Castle in the Sky 1986

Easier to get into than Nausicaä, this is a much more propulsive, adventurous film by comparison. The animation is more detailed and colourful, Miyazaki’s storytelling abilities improved by leaps and bounds (no more clunky exposition; bolder themes and messaging), the music is beautiful and there are a lot of scenes that are very entertaining in their own right. I like that the visuals put a strong emphasis on the aesthetic differences between both worlds (the industrial vs the ethereal), which reflects the main theme of the film. It’s a pretty refreshing narrative compared to the usual Hollywood films indulging in technophobia (let’s not forget that The Terminator came out only two years prior to this), because here you have a film arguing that nature and technology can coexist if we allow them to. However, some of the character work isn’t all that great here. Sheeta and Pazu are fine protagonists, but the film should’ve taken more time to develop these characters as they’re both a little bland as is (especially Sheeta). I also didn’t care much for the pirate characters. They’re fun in their own right, but the campy portrayal doesn’t work in tandem with the rest of the film, and frankly they could’ve been omitted altogether.

7.5/10

Airships, floating islands, sky pirates and lost civilizations in this dreamy, upbeat animated adventure. It's the first-ever film produced by Studio Ghibli and only Hayao Miyazaki's second feature-length (after 1984's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind), but already both parties are testing their boundaries and nonchalantly blowing past expectations. Really incredible that Laputa still stands up so well, given its age and scope, and I mean that in both an artistic and a thematic sense.

There's a rich sense of humanity to the plot and a sweet innocence shared by the determined young protagonists (both Miyazaki hallmarks), with an irresistible fiber of discovery running through the whole production. And, naturally, each of the fantastical flying machines and techno-organic wonders are fleshed out to an absurd level, with operational mechanics playing a crucial role in several memorable scenes. That's another Miyazaki calling card, for those keeping track at home.

Meanwhile, the animation team swiftly meets and defies convention in a series of brilliant, preposterous early action scenes. Most remarkable among these is a crazy automotive chase through a sleepy mining village and across an active railroad bridge, an intensely kinetic effort that's bursting with creative power and realized potential. Ghibli can do the pulse-pounding stuff extremely well, right out of the gates, but the team also knows how to let a delicate moment linger, to give a scene room to breathe for greater dramatic effect. Those latter points are important during the climax, as we explore a crumbling airborne palace and learn about the forgotten culture it once housed. All this, of course, while dodging the military and foiling the efforts of a particularly formidable evil mastermind (voiced, in the English dub, by Mark Hammill).

Despite the years, Laputa is timeless; a magical, warm-hearted fantasy ride that deserves equal footing with many of the studio's later, more heralded works. It might even be more impressive than Mononoke or Spirited Away, considering the team's relative inexperience at the time.