Castle in the Sky

Beautiful and moving anime, with all of Miyazaki's distinctive features. Beautiful girl, fearless boy, gorgeous music, and plenty of ideas. (14/08/2006)

I don't think I've ever seen a film (live action or animated) so close to Karel Zeman's adaptations of Jules Verne. Already in the opening credits it’s full on fantasy; the design of the machines and the cities, the beautifully dreamy music, the surprisingly interesting characters and the various story twists that make sure, for example, that the bad guys aren't as bad as they first seemed. I can't say that the two-hour-plus running time flew by like nothing, but it's a good thing – if it had been shorter, or felt like it, it would have been a shame. (23/06/2023)

Hayao Miyazaki is such a unique filmmaker that Castle in the Sky is not only still beautiful in its story but also in its animation, which hasn't aged much in 30 years. The film is still full of beautiful imagery and ideas that are unique. One wonders how Miyazaki could come up with so many beautiful works. (16/05/2017)

The individual elements are great – the music, the setting. I found the idea a bit strained, but not too bad. Just a Miyazaki fairy tale. All in all, though, I found it clanging. It didn’t exactly sit well with me. However, the ending and the credits immediately after it spread a beautiful peace in my soul – probably it was mostly due to the musical. A better 3 stars. But I will definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Miyazaki, or cartoons, or preferably both together. Edit: 26 Jan 2017 – saw it in the cinema after five and a half years... obviously I enjoyed it more than the first time, which is why I'm raising the rating. It was a lot of fun, reminded me a lot of Lupin with its lightness and running around. I might have given it 10-20 minutes less. But there's a lot hidden in there. At least this time around I saw a lot in it. (12/06/2011)

Miyazaki must have watched a lot of American action movies at the time, how else to explain all the action, gunfire, explosions and war-airships? No, this is just rich and inexhaustible imagination at work again, which can playfully and entertainingly accommodate anything from a fairy tale about a chosen girl to espionage with the army and secret agents. It's certainly not the pinnacle of Miyazaki's work, and the otherwise excellent script lacks a bit of the fantasy charm of Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, but it's still one of his funniest and most audience-friendly stories. 85% (25/08/2013)