Castle in the Sky

Masterpieces from Studio Ghibli Full Festival Schedule
Tickets are available online and at the admission desk.
Full Festival Pass

Castle in the Sky (1986) was the first official Studio Ghibli film; Miyazaki and Takahata created the studio based on their success with the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984). Perfect for the whole family, Castle is the ultimate boy’s adventure film. Pazu is an orphan boy who rescues Sheeta, an orphaned princess, from evil government agents. The two team up with a gang of air pirates and race against the agents to discover the true secrets of Laputa, a mysterious floating castle in the sky. Starring the voice talents of James Van Der Beek (Pazu), Anna Paquin (Sheeta), Mark Hamill (Muska), Cloris Leachman (Mama Dola), and Mandy Patinkin (Louie).
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lMRfLJGXSM
125 minutes; PG

All film screenings will be held in the Modern's auditorium. Tickets are $10; $8 for Friend-level Modern members; $7 for Associate-level Modern members and above. Cinephiles who plan to enjoy the weekend’s entire selection of films will receive a discount for pre-purchasing all of their tickets at once. 

Welcome to the Modern’s film festival, Masterpieces from Studio Ghibli. This year we are excited to present a festival showcasing six Ghibli films and one pre-Ghibli film from the animation masters who founded Studio Ghibli—Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. A highlight of our program is The Boy and the Heron, this year’s winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.

All films in the Masterpieces from Studio Ghibli Film Festival will be introduced by Dr. Marc Hairston, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Dallas. A professional space physicist, part-time anime scholar, and Fort Worth native, Hairston has hosted annual Japanese animation festivals at the Modern since 2014. He is one of the founding editors of Mechademia, the first academic journal focused on anime and manga studies and has written numerous scholarly articles about anime. With Dr. Pamela Gossin, also at UT Dallas, he has co-authored two books about anime and manga aimed at high-school-age readers, Cultural Guide to Anime and Manga (2023) and Exploring Anime and Manga (World of Art) (2024).