History YMMV / CastleInTheSky

** The older JAL dub, despite not being as loosely adapted as Disney's dub and making the leads younger, is still very much this. It really is hard to take seriously when the pirates and Uncle Pom sound like cartoon caricatures, and especially when Muska says "Now say bye-bye!" as he aims at Sheeta during the fateful showdown. (The latter moment, in particular, disrupts the tension with unintentional humor.) And this is supposed to be more "accurate" than the Disney version!
** The JAL dub is also riddled with dialogue that sounds very unnatural and awkwardly written as well:
*** "I'm built as hard as a brick moppet, if moppets were made out of bricks!"
*** "How very dumb, these earthlings." "Not many shows better than THAT one!" "There's no WAAAAAY you can escAAAAAAAAPE!"
*** Rather bizarrely, a pirate says "just like in the movies!" in the JAL dub. This is line is both out of place with the rest of the film's atmosphere and isn't even in the original script.

** General Muoro and his lackeys showed their complete willingness to torture Sheeta to squeeze the secrets out of her and also tried to kill Pazu. Which also makes Muska's [[spoiler: massacre of them a case of KickTheSonOfABitch]].

** Website/NicoNicoDouga goers often use [[spoiler: Muska walking around blinded, screaming "My eyes!"]] in their [[StupidStatementDanceMix Stupid Statement Dance Mixes]].

* WTHCastingAgency: While the English dub is widely regarded as being very good, many fans felt James Van Der Beek and Anna Paquin to be ill-fitting choices for Pazu and Sheeta, respectively, with the most common criticism being that their performances make them sound more like teenagers/young adults, even though they were intended to be kids in the original Japanese version and the Streamline dub.

* TearJerker: The broken-down robot soldier who's unintentionally reawakened by Sheeta, only to be destroyed while it tries to protect her. After all, it was only trying to do its job of protecting someone who asked for help in the face of an unknown military that expressed open hostility toward it at every turn. Depending on how aware it actually was of the situation, it may have not even understood what it was doing was wrong, only to die in the line of duty while fighting to protect its queen.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Those who were not happy that Disney edited out the rescore in their Blu-Ray rerelease of the film were overjoyed when the 2017 rerelease by GKIDS contained the rescore as an option for the dub alongside the original.

** The change from "Laputa" from "Lapuntu" made in the first Spanish dub, while done by the obvious reasons mentioned throughout this page, is not casual either. In ''Literature/GulliversTravels'', the protagonist says this second name as a possible etymology for the first.
-->''""The Word, which I interpret the Flying or Floating Island, is in the original Laputa; whereof I could never learn the true Etimology. Lap, in the old obsolete Language, signifieth High, and Untuh a Governor; from which they say by Corruption was derived Laputa from Lapuntuh".''

* EvilIsCool: Muska stands out as probably the only truly depraved and evil Ghibli villain, and pulls it off with such style and charisma it's hard not to be a little impressed when [[NearVillainVictory he finally takes control of Laputa.]]

* EvilIsCool: Muska. He's probably the only truly depraved and evil Ghibli villain, and pulls it off with such style and charisma it's hard not to be a little impressed when [[NearVillainVictory he finally takes control of Laputa.]]

* AdaptationDisplacement: The original "Laputa" was a floating island of idiot-savants, named for a vile Spanish epithet and intended as a scathing TakeThat satire against scientists and British royalty. (The satire was so very dire that part of that chapter of ''Literature/GulliversTravels''--in which Laputa went around dropping rocks on nations it didn't like--had to be censored in its original publication. When Isaac Asimov did an annotated version of the book, he was so nettled by it, centuries later, that he felt the need to spend much of a page in fine print coming to scientists' defense!) But the book was centuries old and in another language when it inspired Miyazaki to make his movie. Whether or not Miyazaki knew about the work's satirical origins, his version of "Laputa" was played straight as a place of higher science and learning--and he also titled his movie after that island's unfortunate name. Though oddly enough, whether [[ShownTheirWork intentionally]] or [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting not]], the "dropping rocks on nations it didn't like" thing [[KillSat made it (more or less) into Miyazaki's version as well]].

* SubbingVersusDubbing: This is not the only Disney-Ghibli dub to receive such an atmosphere (''Anime/KikisDeliveryService'' and ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro'' also qualify), but it seems as though viewers can't really seem to unanimously agree if the Disney dub is an entertaining experience in its own right, better than the Japanese in many ways, or even a watered down travesty of a great film. Purists strongly claim it is the latter (often stating that the Japanese version is the ONLY way you should watch the film, to a lesser extent the JAL English dub), but there are still many fans of the Disney dub. In an even more ironic case, when the now extinct Streamline dub was released, it too received a similar split reaction. But when Disney's dub was released, the atmosphere quickly changed for some into a TheyChangedItNowItSucks attitude. Some still even resent the Disney version for replacing the older dub, period. All the more ironic because Carl Macek thought the original '80s dub didn't turn out so well.
** There are others who TakeAThirdOption and state that both the Disney and Japanese versions have merit and are good in their own right.

** The first Spanish dub, which replaced "Laputa" with "Lapuntu" for the reasons mentioned in Narm above, was divisive at its time for this change, so a new dub keeping the original name was granted years later. The problem? While the new dub retained the damn word and its translation was also generally closer to the original, it also came with a completely different voice cast that was instantly noted to be ''extremely'' poor in acting and cast choices (the new voices of Pazu and Sheeta, for instance, were panned for the strange feat of sounding both annoying and flat at the same time). The fans's reception for this new dub was so overwhelmingly negative that they soon switched to the old one and the Lapuntu controversy was since forgotten.

** The word "Laputa" has a nasty homophonic meaning in [[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike Spanish language]],[[note]]"Laputa" sounds identical to "la puta" ("the whore") in Spanish.[[/note]] and as a consequence, it's quite difficult to watch a faithful Spanish dub while keeping a straight face. The first and most famous European Spanish dub changed its name to a more fantastic "Lapuntu" (just like Spanish translations of ''Literature/GulliversTravels'' have traditionally made slight changes into the name), but the second and the Latin American one didn't, so you get the picture in those. The Latin American in particular is more unintentionally hilarious due to the intonation used to say the name of the island.

** The first Spanish dub, which replaced "Laputa" with "Lapuntu" for the reasons mentioned in Narm above, was divisive at its time for this change, so a new dub keeping the original name was granted years later. The problem? While the new dub retained the damn word and its translation was also generally closer to the original, it came with a completely different voice cast that was instantly noted to be ''extremely'' poor in acting and cast choices (the new voices of Pazu and Sheeta, for instance, were panned for the strange feat of sounding both annoying and flat at the same time). The fans's reception for this new dub was so overwhelmingly negative that they soon switched to the old one and the Lapuntu controversy was since forgotten.

* TearJerker: For some people the broken down robot soldier unintentionally reawakened by Sheeta hits this. It was after all only trying to do it's job of protecting someone who asked for help in the face of an unknown military that expressed open hostility toward it at every turn. Depending how aware it actually was of the situation it may have not even understood what it was doing was wrong only to die in the line of duty while fighting to protect it's queen.

* {{Squick}}: Although the clumsy overtures of the Sky Pirates towards Sheeta once she dresses like a pirate are ActuallyPrettyFunny, it doesn't quite distract from the fact that we have a group of men, the oldest looking like they're well in their thirties, trying to court a girl of twelve or thirteen. An important note: This relationship was apparently only true in the Disney Dub - In the original version, the pirates treated her more like a mother figure.

* WeirdAlEffect: The original "Laputa" was a floating island of idiot-savants, named for a vile Spanish epithet and intended as a scathing TakeThat satire against scientists and British royalty. (The satire was so very dire that part of that chapter of ''Literature/GulliversTravels''--in which Laputa went around dropping rocks on nations it didn't like--had to be censored in its original publication. When Isaac Asimov did an annotated version of the book, he was so nettled by it, centuries later, that he felt the need to spend much of a page in fine print coming to scientists' defense!) But the book was centuries old and in another language when it inspired Miyazaki to make his movie. Whether or not Miyazaki knew about the work's satirical origins, his version of "Laputa" was played straight as a place of higher science and learning--and he also titled his movie after that island's unfortunate name. Though oddly enough, whether [[ShownTheirWork intentionally]] or [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting not]], the "dropping rocks on nations it didn't like" thing [[KillSat made it (more or less) into Miyazaki's version as well]].

* BrokenBase: The orchestrated rescore in Disney's dub. Some (including Music/JoeHisaishi himself, who composed both the original soundtrack and the rescore), find it to be massive improvement, with the more Hollywood-sequels score better fitting the adventurous vibe than the more minimalistic original soundtrack. Others, particularly purists, loathe the rescore, finding it to be overbearing and generic compared to the original synth-based soundtrack and to take away from the film's more quiet and atmospheric moments. The fact that Disney removed the rescore in their North American Blu-Ray only fanned the flames further. This was mitigated later on by GKIDS revealing that both the rescore and the original soundtrack would be options for the dub, mostly pleasing both parties. That said, debates over which soundtrack is better and more fitting remain constant.

** Purists loathed the new orchestral score and extra chatter in Disney's dub, to the point where Disney omitted both in home media releases post-2003. This ended up backfiring, as that created a camp of fans who were ''furious'' at Disney for removing them (even if others applaud Disney for trying to be more faithful). Ironically, removing the rescore has only caused [[VindicatedByHistory some reviews to recognize its own greatness]] and lament its loss from the dub (e.g. [[Webvideo/JesuOtaku Jacob Hope Chapman]]'s review at Anime News Network). The Disney dub has since [[VindicatedByHistory been reviewed more favorably and accepted, mostly by newer fans,]] and the sentiment only became greater once Joe Hisaishi's open preference of the orchestral soundtrack was made clear (he considered the 1986 score a rushed job, which explains its unusually sparse, synth-driven sound). Even better, Gkids has reissued the film with two English dub options, providing viewers with the opportunity to see Disney's dub with either the rescore, or the original.

* BrokenBase: The rescore in Disney's dub. Some (including Creator/JoeHisiashi himself, who composed both the original soundtrack and the rescore), find it to be massive improvement, with the more Hollywood-sequels score better fitting the adventurous vibe than the more minimalistic original soundtrack. Others, particularly purists, loathe the rescore, finding it to be overbearing compared to the original soundtrack and to take away from the film's more quiet and atmospheric moments. The fact that Disney removed the rescore in their North American Blu-Ray only fanned the flames further. This was mitigated later on by GKIDS revealing that both the rescore and the original soundtrack would be options for the dub, mostly pleasing both parties. That said, debates over which soundtrack is better and more fitting remain constant.

* HilariousInHindsight:
** [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Robotinik? Is that you?]]
** This would not be the [[Film/TheForceAwakens last time]] Creator/MarkHamill would appear in a fantasy film where a young American-sounding man and a young British-sounding woman who is learning to control her mysterious powers team up with some scruffy pirates/smugglers in a race against a scarily well-equipped military force with a giant, CoolShip to find something/someone that's been missing for a long time, using a PlotDevice which provides directions.
** [[Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender "A superior being such as myself has only one option: Burn them."]]

* * CreatorsOddball: Of all the antagonists created by Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli, Muska is distinguished by being the only one so far that is totally evil with absolutely no redeeming qualities.

** A fried egg on toast is often called Laputa Pan in Japan, after its' appearance in the movie.

* AssPull: Both Sheeta and Pazu survive ''[[NoOneCouldSurviveThat an entire castle-city falling on top of them!]]'' Even the giant tree is unscathed, not even its roots are torn or damaged by the [[CollapsingLair falling debris and resulting chaos.]] Its even lamp-shaded by Sheeta, saying the tree is "[[DeusExMachina protecting them]]".
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The entire soundtrack, in both the original Japanese version and the longer, more extensive rescore for the Disney dub (can also count as Woolseyism). Both composed by Music/JoeHisaishi. Special mention goes to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy8MEO_2AYo the main theme]].

** Purists loathed the new orchestral score and extra chatter in Disney's dub, to the point where Disney omitted both in home media releases post-2003. This ended up backfiring, as that created a camp of fans who were ''furious'' at Disney for removing them (even if others applaud Disney for trying to be more faithful). Ironically, removing the rescore has only caused [[VindicatedByHistory some reviews to recognize its own greatness]] and lament its loss from the dub (e.g. [[Webvideo/JesuOtaku Jacob Hope Chapman]]'s review at Anime News Network).
*** That said, the Disney dub has since [[VindicatedByHistory been reviewed more favorably and accepted, mostly by newer fans,]] and the sentiment only became greater once Joe Hisaishi's open preference of the orchestral soundtrack was made clear (he considered the 1986 score a rushed job, which explains its unusually sparse, synth-driven sound). Even better, Gkids has reissued the film with two English dub options, providing viewers with the opportunity to see Disney's dub with either the rescore, or the original.
** The first Spanish dub, which replaced "Laputa" with "Lapuntu" for the reasons mentioned in Narm above, was divisive at its time for this change, so a new dub keeping the original name was granted years later. The problem? While the new dub retained the damn word and its translation was also generally closer to the original, it came with a completely different voice cast that was instantly noted to be ''extremely'' poor in acting and cast choices (the new voices of Pazu and Sheeta, for instance, were panned for the strange feat of sounding both annoying and flat at the same time). The fans's reception for this new dub was so overwhelmingly negative that they soon switched to the old one and the Lapuntu controversy was pretty much forgotten.

* WeirdAlEffect: The original "Laputa" was a floating island of idiot-savants, named for a vile Spanish epithet and intended as a scathing TakeThat satire against scientists and British royalty. (The satire was so very dire that part of that chapter of ''Literature/GulliversTravels''--in which Laputa went around dropping rocks on nations it didn't like--had to be censored on its original publication. When Isaac Asimov did an annotated version of the book, he was so nettled by it, centuries later, that he felt the need to spend much of a page in fine print coming to scientists' defense!) But the book was centuries old and in another language when it inspired Miyazaki to make his movie. Whether or not Miyazaki knew about the work's satirical origins, his version of "Laputa" was played straight as a place of higher science and learning--and he also titled his movie after that island's unfortunate name. Though oddly enough, whether [[ShownTheirWork intentionally]] or [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting not]], the "dropping rocks on nations it didn't like" thing [[KillSat made it (more or less) into Miyazaki's version as well]].

** The word "Laputa" has a [[UnfortunateNames nasty homophonic meaning]] in [[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike Spanish language]],[[note]]"Laputa" sounds identical to "la puta" ("the whore") in Spanish.[[/note]] and as a consequence, it's quite difficult to watch a faithful Spanish dub while keeping a straight face. The first and most famous European Spanish dub changed its name to a more fantastic "Lapuntu" (just like Spanish translations of ''Literature/GulliversTravels'' have traditionally made slight changes into the name), but the second and the Latin American one didn't, so you get the picture in those. The Latin American in particular is more unintentionally hilarious due to the intonation used to say the name of the island.

* WeirdAlEffect: The original "Laputa" was a floating island of idiot-savants, named for a vile Spanish epithet and intended as a scathing TakeThat satire against scientists and British royalty. (The satire was so very dire that part of that chapter of ''Literature/GulliversTravels''--in which Laputa went around dropping rocks on nations it didn't like--had to be censored on its original publication. When Isaac Asimov did an annotated version of the book, he was so nettled by it, centuries later, that he felt the need to spend much of a page in fine print coming to scientists' defense!) But the book was centuries old and in another language when it inspired Miyazaki to make his movie. Whether or not Miyazaki knew about the work's satirical origins, his version of "Laputa" was played straight as a place of higher science and learning--and he also titled his movie after that island's unfortunate name. (See UnfortunateName on the main page.) Though oddly enough, whether [[ShownTheirWork intentionally]] or [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting not]], the "dropping rocks on nations it didn't like" thing [[KillSat made it (more or less) into Miyazaki's version as well]].

** The reaction elicited in Spain by the second dub, which was supposed to be an improvement over the old one because it kept the amusingly unfortunate word Laputa. The new voices of Pazu and Sheeta were panned for the strange feat of sounding both annoying and flat at the same time, and that goes without mentioning the rest of the cast.
** The first Spanish dub, which replaced "Laputa" with "Lapuntu" for the reasons mentioned in Narm above, was divisive enough at its time for this change, so a new dub keeping the original name was granted years later. The problem? While the new dub retained the damn word and its translation was also generally closer to the original, it came with a completely different voice cast that was instantly noted to be ''extremely'' poor in acting and cast choices. The fans's reception for this new dub was so overwhelmingly negative that they soon switched to the old one and the Lapuntu controversy was pretty much forgotten.
* ToyShip: Obviously Pazu and Sheeta; there are lots of moments where we see them holding hands and/or hugging each other. They roll around in the grass together, tied together by a rope, arm around waist, for quite a while upon arriving in Laputa.

* EvilIsCool: Muska. He's probably the truly depraved and evil Ghibli villain, and pulls it off with such style and charisma it's hard not to be a little impressed when [[NearVillainVictory he finally takes control of Laputa.]]