Castle in the Sky
by Hayao Miyazaki
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cloris Leachman, James Van Der Beek, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, Mayumi TanakaDirector: Hayao Miyazaki
Brand: DIS
Cinematographer: Hirokata Takahashi
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Hideo Ogata
Producer: Isao Takahata
Producer: Tatsumi Yamashita
Producer: Todd Olsson
Producer: Yasuyoshi Tokuma
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); English (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 125 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2010-03-02
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Model: 10183600
Studio: Disney Presents Studio Ghibli
Product features:
- CASTLE IN THE SKY: SPECIAL EDITION (DVD MOVIE)
Movie Reviews of Castle in the Sky
Movie Review: Rousing, soaring, high-flying all-ages fantasy fun.
Summary: 5 Stars
Retitled from its original Japanese name of LAPUTA (for being an offensive phrase, something which director Hayao Miyazaki was oblivious to at the time), CASTLE IN THE SKY is the master animator's third film, and it's one of his most beloved of all time. Initially a box office disappointment in its 1986 release, it has since been embraced by critics and audiences around the world. Inspired by Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels", CASTLE IN THE SKY is a steampunk-themed action adventure tale about two young orphans -- young miner Pazu, and mysterious girl Sheeta (who wears a magic crystal around her neck) -- who team up to find the long-lost island of Laputa, which is rumored to have great riches and gems. They are aided by a band of bumbling yet sympathetic air pirates led by the feisty Dola (who at first chase them, yet turn out to be true allies) and pursued by the government headed by its villainous topmost-secret agent, Muska, who wants the power of Laputa for his own benefit.
For anyone looking for an exciting way to spend two hours, this film is an excellent choice, featuring just the right amount of humor, exploration, wonder, and mystery to keep one interested. The artwork, although not as spectacular as in some of Miyazaki's later movies, is fantastic and gorgeous enough to watch with imaginative characters and locations, incredibly exciting action scenes, and breathtaking flight sequences that will make one feel giddy. And while the characters that populate this tale are less complex than Miyazaki's other works, each has a memorable, endearing personality that stays with the viewer long after the film is over. Dola, in particular, makes for a terrific comic character, shouting orders to her dimwitted sons one moment and being protective of Sheeta the next. Muska is one of the few Miyazaki creations to ever come across as an irredeemable villain, but like Dola, he commands every scene he's in with a sinister charisma that is both alluring and chilly. In fact, both of these two characters are so charismatic that the lead chraracters Pazu and Sheeta may come across to some as the least interesting in the film; they're likeable, resourceful and brave, but that's about it. Even so, this feels like shameless nitpicking, as it's really hard to find a character that isn't memorable or appealing in Miyazaki's atmospheric world.
Anime fans have often compared this movie to Gainax's sci-fi adventure series NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER. After all, both works share similar story and character elements... not to mention that they were both created by Miyazaki himself. Where both differ is in their execution. NADIA, although charming for the most part, suffered from taking a wrong turn at its midway point, devolving into cartoonish nonsense which all but distracted from the main plot, even though it did have a strong ending. CASTLE IN THE SKY, on the other hand, remains consistently entertaining and focused for its two hour running time, and is all the better for it. While the film's epic tone is sometimes broken up by some "cartoonish" moments, like a brawl between Pazu's boss and one of Dola's sons, it's never to the point that it detracts from the film.
About eleven years ago, Disney released an English version featuring a cast of big-names such as James van der Beek, Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, Mark Hamill, Mandy Patinkin as well as some cameo appearances by veterans such as Tress MacNeille and Jim Cummings. It also features an ambitious reworking of Joe Hisaishi's gorgeous musical score for a performance by the Seattle Music Orchestra (interestingly, the man behind this rescore is none other than the composer himself). As much as purists have cried blasphemy over this version for its occasional extra dialogue and the aforementioned rescore, Miyazaki had no such problems; in fact, he is said to have applauded the reworking, and for good reason, because the newly rerecorded music is truly the star of the new dub. While there are some instances where filling in some critially silent scenes from the original Japanese is a bit jarring (notably the journey through a dragon-infested storm cloud), the overall reworking is fantastic and in many ways improves on the original, particularly in scenes such as when a robot attacks a fortress and the climactic moments toward the end. Here, Hisaishi displays his musical versatility and genius for matching music to visuals.
As far as the performances go, the lead characters, Pazu and Sheeta, are voiced by James van der Beek and Anna Paquin, respectively. Both do fine jobs overall, but it should be noted that they sound more like teenagers than their Japanese counterparts (even though I wasn't so fond of Pazu or Sheeta's shrilly screams in the original native track), and compared to the rest of their co-stars they're probably at the short end of the stick. That said, I do have to commend James for bringing a lot of enthusiasm and exuberance to his part (despite a few stiff lines), and Anna's accent for Sheeta (inconsistent though it may be) is a nice touch. By the time the film reached its midway point, they both sounded completely natural, especially at the climactic sequences. As mentioned, though, it's the lively supporting cast that really make this dub so much fun, particularly Cloris Leachman's Dola and Mark Hamill's Muska. Both are perfectly cast and steal every scene they're in; as with the rescore, these two really warrant a listen to the Disney dub. The script adaptation borders on the loose side at times--there's quite a bit of extra lines and/or commentary (some of which are pricelessly funny and others somewhat overdone)--but aside from at least one debatable alteration (Sheeta's speech in the climactic showdown "the world cannot live without love" as opposed to the original "you can't survive apart from Mother Earth"), the overall characters, story, and spirit remain fairly faithful to the original. On the whole, there is little point comparing the Disney version to the original language track; each puts their own stamp on this legendary masterpiece, and I like them both.
As mentioned, there are a number of naysayers who have been overly critical of Disney's dub, saying that it pales in comparison to an older dub released in 1989 by Streamline (produced by an independent dubbing studio hired on the cheap by Tokuma). Sadly, after listening to it recently, I have to say that the opposite is true. Despite not having the new score and the sometimes extraneous additional dialogue, the older dub doesn't live up to the reputation that its defenders say. For one, the voices are nowhere nearly as lively or natural. Pazu's VA, Barbara Goodson, comes across as a woman pretending to be a boy, which I normally wouldn't have a problem with except in this case it's so obvious that it doesn't come across as anywhere nearly as convincing. That she also doesn't bring any genuine emotion is also a serious problem. Sheeta, voiced by Lara Cody, fares even worse; she raises her voice as high as possible to sound like a little girl, but that only works *against* the character instead of in her favor, and again, is pretty dull to listen to. While Disney's leads weren't my favorite voices in the new dub, they were nowhere nearly as lifeless or artificial sounding as these two. On that note, Rachel Vanowen's Dola misfires miserably; not only does she come across as sounding like June Foray as a scratchy version of Granny (from LOONEY TUNES) she simply screams or flatly reads her lines without any of the charm or warmth that Leachman provides. The pirate brothers are not much better; compared to Mike, Mandy, and Andy, these older guys are just all "goofy" voices with personalities. Jeff Winkless's Muska is what really brings the older dub down; unlike Hamill, this guy is boring (and I mean boring with a capital B), sounding like an emotionless newscaster instead of someone genuinely evil. (It gets even worse at the finale when he reveals his true nature, particularly when he spouts corny lines such as "now you die" or "now say bye bye".) The rest of the cast in this older dub are just as emotionless, with the possible exception of the General, but even then, Cummings trumps him. Voices aside, the major problem with this older dub is the flow of the dialogue; oh sure, it doesn't have the sometimes gratuitous additional chatter or change the last part of Sheeta's speech, but the overall ADR script reads like a poorly translated fansub, with virtually every line sounding clunky, choppy, and awkward. Even the attempts at humor ("I'm built like a brick moppet!") come across as very bizarre. While I understand that some people have issues with Disney's dub, hearing this older version only convinced me that the current one is the superior dub--undistorted though it may not be, it is miles above Streamline/Tokuma's trainwreck of an air-flight hack job by far.
In 2003, Disney brought this film to DVD (after a long-delayed release from its initial 1999 date) with the dub as well as the Japanese language track, complete with a widescreen anamorphic transfer and a surprisingly scanty amount of extras. This newest edition brings more extras, including new interviews by Miyazaki, except that the subtitles are now DUBTITLES, sans the extra chatter. More controversially, the dub has been revised, with all the aforementioned extra dialogue and the rescore omitted. I found the latter decision very disappointing, as the new music is arguably the dub's biggest asset. Without it, Disney's version comes across as more empty and less lively, as there are many places where the synthesized older score comes across as rather dated, particularly at the robot attack scene and the "hurricane" sequence, both of which sounded much more powerful in the reorchestrated score. Whether it's worth double-dipping for this classic for those edits is up to the customer. Personally, I'd recommend holding onto the 2003 DVD and renting these new extras; combine both, and it will truly be a "special" edition.
Summary of Castle in the Sky
Introduce your entire family to Castle In The Sky, featuring a timeless story of courage and friendship with stunning animation from acclaimed Academy Award?winning director Hayao Miyazaki (2002, Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away). Plus, this special edition DVD includes never-before-seen bonus features that transport you deeper into the film?s amazing world! This high-flying adventure begins when Pazu, an engineer?s apprentice, finds a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky, wearing a glowing pendant. Together, they discover both are searching for a legendary floating castle, Laputa, and vow to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around Sheeta?s neck. Their quest won?t be easy, however. There are greedy air pirates, secret government agents, and astounding obstacles to keep them from the truth?and from each other. Add Castle In The Sky to your DVD library, and this magical and uplifting classic from Studio Ghibli and Disney will thrill and amaze your family for years to come.Inspired by "Gulliver's Travels," the fantasy-adventure Castle in the Sky (1986) was Hayao Miyazaki's third feature, and helped to establish his reputation as a visionary in both Japan and America. The orphan Sheeta inherited a mysterious crystal that links her to the legendary sky-kingdom of Laputa. With the help of resourceful Pazu and a rollicking band of sky pirates, she makes her way to the ruins of the once-great civilization. Sheeta and Pazu must outwit the evil Muska, who plans to use Laputa's science to make himself ruler of the world. Castle echoes elements in Myazaki's earlier Nausicaä, and anticipates imagery in his later films, from My Neighbor Totoro to Spirited Away. Disney's new English dub, which features Anna Paquin (Sheeta), James Van Der Beek (Pazu), and Cloris Leachman (pirate matriarch Dola), is lively and close in tone to the original Japanese, if a bit talkier. The exciting flying sequences, appealing characters, and fantastic vision of a steam-powered future Jules Verne might have imagined make Castle in the Sky a must-have for fans of Japanese and Western animation. (Unrated: suitable for ages 10 and older: violence) --Charles Solomon
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