Perfect cast and a good story

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

You know what, they just don't make adventure films like these anymore. I never get that sense of wonderment, awe or anything that stimulates my cerebral cortex that holds my imagination. There's only one person I can rely on, Hayao Miyazaki. A young boy encounters a mysterious girl who has fallen from the sky. He is then entangled in a fantastical adventure to which they must travel to the mythical floating castle of Laputa in order to prevent its true power falling into the wrong hands. Straight off the bat, the animation is stunning. Yet again, every frame just looks like a piece of art. Elegant, ethereal and energetic. The attention to detail never fails to astound me. It evokes pure imagination and creativity that appeals to both mature and younger audiences. Sky pirates, floating islands, sentient ancient guardians and a small dosage of magic. That is the beauty of animation, and Japanese studios know this best. There are no limits to one's creativity and artistic integrity. Miyazaki co-founding Studio Ghibli allowed him to explore his range of concepts and give him freedom to his work. The script contained both heartfelt emotion and sporadic comedic moments that will bring both smiles and character investment. Our main protagonists were adorable, I ship them! Plenty of action and perilous tasks that heightened the tension. Laputa itself was just beautiful, it's clear that many fantasy films and video games took elements from the design of Laputa. The pacing was practically perfect, it's just a shame the ending was incredibly rushed! I literally shouted "Noooo! You were so close to getting a 10/10!". But alas, Laputa is Miyazaki's adventure animation that showcases his best talents. Oh, and the musical score...damn, t'was good.

Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa aka Castle in the Sky is tied as my favorite Miyazaki movie. The story of Castle in the Sky is about, you guessed it; a castle in the sky. There's a legend about a floating island castle, called "Laputa" that contains all the riches a person can ever dream of having. The main male character, Panzo believes that the castle exists, and dreams of one day following his deceased father's footsteps, and finding the castle for himself. The only problem is, he doesn't know where the castle is. Then there's the main female character, Sheeta whom Panzo finds falling/floating down from the sky with a shining sky blue necklace that has some sort of relationship to Laputa's location. Panzo and Sheeta begin a friendship, perhaps love relationship and they decide to go on a journey to find Laputa together. But they run into trouble with, and clowny pirates, the greedy army along with some mysterious men led by an even more mysterious man named, Muska. The stupid army was really funny, as were the pirates. Panzo and Sheeta are your average Miyazaki main characters, absolutely tragic and lovable! Honestly there's nothing to dislike about this anime and so much to love. It's truly a heart-pounding adventure story about friendship, loyalty, greed, and people's connection to nature. The anime starts off innocently and happily, but it quickly becomes darker as the evil ambitions of the antagonists make themselves known. The characters, good and evil, are all fully developed and interesting to watch.

There are not many filmmakers like Hayou Miyazaki, especially here in the United States. The Japanese animation director and head of Studio Ghibli films has become a household in both the U.S and Japan for crafting motion pictures bound to push the boundaries of imagination since his directorial debut in the late 70s with 'The Castle of Cagliostro', a film that didn't see the light of day in the U.S until a little over a decade later. Castle in The Sky is a breathtaking adventure that dares to explore the indefinite world of heart and imagination, and what comes about Miyazaki's craftmanship is an journey that is by no means a tear-jerker, but an ultimately moving picture with an appeal for both kids, teens, and adults. Whether you are watching the original Japanese version or the English dub, the magic of Miyazaki's directorial hand shines like gold and transcends the picture into something more than your average family-friendly fairy tale. The film follows young teen Pazu (voiced by James Van Deek), an mechanical engineer who witnesses a young girl Sheeta (voiced by Anna Paquin) floating from the sky by the power of a glowing crystal she wears around your neck. When the two find themselves in a crash course between league of pirates lead by the dubious Dola (voiced by Cloris Leachman) and an army lead by a shady general (voiced by Jim Cummings) and the equally shady Muska (voiced by Mark Hamill), each of whom are after Sheeta to claim the crystal; the two youngster set out on a race to a secret temple floating thousands of feet in the sky. Together, they must learn the secret hidden within the mysterious castle. What Hayou Miyazaki proves is that he is not a filmmaker who takes ambition to granted. Every inch of storytelling he carries is poured into the picture with no amount of ambition squander in the slightest. And the magic of his efforts shine through nearly every frame. Blending elements of high-classed fantasy and science-fiction with a potent touch of human drama, this beautifully animated film hits the right notes from beginning to end, and the excitement upheld in every scene following the introduction of our young characters dares to leaves us gripped. When young protagonist Paza and his newly found friend Sheeta unexpectedly find themselves cross paths with a group of shady individuals and corrupt army officials, tension almost immediately takes hold and set the story in a sleek, solidly-paced motion. And as the story strolls along, an absorbing humanity within the two characters grows; and that combined with the voiced performances by James Van Deek and Anna Paquin are the leading aspects of the character's winning over the hearts of audiences. Although the story is nothing necessarily revolutionary, Miyazaki proves capable of crafting a plot with complex layers mixed with biblical symbolism which is more than likely to fly over children's heads; and that is only part of the whimsical magic lying within the director's grandeur.Castle in The Sky is a spellbinding journey of spectacular proportions, and definitely what earns the title of an outstanding achievement in Japanese animation. Whether you are a child, teenager, or an adult, there is something truly magical to be experienced in this adventure, something that many animated pictures are less than likely to uphold. For what Miyazaki accomplishes here, this is not far from the heights of a blistering masterpiece.

Sheeta with her crystal manages to escape from pirate Captain Dola and her sons. She falls out of the airship and ends up floating to the ground where she is rescued by young Pazu. Pazu and his community struggles to make a living in the mine. He is obsessed with finding the lost floating city of Laputa. His late father found it once but was ridiculed for it. With pirates and government agents after her, they have to rediscover the power of her crystal and the lost Castle in the Sky.This world is imaginative. The story is a bit muddled. The dialog is a little clunky. The slapstick comedy is broad. I'm not sure that every motivation makes sense. I'm not sure why Dola joins Pazu to help Sheeta. The pirates are shooting up everybody to get the crystal in the beginning and I don't understand why they switch sides. I'm not sure why Pazu was let go especially since he seems to be a great way to control Sheeta. Some of the motivations are confusing but this does have the Ghibli inventiveness.