Castle in The Sky
After "Nausicaa of The Wind Valley" - a successful 1984 movie that motivated Miyazaki to form Studio Ghibli - the famous director decided to create this extremely similar fantasy masterpiece that expanded upon the delights of the earlier movie. For people who like to watch all of Ghibli's movies in chronological order, it's a must to go to Nausicaa, though its science-fiction vibe did not differ much from other animation features in the 80s. Meanwhile, its follow-up, Castle in The Sky, is far more distinctive and portrays all of Hayao Miyazaki's most notable preferences and film motifs.
On-air battles between sky pirates (whose leader Muska looks very similar to the witch from Spirited Away) and steampunk airships foreshadow the Baron-like "Rosso Porco", while the Laputa city is one of the most gorgeous levitating cities ever imagined, similar to the Wakanda kingdom in Black Panther. It fuses both ultra-modernity and ancientness with huge asymmetrical robots designed to protect the citizens. And the film's protagonist, Sheeta, shares strong ties with this wonderful floating castle.
We cannot deny that sometimes Castle in The Sky focuses way too much on the bad villains that try to plunder the mythical kingdom instead of Sheeta herself. Still, the overall picture delivers a terrific sense of discovery, which has characterized the greatest Ghibli outings.
Year of Release: 1986
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
