| Laputa - Castle In The Sky | 
 enlarge | Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £19.99
Buy New: £5.96
You Save: £14.03 (70%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (21 reviews)
Sales Rank: 600
Format: Pal
Languages: English (Original Language), Italian (Original Language)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Media: DVD
Running Time: 125 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5060034573319
ASIN: B000CBEWYW
Release Date: February 27, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Inspired by Gulliver's Travels, the fantasy-adventure Castle in the Sky 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 Nausicaae, 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. --Charles Solomon , Amazon.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 The greatest film EVER MADE December 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the best film ever made, period, regardless that it's animation in any genre, language, era, ever.
If there were an option where all films ceased to exist except one, this would have to be that one.
I'd like to write a long essay about it but everyone will have their own experience and reflection. Suffice to say that everyone who has any kind of regard or joy for storytelling needs this in some format whether it's book, DVD, tape, in their possession.
 A masterpiece in storytelling September 27, 2008
This is another Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece. As with his other films, the strength is in the story and the storytelling. Even though this supposed to be a children film, it has a strong appeal to adults, with the intrigue of the power play between the characters and people are not what they first appear. There is the additional puzzle if you want to work out who's providing the voice for the villain, it's Mark Hamill. Always wondered what he did after playing Luke Skywalker! The only downside and why it might not appeal to some is that the animation is a bit dated, it doesn't have the bright pizzazz of some of the more modern Pixar, Disney or Dreamwork animation, but well worth taking the time to watch.
Lovely in parts but a lot of fight/ chase scenes for young children May 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This film is lovely in parts but a lot of fight/ chase scenes for young children which has put me off watching it with my daughter. I do love Miyazaki though and am slowly working my way through all his films! Delivery was good.
Inspiring April 29, 2008
All of the usual colourful characters and outstanding music conspire to make this film one of the best in its genre. You can watch it again and again. It explores themes of love, sacrifice, growth and decay; the animation is consistently beautiful. Greattttt
In the mould of Spirited Away February 3, 2008
Although made fifteen years before one of the Miyazaki films that it most resembles, Laputa exhibits many of the characteristics of Spirited Away, and anyone who has been introduced to Studio Ghibli's work through the later film, will find much to enjoy in this charming story of the Castle in the Sky.
Visually, although the animation isn't quite as sharp as Miyazaki's later work (it was made in 1986), it doesn't look dated. Many of the hallmark features of a Miyazaki animation are present - the small, innocent girl who embarks on a voyage of discovery and grows during the course of the story; the wizened old lady who begins as a grotesque figure, but becomes loveable and engaging as the film progresses, and industrial imagery of coal and mining.
The narrative structure is also familiar. The two leading characters embark on a perilous quest, aiming to stop a group of villains from acquiring the mystical castle in the sky. Along the way, they encounter a vivid cast of characters, from the ragged band of pirates, to the old man in the cave who explains some of the significance of the crystal that Sheeta carries.
Its all done with Miyazaki's typical blend of charm, confidence and vision. There are moments where his sheer inventiveness take your breath away, and there are points where the combination of superb animation and vivid storytelling prove highly exciting.
For anyone familiar with Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, Laputa will prove a rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable film. Highly recommended.
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