Castle in the Sky (1986)
★★★★ — Castle in the Sky (1986)
Castle in the Sky was the first film produced under the Studio Ghibli banner, founded by Miyazaki and his longtime collaborator Isao Takahata in 1985 following the success of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), which had effectively served as a proof of concept for the studio. Miyazaki drew on a range of inspirations for the project, most visibly Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (the floating island of Laputa is borrowed directly from that novel), alongside his own longstanding fascination with European industrial imagery and the Welsh mining communities he had studied years earlier. Made on a modest budget of around three million dollars, it established the visual grammar and thematic preoccupations, young protagonists, aviation, the tension between technology and nature, that would define Ghibli's output for decades to come.
Castle in the Sky (1986) remains one of Hayao Miyazaki's purest distillations of wonder. A soaring adventure that captures childhood imagination with breathtaking grace. Following orphaned miner's boy Pazu and the mysterious girl Sheeta as they flee sky pirates, government agents, and their own destinies in search of the legendary floating castle Laputa, the film moves with the effortless momentum of a dream. Every frame feels handcrafted with love: clouds billow like cotton candy, airships drift on sun-drenched thermals, and the titular castle (when it finally appears) is a vision of overgrown beauty that lingers long after the credits roll. Joe Hisaishi's score is nothing short of magical, sweeping, melancholic, and triumphant by turns, with that iconic main theme evoking both boundless adventure and gentle sorrow. The characters are instantly endearing: Pazu's earnest bravery, Sheeta's quiet resilience, and Dola's gruff-but-loving pirate crew (stealing every scene they're in) form a makeshift family that feels utterly genuine. Even the villains carry nuance, Colonel Muska's chilling ambition makes him one of Miyazaki's most compelling antagonists. It's not Miyazaki's most complex film, nor his most emotionally devastating, but it may be his most joyful. A perfect balance of heart, humor, and spectacle, executed with hand-drawn artistry that modern CGI still struggles to match. A timeless treasure that proves the simplest stories, told with sincerity and beauty, can lift us higher than any castle in the sky. Essential Ghibli. Pure cinema magic.
Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 1986 | Watched: 2026-03-22
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Hayao Miyazaki: Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) · Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) · My Neighbor Totoro (1988) · Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
More from Japan: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · Blue (1993) · The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
More fantasy: Viy (1967) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
