This review is about the film ‘Laputa – Castle in the Sky’ by Studio Ghibli. It is an outstanding, fabulous movie, which really engages the viewer. It is arguably the first work of Studio Ghibli. It is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and the music is composed by Joe Hisaishi. Anyway, let me tell you more about it!

13-yr-old Sheeta is an orphan, who is now being taken care by the government. She is on an airship with a government official, when the pilots sound the alarm, that there are air-pirates who want to loot the ship. The pirates get in, and they come after Sheeta. You see, Sheeta has something everyone wants very badly indeed….. It is the crystal on her necklace. Sheeta climbs out of the airship window and hangs on to it for dear life. But then one of the pirates startles her, and she loses her grip and falls into the sky…  She would have fallen to her death, but then her crystal starts glowing, and instead of falling, she is floating down. A 13-yr-old boy named Pazu, who lives in a mining town, sees something glowing and floating down towards his town. He hurries towards that place, and to his astonishment, sees an unconscious girl with a glowing necklace floating down. He manages to catch her before she floats down into the mines, and takes her home. However, now both the government’s army and the pirates are after them. The army captures them both, and effectively capture the crystal. Now the question is, what does the army want with it? Well, a small island exists, floating in the sky, called Laputa. They believe that the crystal will show the way to Laputa. They want to destroy and loot it. Well, the necklace does show the way, and everyone has seen the direction it is pointing to. Pazu and Sheeta team up with the pirates, who aren’t really that bad, and now are caught up in a desperate race against time, to get to Laputa before the army does……

A humorous, action-packed adventure that is both entertaining and heart-warming. Definitely one of the best of Studio Ghibli. All the colour and vibrancy of their films is amazing! The fantastical plot of this movie, paired with relatable, amazing protagonists makes it worth watching. It has delightful animation, which is a little old, but charming. I loved this movie. You will lose track of time as you get immersed in the magical world of this movie. My favourite character was definitely Pazu, because he was so kind. This is my second favourite Ghibli movie. It is adventurous, comic and generally great to watch. There is nothing bad about it. Overall, it is more or less perfect. Great for an evening of light hearted fun. Even the music is beautiful. Joe Hisaishi is an amazing composer, and Hayao Miyazaki an excellent director. The scenes and backgrounds of this movie are detailed and beautiful. Please don’t think it is very kiddish, it isn’t, despite the fact it is animation. It is beautifully depicted, with a good storyline and nice backdrops. I recommend this for ages 7+.

I give this movie 5 stars, it deserves it!