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The Castle in the Sky

The Castle in the Sky

1986
Family/Kids, Fantasy
2h 5m
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
Your probable score
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The Castle in the Sky

1986
Family/Kids, Fantasy
2h 5m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 69.5% from 3742 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(3741)
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Rated 04 Jul 2015
95
91st
Doesn't reach the ecstatic artistic heights of Miyazaki's later works, but nevertheless has more imagination, adventure, and heart than most other family movies you could name.
Rated 18 Jun 2019
83
82nd
Whenever I watch a Miyazaki flick, I never have words for them. All i can think of is how much i appreciate his love for the intricacy and delicacy of nature. Partly this is because his films are outside my normal wheelhouse. But I've realized -- and decided -- that chiefly for me to dissect, analyze, review my rare forays into this forest would be like trying to do the same for the sensations of a hike
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
90th
One of Miyazaki's best efforts. A moving story, and wonderfully fleshed out characters.
Rated 01 Dec 2010
80
78th
Not one of Miyazaki's more resonant works but its charm, heart, and humor more than make up for it. Oh, and let's not forget that beautiful score.
Rated 24 Feb 2011
93
94th
One of my all-time favorite animated films; not quite as genre-pushing or spiritual as later Miyazaki masterpieces, but it's an all-out fun adventure story. The steam-punk flair, fighting robots, and environmental message are awesome. The music and lush scenery of Laputa are breathtaking.
Rated 23 May 2011
81
96th
Second Miyazaki's masterpiece starts as a good action/adventure anime, but the last third is where all the awesomeness lies. Laputa shares anti-war, environmentalism, technology and nature synthesis themes with Nausicaa, it often feels like an thematic sequel. Animation looks a bit dated, but nevertheless beautiful and detailed. Musical score by Joe Hisaishi is an equal masterwork.
Rated 12 Nov 2011
92
92nd
The proverbial quest story, done simply, done right.
Rated 11 Aug 2012
75
77th
This fun Miyazaki romp is very watchable.
Rated 20 Feb 2016
9
92nd
Excellent fantasy/adventure. What it lacks in more serious tone compared to Miyazaki's later work, it more than makes up for in a heart full of child-like adventure and wonder. Steampunk flying pirates, lost technology, a magic gem necklace, a boy and girl swept up in a journey but never losing sight of each other's friendship... pure fun and magic.
Rated 10 Jan 2012
95
84th
I think this one is very underrated. The action and gunplay are so damn entertaining that I got Raiders of the Lost Ark vibes at times. I also think the characters are adorable and extremely likable. It is, of course, beautifully animated, but the pacing, characters, humor, and action are done surprisingly well. It almost feels like an American anime at times. Take that as you will. I thought it was insanely entertaining. Check it out if you missed it.
Rated 08 Sep 2016
10
97th
Belief is a major factor in this absolute beauty. We could all use a guardian robot looking after us.
Rated 16 Sep 2018
83
86th
While this is neither the best, nor the most loved of Miyazaki's movies, I feel like there's something quintessential about it. Basically, if you lost all of Miyazaki's works except this one, it would give you a very decent picture of what he was about in terms of themes and style. With the exception of Sheeta who is too much a damsel in distress compared to Miyazaki's usual female characters.
Rated 07 Jul 2020
80
79th
Pazu and Sheeta are extraordinarily charming protagonists, the world is magical, and the adventure is lots of fun. Never particularly substantial, but unfailingly enjoyable and impeccably designed.
Rated 02 Jan 2008
85
89th
Obviously one of the greatest inspirations for the adventure movies that came afterwards. A simple and beautiful tale.
Rated 12 Mar 2008
71
41st
I wanted to like this more but I found the protagonists unlikable. That can ruin most any movie, no matter how well animated.
Rated 04 Feb 2009
71
57th
Miyazaki animation with wonderous designs and solid action, let down by a sagging middle act and dull humour. The pirates are annoying, as are most of the characters sadly, and almost all attempts at humour fall flat. Some of the action sequences are outstanding, the 'robot rampage' especially, but often at it's best during quieter moments where Miyazaki's genius can shine through unfettered
Rated 08 Mar 2009
80
78th
Beautifully crafted and animated, but lacks the magic of Miyazaki's later films. A bit too straightforward and lacks different levels. Relatively fast-paced but slows up a few times for some beautiful scenes. Us Finns have had the pleasure to have these imported to our theaters one by one, and the big screen really does them justice.
Rated 25 Mar 2009
64
32nd
Somewhat solid. Voice Acting is okay, visuals good, but story uninteresting. A rare miss from Miyazaki.
Rated 16 Jun 2009
84
92nd
One of the most influential animated films of all-time. The entire Pixar braintrust has emulated aspects of this film repeatedly, and if Mom (from Futurama) isn't a direct copy of Dola then I'll be got dammed! Great film but a touch too long, and the Japanese language version is quite a lot better.
Rated 30 Mar 2011
38
23rd
A relic from back when Miyazaki believed that excitement could be gained by wrapping a nonsensical plot around endless sequences of explosions, people flying through the air, crumbling stone and gun chases. In fact the results were excruciatingly tedious and boring.
Rated 25 Apr 2011
70
53rd
If you're a big breast fan then this is a must-see.
Rated 26 Apr 2012
4
22nd
Not much here for adult fans of Miyazaki. I'd even say some parts were outright unbearable. The story was absolutely weightless, characters were annoying and underdeveloped, even the technical aspects were way below usual standards. Skip this one.
Rated 06 Feb 2013
75
80th
One of few Miyazaki's high-scale adventures, that gets uninteresting as bigger the scenarios grow. What starts a boy-meets-girl adventure is fastly exploded into a steampunk war for a magic stone and a city hidden in the skies. It's pretty irregular -- the second half is clearly inferior to the first one --, but still a beautiful animation achievement. And, well, don't the robots look like some sort of the Iron Giant bros?
Rated 04 Jul 2013
66
87th
Beautiful aesthetic, with the futuristic, steampunk interpretation of John Ford type mining towns, elegant, sad robots, cool flying machines, etc.
Rated 20 Jan 2015
100
94th
A joyous adventure film right through to the end. In fact, it might be Miyazaki's most fun film. Taking cues from Indiana Jones, the film is packed with twist and turns to keep your attention (not to mention a fantastic synth score by Hishashi) and wonderful characters that you love or love to hate. While the story or characters themselves aren't that original, the amount of imagination put into everything elevates this simply beyond the typical adventure fare. Laputa is a sight to behold.
Rated 08 Feb 2015
75
63rd
There are two movies here. The first half is a fairly unmemorable, overlong slog that's not worth saying too much about. The second half is masterful, breathtaking, and totally engaging, with one of the most unbelievable musical scores (exclusive to the English dub) I think I've ever heard.
Rated 03 Apr 2015
90
90th
This one is going very high up on my Miyazaki list. Filled with lovable characters and interesting story arcs as well as a kick-ass English dub featuring Mark Hamill, Castle in the Sky is not an anime to forget. It has shined its way into my memory next to Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. It even has the great moral lessons present throughout all of Miyazaki's work. A great film.
Rated 17 Apr 2016
80
76th
The influence of the spirit and aesthetics of welsh mining communities is really evident here, and I love the way Miyazaki embellishes this kind of place by retrofitting it with fantasy elements. I think Laputa is up there with Ghibli's most imaginative and endearing films, but it feels a bit thematically weaker and less complete than Nausicaä and Princess Mononoke.
Rated 02 Apr 2017
73
59th
The weakest Miyazaki film I've seen so far which still makes it good. This plays out like a pretty standard fun scifi adventure with fantastic visuals, cute characters and a bit pedestrian but workable storytelling. There are some wonderful comedic moments and action scenes that remind you of Buster Keaton or Soviet era poster aesthetics. As a whole it's very coherent and enjoyable but the story lacks bonkers vision and thematic finesse I've come to expect from Miyazaki.
Rated 13 Nov 2017
65
32nd
This didn't really resonate with me. The characters and plot just were not very interesting to me.
Rated 29 Mar 2018
82
82nd
A steampunky adventure movie, though this one is maybe a bit more kid-friendly than Nausicäa. The world is beautifully designed and filled with charming characters, especially the crew of air pirates. The film has a number of good action sequences and memorable moments, but didn't connect with me emotionally in the way its predecessor did.
Rated 07 May 2018
89
88th
This movie feels so different than Miyazaki's other works. It has an actual villain, characters in real distress, and doesn't involve young children. On the other hand it's got flying machines, bandits, robots, possibly Hisaishi's best soundtrack, a stellar (and iconic) voice cast, and a classic story. The quiet moments in this story really shine and when they finally make it to Laputa it just blows you away.
Rated 03 Feb 2020
82
62nd
A wonderful and enjoyable early Miyazaki. Great designs and style, even if the plot is nothing groundbreaking.
Rated 28 Jul 2020
8
81st
A fantastic adventure flick with memorable sets and set pieces galore (the escapades on floating Laputa with its fascinating mix of dark labyrinths and earthy beauty being definite highlights), wonderfully paced (just the right amount of slower discovery scenes break up the action), and with plenty of humour throughout thanks to Dola and the pirates (shout-out to the buff battle though). Child protagonists Pazu and Sheeta, meanwhile, add particularly affecting heart and charm to it all.
Rated 24 Dec 2006
83
62nd
Miyazaki makes beautiful movies, this is no exception.
Rated 25 Dec 2006
94
93rd
Amazing Miyazaki, there's not much to say. Mark Hamil does great VO work in the American version.
Rated 22 Feb 2007
65
73rd
Excellent.
Rated 24 Feb 2007
90
94th
I first saw this film on TV around 15 years ago and loved it. I bought it on DVD last year along with a few of Miyazaki-san's other films as part of my quest to make sure my 6 year old nephew and his younger brother grow up with a good taste in movies. It was good to see that nostalgia wasn't playing tricks on me and this was every bit as stunning as I remembered it.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
82
74th
Animation feels a little "retro" but it is good Miyazaki.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
55
38th
Good stuff, but a little too kiddie-ish, even compared to My Neighbor Totoro.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
81st
Miyazaki classic. Very earth-friendly plot. One of Miyazaki\'s best next to Spirited Away.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
25th
The castle isn't seen until the final third of the movie, and everything leading up to that is pretty typical adventure stuff, a bit tedious and cliched. The story, characters, and art lack the warmth and wonder that made Kiki and Mononoke so special. They should have done more with the castle and spent less time getting there.
Rated 07 Sep 2007
90
77th
Great Miyasaki, mature and rich.
Rated 21 Oct 2007
75
49th
On the one hand, this film more than any other of Miyazaki's displays his penchant for flying machines and air travel. The animation in some of those early sequences rivals anything of his best work. On the other hand, the film's second half becomes little more than an extended chase scene, with massive loss of life in the process. I get the desire to illustrate the evils of the abuse of power. I'm just not sure it works here in what is, ostensibly, a kid's film.
Rated 27 Jan 2008
90
72nd
Nice anime
Rated 07 Feb 2008
86
83rd
Ghibli's most fun and adventurous film.
Rated 15 May 2008
90
67th
beautiful as all Miyazaki is.
Rated 13 Jun 2008
93
98th
Great
Rated 17 Jul 2008
86
91st
An ingenius fairytale only Miyazaki can invent. Lots of small detalis and grand ideas in one full feature story. Perfect human movements and combination of old, existing and fantasy techonolgy all together. Far away from Disney one formula animations.
Rated 23 Sep 2008
89
93rd
A real masterpiece by Miyazaki! Just like so many by him.
Rated 15 Feb 2009
2
39th
Visually brilliant, but the story doesn't do much for me.
Rated 02 Mar 2009
80
82nd
Hayao Mayazaki i lub juuuuuuuu. :D
Rated 23 Mar 2009
70
54th
Slow and thoughtful. Not Miyazaki's best, though it does have a couple of wonderful characters and the usual richness of imagination -- let us face the fact that the least of Miyazaki is head and shoulders above anything to come out of the American animation industry in at least three decades.
Rated 05 Jul 2009
80
69th
You can certainly see that this influenced a lot of his later movies, but this isn't his greatest story.
Rated 15 Jul 2009
73
64th
Hayao Miyazaki delivers once again in another outstanding animated film. Like many of his other films the animation is way ahead of it's time, and the quality is hard for anyone to duplicate.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
88
94th
Another work of genius from the master. 'Stunning' and 'beautiful' and two words that spring to mind.
Rated 19 Aug 2009
79
78th
Probably my favourite Ghibli film. Not the deepest, emotionally or story-wise, but just a good adventure.
Rated 20 Aug 2009
4
55th
Such an enjoyable movie that just had to ruin it by setting up phony plot points I didn't really buy, or care about, towards the end.
Rated 09 Oct 2009
75
76th
For those who dream about flying..
Rated 17 Nov 2009
85
34th
Anything by Hayao Miyazaki deserves full credit for originality, depth, rich settings and loveable characters. Castle in the Sky is no different and spins a wonderful tale in a fantastic world. Miyazaki's intense focus on ecological themes in all his films can sometimes get tiresome, but it's not overly done in this case and it's a theme worth sharing.
Rated 11 Dec 2009
65
22nd
Miyazaki's imagination doesn't shock and awe me anymore. It feels recycled; I can practically see the templates. "oh, the boy looks after doves in his olde Welsh steampunk village. How charming." The rest of the movie seems to unabashedly be about how pretty animated clouds are. Still, it's good for kids, and the romance is cute.
Rated 28 Jun 2010
90
77th
When you watch this movie you see where every JRPG got the design for it's floating island level.
Rated 12 Oct 2010
94
79th
sweet like always
Rated 24 Oct 2010
70
57th
One of the weaker Miyazaki films, but still very fun.
Rated 26 Dec 2010
89
89th
88.875
Rated 27 Mar 2011
81
78th
A little bit too on the "G" side, with no real meat for the adults, but never-the-less has a good story, and some decent animation. I really do think that Miyazaki's strong suit is not the animation, but the writing. I also have to say that Van Der Beek and Paquin were pretty good picks for dubbing.
Rated 01 Apr 2011
76
55th
Its in interesting setting, but of all the Miyazaki films I've seen, this one has the least engaging characters.
Rated 10 Apr 2011
56
38th
There is some pretty stuff to look at during those last 20 minutes, but it's really not worth sitting through the rest to get there. The voices of the kids are unbearable in both the Disney dub and in Japanese.
Rated 17 Apr 2011
90
96th
As honest, innocent, immaginative and beautiful as filmmaking gets. Every frame of Castle in the Sky is brilliantly drawn, every character flawlessly realized.
Rated 18 Apr 2011
75
21st
It's amazing how detailed the animations were in 1986. For 2D animation, its really amazing. I think its an okay movie. It's not in the same league as Howl's moving castle or Spirited Away but it can be a fun watch as long as you don't expect too much from it. It's a fun adventure that's all.
Rated 10 Jun 2011
60
33rd
suresi uzun olmasina ragmen hikayesine tam odaklanamamis, finaline mesajini sikistirmis gibi ama yine de anime sempatikligi ile izlenebilen bir macera.
Rated 02 Sep 2011
92
93rd
It's a Miyazaki film. A good one. Nothing more need be said. It's a great fairy tale with action and pirates and government conspiracy and magic robots. Awesome.
Rated 26 Sep 2011
65
87th
#11#, [Original], story, reviews, Studio Ghibli, dir/writer Miyazaki.
Rated 22 Nov 2011
98
99th
Possibly my favorite Miyazaki movie. All of the environments are really imaginative, and the blending with Gulliver's Travels makes for some really creative imagery. The characters are all really interesting, and it's got a real grand-scale plot going for it, with a handful of fantastic action sequences.
Rated 12 Jan 2012
70
67th
It was beautiful and wonderful and I did enjoy it. However, it didn't really have the great characters and captivating story that Miyazaki's later films have. It's still very much worth a watch though.
Rated 29 Jun 2012
80
80th
It had a very interesting plot, with good characters and well executed diplomacy shifts. And the Castle in the Sky itself was great eye candy.
Rated 30 Aug 2012
90
80th
The castle itself is one of the most imaginative and beautiful cinematic settings that I've ever seen. Another wonderful Miyazaki film.
Rated 17 Sep 2012
17
80th
One of my favorite Miyazaki films. Beautiful and contemplative, with fantastic settings, interesting plot and characters, and a well-paced story arc. (Though I should note that the movie definitely takes its time — but that could be said of many great movies.) As always, the environmental animation and backdrops are jaw-dropping.
Rated 20 Nov 2012
90
93rd
Hugely enjoyed this one.
Rated 15 Dec 2012
90
85th
Incredible action fantasy from start to finish. The humor, the twists, the well developed characters...everything works. While it's not my favorite Miyazaki, it is up there. It's a lot of whimsical fun. The setting reminded me of a Final Fantasy game where sky pirates and technology are melded with olden times.
Rated 03 Mar 2013
98
99th
Easily stands among the greatest films ever made, animated or not. Leaves Raiders of the Lost Ark in the dust in it's sense of grand adventure.
Rated 12 Apr 2013
75
78th
Good, classic Ghibli.
Rated 16 Oct 2013
86
91st
How does he do it. The world he's created here is beyond words. Fair argument to be made as his best. The themed of dangers of technology and importance of nature are there. Benchmark adventure.
Rated 13 Jan 2014
80
0th
2x
Rated 25 Jan 2014
8
93rd
An often thrilling and wondrous visual experience, with sights - all the way from the houses lining the cliff sides at the film's beginning to the sweeping majesty of the titular castle in the sky at film's end - that delight the senses and stir the imagination. Gotta love those robots. However, I still can't quite give it a Tier 10 rating because the "spell of destruction" at the end is the ultimate deus ex machina of all deus ex machinas. Still really enjoyed it though; will watch again.
Rated 01 Apr 2014
70
25th
- 10/19/13
Rated 03 Apr 2014
78
90th
Revisited (2)
Rated 08 Apr 2014
60
54th
I've seen enough Miyazaki before to feel like I'd already seen this movie, even though I hadn't. It's not entirely fair to evaluate it based on what came after it, but Miyazaki's thematic redundancy almost hurts this retroactively. The animation is quite good (a step up from Nausicaa for sure) but the plot and characters are both fairly stock, lacking any real weight beyond the action they're thrust in. My score is more objective than usual, especially considering I watched the dub, which sucks.
Rated 26 May 2014
50
52nd
Lots of charm in the world it creates and the main characters, but it never really engaged me. The later parts of the film tend to be too based on big set pieces, and the story is just about the most cliched fairytale quest imaginable.
Rated 16 Jun 2014
85
72nd
Really enjoyed this movie. Fun and entertaining. Movie for the whole family to watch!
Rated 03 Jul 2014
65
22nd
The castle may have been in the sky but the story was somewhere under the Earth's crust. Castle in the Sky is a beautiful anime by Miyazaki. The worlds are lush and the animation is second-to-none. It's just too bad the story was pretty light and wraps up really quickly all at the end, after you've sat through two hours of film...
Rated 03 Dec 2014
85
92nd
While it misses some the thematic and character depths and nuances of Miyazaki better movies, its simple adventure story is perfectly well executed.
Rated 18 Dec 2014
85
74th
Quite an adventure.
Rated 07 May 2015
87
83rd
Remarkable especially in how much it affected the mood of some of the best jrpgs (one of my favourite forms of entertainment) during the next decades. Beautifully conveys the sense of a fantastic adventure.
Rated 22 May 2015
55
48th
Feels like a decent Pokemon episode.
Rated 07 Sep 2015
8
71st
Funny, action-packed, straight-to-the-point, and mystifying, 'Castle in the Sky' is the near perfect picture of a family adventure; there may not be a lot to the film, but what's there is top-tier quality.
Rated 13 Oct 2015
60
64th
Still need to finish it. When I do I'll come back and change my score.
Rated 02 Dec 2015
90
77th
It is a wonderful mix of sci-fi and fantasy that never quite feels like either and instead feels like its own unique strange thing. The action is incredible, Miyazaki directs some of his best chase scenes here, and the animation in general is incredible. Some of Joe Hishashi's best work is here too. In the Japanese version at least there's also some great use of Miyazaki's regular anti-war and pro-environmental themes that may be at their most well integrated here.-a113er, https://redd.it/
Rated 11 Mar 2016
85
85th
The Ghibli magic was there right from the start. Great writing, quality animation and the kind of score only Joe Hisaishi can compose.
Rated 25 Mar 2016
70
56th
74

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