Castle in the Sky
Inspired by "Gulliver's Travels," the fantasy-adventureCastle in the  Sky(1986) 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.Castleechoes elements in  Myazaki's earlierNausicaä, and anticipates imagery in his later  films, fromMy Neighbor TotorotoSpirited 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 makeCastle in the  Skya must-have for fans of Japanese and Western animation. (Unrated:  suitable for ages 10 and older: violence)--Charles Solomon