Castle in the Sky

, released as Castle in the Sky in North America, is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was produced by Isao Takahata, animated by Studio Ghibli, and distributed by the Toei Company. In voice acting roles, the original Japanese version stars Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, and Minori Terada, while the 2003 English dub stars James Van Der Beek, Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, and Mark Hamill. The film follows orphans Sheeta and Pazu, who are chased by Muska, the army, and a group of pirates over Sheeta's crystal necklace. They discover that the crystal leads them to Laputa, a mythical castle flying in the sky, and join the pirates on their journey to reach the island before the military. Laputa turns out to harbor a dangerous weapons system, which Sheeta and Pazu destroy to halt Muska's destruction, causing Laputa to rise into space.