Studio Ghibli is arguably one of the greatest anime film studios of all time setting the standard for Japanese animation many times over since its inception. They are responsible for producing some of the best animated films ever seen blessing anime fans with several classic films over the decades and creating countless spectacles along with them many of which were made under the guidance of legendary director and Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki. Together their library includes the likes of Howls Moving Castle Princess Mononoke and of course the Academy Awardwinning Spirited Away. But before all that the studio giant had to begin somewhere. And while both Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli were involved in the making of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind in 1984 their first official film was released in 1986: that film being Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa more commonly known as Castle in the Sky. The tale of Ghiblis first feature film is set in a world parallel to ours except here there is a much greater focus on you guessed it the skies. Floating castles gigantic airships and pirates in the sky are all featured prominently over the films 2hour runtime and in the sky is where we find our heroine of the story Sheeta. She is held against her will in an airship when suddenly pirates attack in an attempt to kidnap the girl. However through all the commotion Sheeta slips and falls to what appears to be her death only for her strangelooking necklace to glow and cause her to slowly descend towards the ground where a young boy sees her and catches her. This all takes place before the 10minute mark and already we are given so many questions to be answered throughout the film. But thankfully the film never tries to get complicated with the narrative. From the beginning we are thrown into this new fantastical world that is begging to be explored and from there it takes us on an adventure where two children go out to find Laputa the Castle in the Sky. Some may find the overall narrative of Castle in the Sky simplistic and I would agree with them but simplistic does not equate to not good. For 2 hours this film is full of action and adventure that will have you entertained from the start. This film is one of the few anime that I believe can be enjoyed by all ages and this is mostly because of its simplicity. Compared to other Ghibli films Castle in the Sky is not trying to be an allegory of any kind instead looking at the storys sense of scale and adventure through the eyes of a child. While I would never consider it to be Miyazakis magnum opus in terms of his most developed breathtaking or meaningful work it is nearperfect for what it tries to be: an authentic vision of a childhood fantasy that has the charm to bring out the child in anyone watching. Studio Ghibli is responsible for creating some of the most enjoyable cinematic universes in animated form as they seem to always be able to bring forth these rich vivid settings that despite feeling similar are each unique in their own way. Castle in the Sky is the first of a dozen examples of this. There are so many different working parts of this world of imaginative architecture advanced technology and charismatic personalities. For this film specifically Castle in the Sky manages to make a distorted version of the industrial revolution featuring the likes advanced elaborate aircraft to giant robot guardians seem like something made out of pure imagination as well as something we could very well see made in the notsodistant future. It also features some environmental commentary towards the end if you are interested at all. But considering that this film was directed by Miyazaki all of his familiar yet welcome quirks strong independent female characters ecology aviation and young children are present in this film. Speaking of the characters the lead duo whilst basic fit this kind of story exceptionally well fitting the orphaned child archetype whilst coming off as sympathetic protagonist that you want to see succeed in their dangerous quest. The boy who found Sheet in the beginning is Pazu who is trying to find the castle in the sky as his father years before had seen but was disregarded as a liar by those around him. Pazu has a clear goal in the film and Sheeta is like Pazus angel literally falling into his life in the beginning and supporting him while also looking out for his safety. Sheeta also changes overtime in the film slowly but surely becoming more independent and confident common characteristics of Miyazakis heroines. The rest of the characters however are rather onenote and interchangeable. They still play their part well for a film like this but I am disappointed that they were not as memorable as anything else in the movie. Regarding the production side of Caste in the Sky it is everything that you would expect from Studio Ghibli. The animation is beautiful even for todays standards which for a 1986 movie is a pretty amazing feat. Throughout the entire film there is no lack in artistry the backgrounds characters and sequences all look great. Laputa also happens to be blessed with wonderful cinematography capturing the overall look of the fantasy epic in every action scene this movie has to offer. As for the music it sounds stunning The entire soundtrack fits the tone and style that this movie has and it is not surprising given that Joe Hisaishi was behind the music. Hisaishi did a great job with the entire soundtrack. If there were any issue on the soundtrack however it would be that there is no standout themes there at least in my opinion. Some people really love the main theme for Castle in the Sky but to me it cannot compare to some of his other tracks like Legend of Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke. The English dub for this is also solid but given that Disney was behind the dub it should come as no surprise it would be anything but. The dub can make the two leads sounds more mature than their character implies but in no way does it detract from the overall enjoyment you will have when watching this Ghibli classic. If I havent made it obvious enough Castle in the Sky is a film that despite the score means a lot to me as a fan of anime. It is a brilliantly executed adventure story that is not hindered by age and as long as you watch it for what it is: an adventure you will enjoy it. There is more that I could talk about regarding this film but that would be at the cost of spoilers and I want everyone who reads this that has not seen Castle in the Sky to go into it as blind as possible. It is essentially the film that put Ghibli on the map and set the standard for what you should expect from one of the greatest anime studios of all time.