Studio Ghibli Thoughts: Castle in the Sky

 

This is officially the first actual Studio Ghibli film, created under the newly formed Studio unlike Hayao Miyazaki's first film; Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. For many, this is the film that introduced them to Ghibli's work, even if they didn't know it at the time, being a favorite of localized Anime reruns in many countries. If nothing else, then it's a great introduction to the style and sensibilities of Miyazaki and his studio.

Castle in the Sky followed Nausicaä in establishing many of Miyazaki's trademark themes. From his focus on flight, smaller moments that underscore the humanity of his characters, the power of community in both social and physical forms, the confluence of technology and nature, and the fearsome power of technology misused.

The movie concerns the pursuit of the mythical city of Laputa, which is floating in the sky, by a number of different factions. First, is a governmental faction, that obtains a clue about the city's existence by holding Sheeta, an orphaned girl with a mysterious connection to the city. Then, there is a lovely band of pirates that feel the government is about to lead them to a great and profitable find. After an action-packed opening sequence where these two factions square against each other in the sky, Sheeta falls to her doom from the airship, only to be saved by her mysterious pendant, and she falls into the arms of Pazu, a boy from the local mining community.

What ensues is one of Studio Ghibli's most straightforward movies, where a sense of adventure propels the narrative, but not without key moments underscoring the themes of possible technological annihilation. This could be considered a strength of this movie by some, but I found it to be one of the least complex and impactful Miyazaki films as a result.

The central themes undergo too much exposition and the movie feels like it's preaching the message (never an effective tactic in movie-making) instead of simply showing it. More damagingly is the central villain, who is a mustache-twirling maniac without a degree of depth to him, which may be the first and last time that happens in a Ghibli movie.

As a result, while the movie is certainly fun, and is indeed brilliant at times, especially thanks to having one of Joe Hisaishi's top scores, it is a Middle-Tier Studio Ghibli movie for me.

P.S: In my opinion, Studio Ghibli films are so high in quality that their Middle-Tier films could be considered generally a Top-Tier Anime films. Only the few films I would relegate to Low-Tier are ones I don't consider Very Good or Great films.