Castle in the Sky - The best score of all the Ghibli Movies?
The score on this movie is amazing, finishing with the theme over the end credits is just mind blowing.
Don't you cry for Johns. Don't you dare.
I would definitely agree about all aspects of the score, both on the original and Disney-upgraded versions. The compositions are rich and melodious and the ending theme is lovely, too. And of course, it's interesting to notice the differences between the orchestrations on the two different dubs--there are some subtle changes on certain tracks while others, like the destruction of Laputa at the end of the movie, sound more moving and tragic with the full orchestra backing the previously accapella choir. Naturally, purists will argue that such an addition was unnecessary given that the scene was originally scoreless to begin with, but personally, I think either version of the score is perfectly complimentary to the movie. At least Disney didn't hire somebody like Tangerine Dream to give the movie a rock and roll soundtrack (like what happened with LEGEND); now THAT would have been blasphemous! Here they just contacted the original composer, who had originally wanted LAPUTA scored orchestrally to begin with, and gave him the budget to do so. Listening to the new score only showcases how far Hisaishi has come since he first wrote the original. Either way, it's a classic score.
-Jon T.
I see it the opposite way: there are things that I don't like in either score. Some, not all, but some additions in the Disney version are just too much. Like when they were flying into the cloud, there was a point when I really think dead silence is necessary; Hisaishi nailed it the first time, and I really don't see why would he want to change that. I do appreciate an artist's effort to challenge himself...good try, but the old way was better. I also do not like the extra 4-second-addition in the new main them (The Girl who Falls from the Sky) at all.
For the old score, I really can’t stand synthesizer music; it is so 80s and isn’t something that can last long, unlike a traditional orchestra. Hisaishi also redid some minor harmonic progressions in the new score, which I think are all much better.