Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Japanese: 天空の城ラピュタ) is a 1986 Japanese animated adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and is also the first film produced and released by Studio Ghibli. It won the Animage Anime Grand Prix in 1986.
Although meaningless in Japanese, the name "Laputa" comes from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. English language dubs of Laputa have been released under three different titles by three separate distributors, which is largely due to the similarity to the Spanish slang "la puta" (lit. "the whore"), which would be offensive to many.
Laputa is a once-great floating city in the sky. The city was technologically advanced in its prime, and its inhabitants were able to coexist harmoniously with nature. The Laputian people lived peacefully until they were forced to flee the city due to an unnamed catastrophic event. Castle in the Sky is set many years after Laputa was deserted, and it is no more than a myth in most people’s eyes.
In the film, a girl named Sheeta is sought after by pirates as well as the military (led by Muska, an extremely ambitious man with his own agenda); both groups are after the crystal necklace in her possession, as they all believe it is the key to finding Laputa and unlocking its secrets. In a desperate escape attempt, Sheeta falls from an airship and—literally—lands in the arms of Pazu, a hardworking youth whose dream is to follow in his father’s footsteps and see Laputa with his own eyes. The duo are then swept up in a fierce race to reach Laputa before the military and save it from being used as a tool for military advancement or a means to satisfy greed.
