Das Schloss im Himmel

Ich denke, dass ich wirklich noch nie einen Film gesehen habe (einen Animationsfilm oder einen Film mit menschlichen Schauspieler*innen), der den Verne-Filmen von Karel Zeman so sehr ähneln würde. Schon der Vorspann… Eine hundertprozentige Fantasie, die Entwürfe von allen Maschinen und Städten, die verträumte Musik, überraschend interessante Figuren und verschiedene Wendungen der Handlung, die z. B. dafür sorgen, dass die Negativgestalten schließlich nicht so negativ sind, wie man ursprünglich gedacht hat. Ich kann nicht sagen, dass der Film, der mehr als zwei Stunden dauert, wie im Flug vergeht. Es ist aber gut – wenn er kürzer gewesen wäre oder so gewirkt hätte, wäre es schade gewesen. (23.06.2023)

Beautiful and moving anime, with all of Miyazaki's distinctive features. Beautiful girl, fearless boy, gorgeous music, and plenty of ideas. (14.08.2006)

The individual elements are great – the music, the setting. I found the idea a bit strained, but not too bad. Just a Miyazaki fairy tale. All in all, though, I found it clanging. It didn’t exactly sit well with me. However, the ending and the credits immediately after it spread a beautiful peace in my soul – probably it was mostly due to the musical. A better 3 stars. But I will definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Miyazaki, or cartoons, or preferably both together. Edit: 26 Jan 2017 – saw it in the cinema after five and a half years... obviously I enjoyed it more than the first time, which is why I'm raising the rating. It was a lot of fun, reminded me a lot of Lupin with its lightness and running around. I might have given it 10-20 minutes less. But there's a lot hidden in there. At least this time around I saw a lot in it. (12.06.2011)

Hayao Miyazaki is such a unique filmmaker that Castle in the Sky is not only still beautiful in its story but also in its animation, which hasn't aged much in 30 years. The film is still full of beautiful imagery and ideas that are unique. One wonders how Miyazaki could come up with so many beautiful works. (16.05.2017)

Miyazaki must have watched a lot of American action movies at the time, how else to explain all the action, gunfire, explosions and war-airships? No, this is just rich and inexhaustible imagination at work again, which can playfully and entertainingly accommodate anything from a fairy tale about a chosen girl to espionage with the army and secret agents. It's certainly not the pinnacle of Miyazaki's work, and the otherwise excellent script lacks a bit of the fantasy charm of Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, but it's still one of his funniest and most audience-friendly stories. 85% (25.08.2013)