Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Japanese: 天空の城ラピュタ, Hepburn: Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta), known as simply Castle in the Sky in North America, is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.[1][2] It was the first film produced by Studio Ghibli and was produced for Tokuma Shoten. It follows the adventures of a young boy and girl in the late 19th century attempting to keep a magic crystal from a group of military agents, while searching for a legendary floating castle. The film was distributed by Toei Company.[3]
Laputa: Castle in the Sky won the Animage Anime Grand Prix in 1986. The film has received positive reviews and grossed over $15.5 million at the box office, and went on to gross a total of approximately $157 million in box office, home video and soundtrack sales. In Japanese polls of greatest animations, it was voted the second best animated film at the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival and was voted first place in a 2008 Oricon audience poll. Castle in the Sky has had a strong influence on Japanese popular culture, and has inspired numerous films, media and games, in Japan and internationally.[4][5] It is also considered an influential classic in the steampunk and dieselpunk genres.[2][6]
