Laputa: Castle in the Sky [Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta] ***** (1986, Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui) – Classic Movie Review 10,967

Writer-director Hayao Miyazaki’s 1986 Studio Ghibli classic Laputa: Castle in the Sky [Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta] is a beautifully designed, excitingly handled and enthrallingly written Japanese animated adventure with a mythical yarn about a young boy Pazu (voice of Mayumi Tanaka) and girl Sheeta (voice of Keiko Yokozawa), and the battle to control a magic stone.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky is a fascinating, captivating film for adventurous youngsters and adults who want to try something different from the Disney tradition.

In a legend taken from Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Laputa is a huge island castled city floating in the sky. The boy and girl battle pirates and spies to find it.

Kotoe Hatsui voices Dola, Minori voices Terada Muska, Fujio Tokita voices Uncle Pom and Ichirô Nagai voices Shogun Mouro.

An English dub titled Castle in the Sky was produced by the Walt Disney company in 1999 and was released on DVD in 2003. The word Laputa, ‘whore’ in Spanish, is cut. In the Disney dub version, James Van Der Beek voices Pazu and Anna Paquin voices Sheeta. The voice cast also includes Mark Hamill, Cloris Leachman, Mandy Patinkin, Andy Dick, and Michael McShane.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky [Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta] is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, runs 125 minutes, is made by Studio Ghibli and Tokuma Shoten, is released by Toei Company (1986) (Japan), Network Communications and Buena Vista (English dub), is written by Hayao Miyazaki, is produced by Isao Takahata and is scored by Jo Hisaishi.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,967

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