Castle in the Sky.

Review #1480: Castle in the Sky.

Cast:
Mayumi Tanaka (Pazu), Keiko Yokozawa (Princess Sheeta), Kotoe Hatsui (Captain Dola), Minori Terada (Colonel Muska), Ichirō Nagai (General Mouro), Fujio Tokita (Uncle Pom), Takuzō Kamiyama (Charles [Shalulu]), Yoshito Yasuhara (Louie [Lui]), Sukekiyo Kamiyama (Henri [Anli]), Hiroshi Ito (Mr. Duffi), Ryūji Saikachi (Old Engineer), Tomomichi Nishimura (Motro), and Machiko Washio (Okami) Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (#1111 - Spirited Away and #1233 - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)

Review:
"I believe that children's souls are the inheritors of historical memory from previous generations. It's just that as they grow older and experience the everyday world that memory sinks lower and lower. I feel I need to make a film that reaches down to that level. If I could do that I would die happy."

Anyone who encounters enough animated films will likely approach the ones of Studio Ghibli at some point in time, with plenty of good reasons to do so. Studio Ghibli was a fresh company destined to deliver high quality tales involving traditional animation since its very first movie that was released in 1986. Four people founded the studio in 1985: Hayao Miyazaki (previously associated with Toei, A-Pro, Zuiyō Eizō, Nippon Animation, Tokyo Movie Shinsha, and Topcraft), Isao Takahata (who first collaborated with him on The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun in 1968), Toshio Suzuki (who helped in getting the Nausicaa anime made in the first place), and Yasuyoshi Tokuma. The former two were directors while the latter two were producers, and the company had been formed after the success of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, made by Miyazaki (his second ever directorial effort) under the production company of Topcraft (which had its dissolved assets turned into Ghibli). As is the case with numerous Miyazaki films (past and future), there is plenty to keep one's attention involving nature and technology, with elements inspired by mystic legends alongside Gulliver's Travels (in regards to the flying island of Laputa). One can't go wrong with our main duo in Tanaka and Yokozawa, each of which doing quite well in portraying innocence and care that go well with each other along with certain situations that demand capable characters for fascinating situations, even if that involves something as early as just meeting with each other. Hatsui makes a warm presence of amusement to go with the other spirited pirates, while Terada soothes with greed and arrogance for well effect.

It is a captivating film for all ages, capable of delivering a story worth getting involved in with careful execution and a fair cast to drive the movie with the right senses of charm and conviction. If we didn't care about this community and their inner strength that stands clear when compared to the other group depicted in the film, we wouldn't appreciate what it means to feel the ground on your feet. Sure, there are plenty of interesting things to look at when it comes to the vehicles or the grand castle in the sky, but the main core is a core of warmth. We aren't dragging our feet waiting for something to happen because we are instead being absorbed by what we see, feeling everything in the soil and in the air with enjoyment. With a 124 minute run-time, the movie sure builds itself with enough steam in its animation and foundation to make any scene feel diverting without any real slowing point, playing to the imaginations of its audience quite well. It surely isn't surprising to see the influence this has had over subsequent works in Japan and abroad, particularly in inspiring further steampunk depiction in anime and manga. On the whole, this ranks fairly high among animated films of its era in its strength of animation and adventure without any creative sacrifice to make an easy recommendation for one desiring an animated classic.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.