DISNEY - CASTLE IN THE SKY(1986)
A release from Disney of one the great Miyazaki's wonderful
animes! While aimed primarily at the younger generation, this
is still truly a great movie worth several watches by young
and old alike!!! A
A review from Amazon:
Inspired by "Gulliver's Travels," the fantasy-adventure
Castle in the Sky (1986) was Hayao Miyazaki's third feature,
and helped to establish his reputation as a visionary in both
Japan and America. The orphan Sheeta inherited a mysterious
crystal that links her to the legendary sky-kingdom of Laputa.
With the help of resourceful Pazu and a rollicking band of sky
pirates, she makes her way to the ruins of the once-great
civilization. Sheeta and Pazu must outwit the evil Muska, who
plans to use Laputa's science to make himself ruler of the world.
Castle echoes elements in Myazaki's earlier Nausicaa, and
anticipates imagery in his later films, from My Neighbor Totoro
to Spirited Away. Disney's new English dub, which features Anna
Paquin (Sheeta), James Van Der Beek (Pazu), and Cloris Leachman
(pirate matriarch Dola), is lively and close in tone to the original
Japanese, if a bit talkier. The exciting flying sequences, appealing
characters, and fantastic vision of a steam-powered future Jules
Verne might have imagined make Castle in the Sky a must-have
for fans of Japanese and Western animation. (Unrated: suitable
for ages 10 and older: violence) --Charles Solomon