Laputa - Castle In The Sky

See Larger Image	List Price: £19.99 Our Price: £7.98 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki Average Customer Rating:


Audience Rating: Parental Guidance Binding: DVD EAN: 5060034573319 Format: PAL Label: Optimum Home Entertainment Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Optimum Home Entertainment Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2006-02-27 Running Time: 125 Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment
Related Items Nausicaa Valley Of The Wind My Neighbour Totoro Princess Mononoke (Special Edition) Whisper Of The Heart Kiki's Delivery Service
Editorial Reviews: Inspired by Gulliver's Travels, the fantasy-adventure Castle in the Sky 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 Nausicaä, 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. --Charles Solomon , Amazon.com
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: The greatest film EVER MADE Comment: This is the best film ever made, period, regardless that it's animation in any genre, language, era, ever. If there were an option where all films ceased to exist except one, this would have to be that one. I'd like to write a long essay about it but everyone will have their own experience and reflection. Suffice to say that everyone who has any kind of regard or joy for storytelling needs this in some format whether it's book, DVD, tape, in their possession. Customer Rating: Summary: A masterpiece in storytelling Comment: This is another Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece. As with his other films, the strength is in the story and the storytelling. Even though this supposed to be a children film, it has a strong appeal to adults, with the intrigue of the power play between the characters and people are not what they first appear. There is the additional puzzle if you want to work out who's providing the voice for the villain, it's Mark Hamill. Always wondered what he did after playing Luke Skywalker! The only downside and why it might not appeal to some is that the animation is a bit dated, it doesn't have the bright pizzazz of some of the more modern Pixar, Disney or Dreamwork animation, but well worth taking the time to watch. Customer Rating: Summary: Lovely in parts but a lot of fight/ chase scenes for young children Comment: This film is lovely in parts but a lot of fight/ chase scenes for young children which has put me off watching it with my daughter. I do love Miyazaki though and am slowly working my way through all his films! Delivery was good. Customer Rating: Summary: Inspiring Comment: All of the usual colourful characters and outstanding music conspire to make this film one of the best in its genre. You can watch it again and again. It explores themes of love, sacrifice, growth and decay; the animation is consistently beautiful. Greattttt Customer Rating: Summary: In the mould of Spirited Away Comment: Although made fifteen years before one of the Miyazaki films that it most resembles, Laputa exhibits many of the characteristics of Spirited Away, and anyone who has been introduced to Studio Ghibli's work through the later film, will find much to enjoy in this charming story of the Castle in the Sky. Visually, although the animation isn't quite as sharp as Miyazaki's later work (it was made in 1986), it doesn't look dated. Many of the hallmark features of a Miyazaki animation are present - the small, innocent girl who embarks on a voyage of discovery and grows during the course of the story; the wizened old lady who begins as a grotesque figure, but becomes loveable and engaging as the film progresses, and industrial imagery of coal and mining. The narrative structure is also familiar. The two leading characters embark on a perilous quest, aiming to stop a group of villains from acquiring the mystical castle in the sky. Along the way, they encounter a vivid cast of characters, from the ragged band of pirates, to the old man in the cave who explains some of the significance of the crystal that Sheeta carries. Its all done with Miyazaki's typical blend of charm, confidence and vision. There are moments where his sheer inventiveness take your breath away, and there are points where the combination of superb animation and vivid storytelling prove highly exciting. For anyone familiar with Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, Laputa will prove a rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable film. Highly recommended. More Reviews