screen, there are many instances of people caught in explosions, or falling from such a height it's obvious, whether we actually see it or not, people really are dying here, violently.

For all that, Castle in the Sky is a great viewing experience, not just one of the best pieces of animation you could ever see, but one of the best movies, period. I give this film my highest recommendation. If you watch it, you will love it.

Rating:
Summary: Superb Movie
Review: It is pretty good and entertaining probably one of the best from disney.... but at least Hayao Miyazaki made the movie cause with a genius like that then disney has a hit movie yet again!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful to see again
Review: CitS was the first Miyazaki movie I ever saw in the late 80's when I was a kid. It had such an effect on me at the time (those robots scared me half to death) that when I saw this remastered edition sitting next to Kiki and Spirited Away I had to have it (i snapped up SA as well ;p).
There are A LOT of opinions i've read about this release on Amazon, and would like to put forward my own summary of the good/bad points:

1. First and formost, the original track (both language and soundtrack) is available on the disc, with subtitles. Thus you can watch it over again as the artist originally intended, or as the updated, redubbed version.

2. James Van Der Beek is annoying, yes, but only if you let it get to you. Personally, I found his voice a little softer than the screechy Japanese guy on the original and thus at times (Note: AT TIMES) was preferable. Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, Mandy Patinkin and (especially) Mark Hamill are all good, solid dubs.

3. The decision about rescoring the music was a good one, (excellent track) though the American Suits clearly pressured Hisaishi into writing new stuff for virtually every part of the film. Some places which were perhaps a bit quiet before benefit (e.g. at the start with the solitary pirate ship), and others (such as the train chase) really sound exciting with the meatier score, but there are scenes (such as the Dragons Nest run) which should have been left alone. There were good reasons to keep the silence there.

4. The issue of the extra/changed wording: Some of it plain does not work, such as Sheetas new pirate impression, which just sounds like a Suit walked in mid-dub and said 'hey! I know what you could put in that 3 second non-speaking section..!'. Some of it however is great and adds humour/information where previously it was missing. Pazu talks more about his fathers death, the pirate gang bickers more with the locals in the fight scene, and Dolas talk with Pazu in his house to name but a few. However, 'All good pirates listen to their moms' sounds too self-help for my taste..

To sum up, everyone who appreciates a good movie without having hangups about it being 'a cartoon' should get this. Its one of those family movies with the full range of emotion, written by good, talented people who dont pander to the kids or alienate the grown-ups. Theyre trying to entertain you with a story, and they manage that with style.

Rating:
Summary: Really Good
Review: The English Cast have done an excellent job in conveying the Characters. The story is very nice and has plenty of action. Great film for the whole family even though there is some violence. Overall Great film.

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars
Review: Every time I watch one of Miyazaki's films I have more fun than I have when I watch the big budget Hollywood movies. He's creates these magical worlds with the most wonderful characters and storylines of any movie out there. With each frame of film I am in awe of the wonderful things I am seeing. I think Disney is doing a wonderful job by bring voice talents such as Cloris Leachman to the project. She plays the captain and makes the character the best part of the film. Right after I watched this the first time I started the movie over and watched it all over again. It's a wonderful story and I can't imagine anybody not falling in love with it. I know there will be many reviews from people who saw the original Japanese version and can't except this one but I think they're nit picking. If you don't like the English language watch the Japanese version. It's that simple.

Rating:
Summary: Completely awesome!!!
Review: Princess Mononoke is a close second, but I would have to say that this is definitely my favorite Miyazaki movie. Everyone is saying that the English translation is awful; well I never saw the Japanese version so I wouldn't know, but I think the English version is fine. This movie has plenty of action and a VERY creative plot. I especially liked the flying thingies the pirates used and I LOVE the song at the end during the credits. The animation isn't as good as the later movies, but please don't let that stop you from seeing it!!

Rating:
Summary: Disney dub NOT inferior
Review: Since CASTLE IN THE SKY hit DVD retailers for the first time on April 15th, 2003, a lot of purists have written extremely negative, hostile reaction to the English dub. Even more infuriating, they seem to have posted their comments everywhere on the net in an attempt to discourage people from watching the dub, and instead adopt the "pure, Japanese bliss" of the original.

BUT... these two facts remain regarding all four of the dubs Disney made for Miyazaki's films. 1) NOTHING THEY DID TO THE FILMS WERE DONE WITHOUT MIYAZAKI'S PERMISSION, and 2) NOT EVEN ONE SECOND FROM THESE MOVIES ARE CUT. Yet it seems as though CASTLE has taken the most hits from naysayers... probably because it's a much loved film in its original language and/or the older dub released by Streamline in the early 1980's. But whether you love it or hate it, this new Disney dub has already won over a lot of new fans.

I am one such fan, as well as someone who HAS seen this movie one time in its initial language. I almost find it almost sad that purists will NOT give this dub a chance because of voice actor choices, the rescoring of the movie, adding in and/or altering lines, etc., etc., when in fact Miyazaki enthusiastically approved them. (Don't believe me? A lot of trustworthy sites say that his company has complete control over how far Disney can overstep their boundaries.)

Yes, the CASTLE IN THE SKY dub is chattier than the initial language track and has a new music score). Does this make it inferior to the Japanese? Not at all. However, it probably isn't superior to it either. But guess what folks? It's still an excellent dub in its own right.

I think a lot of the hatred for this dub stems from Disney bashing, purist views, and unfavorable comparisons to the other dubs Disney did. Yet I find that the best way to evaluate this dub is to judge it on ots own merits.

First off, the new score. Granted, Disney DID request Studio Ghibli to update and expand the music (in other words, bring it up to about two hours long and have a full symphony orchestra play but it was done by the same guy who wrote it, Joe Hisaishi, and the man is a genius when it comes to writing music. Yes, it's longer and some critically quiet scenes (passing through the storm cloud) have more music, but it's powerful enough to hold its own ground. (The original score IS on the Japanese language track, purists.)

Secondly, the voice acting. I don't see why a lot of purists have qualms with the actors chosen to play the characters; I think they gave lively performances (Sheeta is the only character whose performance -- by Anna Paquin -- could be considered "dull", but that's in line with her personality) and fit the characters well. Paquin and James Van Der Beek may have been questionable choices on Disney's part to play the protagonists, Sheeta and Pazu, but while they DO sound somewhat teenagish (unlike the Japanese originals), I did not find their performances lacking in any way. Beek does a good job displaying boyish enthusiasm and determination, while adding an occasional comic riff to his character. Paquin's accent wavers, yes, but whether you find this a distraction totally depends whether it gets to you. Personally, I think it adds to her character. She IS, after all, from far, far away, and one can assume she didn't have time to adopt to a custom. However, most would agree that Cloris Leachman is impeccably cast as Dola and Mark Hamill's deliciously sly, demonic performance as the evil Muska is a treat.

Thirdly, the script. "Inferior to the original"? Ha. What a laugh. The subtitle script on the DVD is sparsely translated and lacking. I don't know how accurate it is to the original, but what's more important--an accurate, clunky translation, or an excellent translation? Personally, the latter is my choice. True, the dub does throw in a few more lines and alter a couple, but I found that them to be faithful in spirit to Miyazaki's original screenplay and only extra icing on the cake. Probably the most glaring criticism is that the Dola Boys (played by the likes of Mandy Patinkin, Michael McShane, and Andy Dick) have one too many extraneous lines, but the same could be said about Phil Hartman as Jiji, too. If Hartman added to Jiji, then why can't these three comedians do the same to the pirate brothers? It's perfectly in nature with their personalities, and most non-complainers would find these lines to be some of the best the dub has to offer. I also like the way the script expands the characters' interactions. The chemistry between Pazu and Sheeta is mostly pure love (mushy to you gripers), but some occasionally funny added-in lines make them slightly more interesting. And I just LOVE the pirates begging Sheeta for food, offering to help, and even Sheeta acting like a pirate. OK, so they may have been throwaway lines, but when one is so involved, it's difficult to complain.

Fortunately, I have found a lot of folks elsewhere from the Anime community who love every minute of this dub and consider it yet another high-quality, top-notch English track from the Mouse House. True, Disney has made a lot of mistakes lately, but one can suspend issues with the executives and instead find much to appreciate in SOME of their products.

But seriously, to bash English dubs before you even see them is just sad. Sometimes it's just as pointless to compare them to the Japanese as well. After all, English and Japanese are different languages and shouldn't be held up to the same expectations. Fortunately, you don't have to pay attention to these naysayers. You're entitled to your tastes just as much as they're entitled to theirs.