Pazu rescues an unconscious girl descending from the night sky with a glowing pendant around her neck. He helps the girl, Sheeta, to escape from the air pirates and the military who are obsessed with Laputa, a legendary kingdom on a floating island in the sky with which Sheeta is suspected of being connected.

With an adventurous boy as the main character, Miyazaki tells "a story that involves discoveries and wonderful encounters...a story that carries a message of hope." The production of Laputa also led to the establishment of Studio Ghibli in 1985.

Disney is set to bring this film to the United States and to the rest of the world with a soundtrack freshly rescored by Joe Hisaishi, who composed the original, and performed by a full symphony orchestra.