Name(s): Castle in the Sky / Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa / 天空の城ラピュタ / Das Schloss im Himmel / El Castillo en el Cielo
Format: Movie (124 minutes)
Studio(s): Studio Ghibli
Original Publication: Unknown (N/A)

Review

“Really enjoyable, but not likely to stick in my mind for long” is kind of my standard reaction to Ghibli movies, as much as I hate to admit it. Mind, I find they typically have aspects that rise above that which are unique to each film. Castle in the Sky is an exception, being almost a (suitably) bland prototype for Ghiblis to come.

I don’t want to downplay the technical achievement on display here. It’s still an enjoyable movie. But nothing in it transcends being that; at least relative to the rest of Ghibli’s output. Its running time can be incredibly padded by brutally-long establishing shots. Also, the two main child characters are utterly devoid of any defining personality traits.

That said, it did help give us JRPGs as we know them. Wait, is that a good thing or a bad thing?