Castle in the Sky (NR, 1986)

common sense media says

Exciting, all-ages anime airborne fantasy epic.


parents & educators say
  • 58% say violence is an issue
  • 50% say there are positive messages

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that "cartoon violence" and peril is fairly regular and sometimes intense in this spectacle, with abundant street brawling, gunfire (often aimed at children), artillery, death rays, even what looks like an H-bomb. Despite all that, no dead bodies are shown. This represents an English-dubbed, re-edited version of the three-hour original. If your household is filled with "anime" purists, you might want to try and obtain the uncut version. Try to get a widescreen edition in any case -- even the Disney VHS preserves the splendor in "letterbox" format.

Positive messages: Sheeta and Pazu are both courageous, perceptive, plucky kids, though the girl seems to need rescuing a whole lot more than the boy. On the other side of the gender-age barrier, a spirited, tough old lady leads a gang of greedy pirates. These scalawags end up becoming allies and pals (though no less thieving). There seems to be dim view of the military and government agents.
Violence: A lot of shooting, with the child protagonists occasionally nicked by the, oh, 10,000 bullets flying around. Cannon/artillery fire, heat rays, a nuclear-type explosion. Characters perish (offscreen) by falling from a great height. A street fight between roughnecks. A robot is "killed," blasted with mortar rounds.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on Castle in the Sky

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about how the idea of a floating fortress-city -- actually inspired by imagery (though not themes) in the storybook Gulliver's Travels -- turned into this Japanimation classic. You can research the career of exalted anime director/designer Hayo Miyazaki, who often introduces ideas of nature in conflict with human technology. Laputa was also published in comic book form before getting the animation treatment. Ask kids what they prefer, reading manga (Japanese comics) or seeing the cinematic spin-offs and adaptations.

What's the story?

What's the story?
CASTLE IN THE SKY was a smash in its native Japan in 1986, known mainly to fantasy and animation fans in the West via imported versions until more than a decade later, when mighty Disney Studios recognized its popularity by releasing an English-dubbed edition in the USA. The setting is a vaguely European early-20th century. In this world there exists a legend of a fabulous flying fortress called Laputa, laden with treasure, robots, and powerful weapons. Sheeta, a farm girl with an heirloom amulet crystal that points the way to Laputa, is chased by both government forces and a family of sky pirates. Briefly escaping into a mining community, Sheeta finds an unselfish ally and protector in a fellow adolescent, a brave boy named Pazu, and together they try to outwit their enemies while on a journey leading inevitably to Laputa.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Hayao Miyazaki's sumptuous design, artwork, cliffhanger pacing, and innocent "sense of wonder" so important to science fiction bring Castle in the Sky to glorious life as a family-suitable action-fantasy, even if the main characters lack depth. Pazu is a bold and brave orphan boy, Sheeta is a bold and brave orphan girl, etc. (our heroine also tends to be amnesiac in some scenes, while in others she can remember whole magic spells and the not-unimportant detail that she's a long-lost Laputian princess).

Possibly some of the deficiencies in the storyline can be explained by big chunks of the movie, which originally ran three hours, excised in the adaptation by Disney. Here a nature-oriented twist that saves the heroes from doom in the end seems to come out of nowhere (thin air, you might say). At least the American edit kept Ma Dola, a colorful, crusty old pirate matriarch (voiced by Cloris Leachman) who vigorously commands a flying criminal gang made up of her own husband and many sons. Some anime fans consider this one of the best of the best in the all-ages category.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Cast: Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, James Van Der Beek, Mandy Patinkin, Mark Hamill
Genre: Fantasy
Run time: 125 minutes
Theatrical release: August 2, 1986
DVD release: April 15, 2003
MPAA Rating: NR

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 
 

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What parents & educators say

8
Based on 12 parent & educator reviews:
  • 58% say violence is an issue
  • 50% say there are positive messages

Most useful reviews by all members

Cyvernndragon
kid, 13 years old
 
I could pump my fist in the air for how much i love this film.
this is my favorite movie of all time. i'm talking about the original japanese version, not the awful english dub (points thumb down.). honestly, disney? you messed up the whole thing. anyways, the story is great, the music is great, the role models are great, it's all great. i think this is for ages 9+, just because there's a lot of gunfighting, and people do get shot, but never killed. thre's a lot of parts of this film that just make you feel all lovely inside. if your'e a big fan of anime, or even if your'e not, go see this film. trust me, it's for your own good.

onceacarpenter
parent of 5 and 7 year old
 
fun and interesting
This is a movie we all enjoy, and it is my 6-yr-old's favorite. There is some violence, and some shananigans, but I like the message that you have to get to know a person to really know them. Fun and interesting.

angel6757
teen, 14 years old
 
a beatifully made movie.
When i first watched this movie when i was about 8 i really liked and i still really do. But both me and my parent's where very surprised about how vilont it was. I'm also surprised common sense thinks this movie is iffy for 6! are u joking?! A 6 year old would be scared and have nightmares! All the vilonce includes: Killing, gun shooting and much more. Also kids fall from very high heights and almost are killed several time by gun, exploseves, and pirates. There is also a very intense scene where the main characters uncle holds up a gun and shoots of her pigtails and almost her ears. The up side to all of this is it has good messages and rolemodels. Such as Sheta and Potsu. Sheta is a very courages girl who is about 10 or 11 years old. Who will stop at nothing to follow her dreams, be free, and help a person or thing in need. Also Potsu risks his life many times to save his friend sheta's. The positive messages of this movie is: Be carful wherever you go, and sometimes you must put your friends before yourself so everything can work out in the end. I recomend this to all kids 9 and up!

Xela9
kid, 12 years old
 
Why?
Why is this rated 9 and up? It has shooting and some scary scenes and mild themes as if Muska showed that emblem to Sheeta and she started crying and at the end where there's spoilers. But the romance isn't bad I don't think.

dancing girl
kid, 12 years old
 
It's good for younger children, they would definietly love it but for older kids, it might be kinda boring. Still overall good movie, not exactly violent but still OK.

shojofreak220
teen, 15 years old
 
LOVE IT!!!!
This is a GREAT movie I got it at Chinatown, so it was all in Japanese, but we managed to get the sub on and loved it. NOT VIOLENT AT ALL!!! Best Miyazaki film I've seen!

P-Patch Mom
parent of 10 and 13 year old
 
very violent--beware!
miyazaki's movies for younger children (totoro, ponyo, kiki's delivery service) have been huge favorites and my kids enjoyed this film as well. BUT it was startlingly violent--swarming armies, explosions, gunfire, people falling and almost falling to certain death...my kids both spent large parts of the movie biting their nails and cringing. the beautiful animation and lovely musical score were just not worth all the violence for our family.

popcorn_004
teen, 14 years old
 
It is not violent at all for a 12 year old and up but for younger kids they may be scared with all the gun shooting. Sheeta the main character gets her braids shot off by Muska (who may be frightening to very little kids). They get hit by a few gunshots. I would say a very young kid such as 5+ could watch it with there parents. Some people die but it does'nt show them dieing it just shows them falling off of the floating island of Laputa. In the end when Pazu and Sheeta say the destruction spell Muska dies while Sheeta and Pazu are saved by the tree. Otherwise those things it is a wonderful movie and my favorite Hayao Miyazaki movie. It is filled with Adventure, trust, violence, action and adventure. This is a must see! Sheeta and Pazu are very mature and excellent role models!

BlueDragonMaster98
teen, 18 years old
 
No complaints
I love it. There's violence and death. The movie is very heartfelt that you forget about all of its faults. It's a very good movie. Most of the people aren't good role models, but Pazu and Sheeta care about each other, and always look out for each other.

mathgirlie
teen, 14 years old
 
Somewhat violent, but nothing major
As CSM said above, there is LOADS of shooting, gun fire, nuclear bombs, etc. However, this story is sweet and innocent, portraying a girl who fell from an airship and survived (who is the long-lost princess of a ledgendary "Castle in the Sky"), and a boy who has always longed to find the castle and prove that his father wasn't wrong in saying that it existed. On a side note, the fact that Sheeta constantly needed rescuing annoyed me, but by the end I had forgotten about it; this truly is a sweet movie that everyone needs to see. Heck, EVERY Miyazaki film needs to be seen.

lilypadd
kid, 12 years old
 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS WAS MY FAVORITE MOVIE WHEN I WAS LITTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERY KID 5+ SHOULD SEE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

casandreas
parent of 12 and 15 year old
 
Fun adventure for older kids
Some violence and cold blooded villain... but underlying there is a story of courageousness and love.

saftynetj
kid, 12 years old
 
8
Besides the shooting and the girl breaking the glass on her dads head its ok for kids 8 and up

xxYuRgIrLbAiLeYxx
kid, 12 years old
 
You'l enjoy this movie!
This Movie Is Awesome!!!!!!! I own this movie on DVD and I've watched it a million times. I love the beautiful animation. I recommend you watch this movie. Trust me you'll love it!

davidguitar15. ...
teen, 17 years old
 
perfect for everyone
this heartwarming tale is like the best anime ive seen...other then naruto...but i really like this movie....the music makes me want to cry and the story is awesome....there is some mild volence but its just gun fire and a robot getting killed....and the orphan boy gets nicked on the cheek by a speeding bullet but other then that its a movie for everyone.

smille
parent of and 8 , 9 , 11 year old
 

Lila Jo
parent of 7 year old
 
Miyazaki has done it again. He has made another masterpiece. It is very good if you are 7 or older. You should see it. It is a little violent. The main character's hair braids are shoot off her head. There are lots of guns but it has a happy ending and the crystal is cool.

ufo
kid, 11 years old
 

love2
parent of 19 year old
 
very very very vilont
i was surprised by how vilont the movie was. Most of hameasakie's films are kid friendly but this one certainly wasnt. There is a lot of shouting, vilonce, peril, and a scene were a grown man almost killed a 10 year old girl on purpose with a gun. but it is a good movie and it is a good movie for all kids ages 10 and up. BUT NOT FOR 9!!!!!!!

saftyj101
parent of 11 year old
 
d
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