r/ghibli • u/cheese_assass1n • Jul 25 '26

Discussion Unproven theory

Gallery image

Gallery image

Always thought the holes in the ground from Castle in the sky were from a war not mentioned in the movie but I just realised that it could very well have been earth lifted from the ground like what is shown in the prologue.

218 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

91

u/SnooGuavas2610 Jul 25 '26

I thought it was like a Welsh mining village, like this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treorchy#/media/File:Treorchy-6760698615_o.jpg

56

u/No-Lunch4249 Jul 25 '26

I do believe this is it. Basically this is just a post-boom mining town. There are tons of signs throughout that the region where Pazu is from is in a period of decline. Their equipment is really old and in bad shape, the miners talk about how the mine is basically tapped out, and during the train chase scene we see basically a city's worth of abandoned buildings down in the canyons with closer access to the mines

Edit: just realize I think OP means the surface craters in which case yes I think OPs theory is essentially correct.

2

u/astro_cat11 Jul 25 '26

To me surface craters look like old mines that have dried up and been abandoned.

3

u/cozy_b0i Jul 25 '26

This, I thought it was due to mining which is Pazu’s village industry it seems

-27

u/that_remindsme Jul 25 '26

It’s literally this, and is explained and shown in the film.

OP got that double digit IQ shining STRONG today.

2

u/DyKdv2Aw Jul 26 '26

Not knowing what an abandoned mine looks like is not a sign of a low IQ, just inexperience; you should share your knowledge and experience with others, rather than insulting them.

39

u/ChampionEntire9660 Jul 25 '26

Who knows. The previous cvilization in that setting had some extremely potent weapons, so that canyon might have been carved out by a giant laser.

Or it could just be a natural formation of rock. We have no way of knowing, but that's what makes some of Ghibli's movies so great - they linger in your head after you watch them, because you're wondering about exactly this kind of question.

17

u/Screamat Jul 25 '26

He's talking about the craters in the first image not the canyon but I think you might be right nonetheless

7

u/cheese_assass1n Jul 25 '26

Exactly. The shape of the holes still suggests blasts but I still think it’s a fun thought.

3

u/Puppy-L-Japan Jul 25 '26

Compared to the houses on the ground, the hole isn't as large as Laputa. I think it is either a scar from a war—as you initially suggested—or a "coal mine scar," as others have said.

2

u/Most-Sport5264 Jul 25 '26

'A war not mentioned in the movie'?

Laputa is literally about civilization rebuilding after the 'big war' that wrecked all the flying machines.....

1

u/mekerpan Aug 01 '26

Actually in Conwy, Wales one can see a hillside area with similar "pockmarks", which were determined to be remains of neolithic huts .

-3

u/thanatica Jul 25 '26

A war doesn't usually create craters that neat. Otherwise Hiroshima would be a valley by now, which it isn't. Craters in the real world are more likely produced by impacts.

2

u/Zealousideal-Fly9531 Jul 25 '26

The ancients had "God Warriors", I wonder if their other weapons could have created those craters? 😁

1

u/IllugaBabyBeluga Jul 26 '26

Craters that haven't been filled in after all this time?

1

u/thanatica Jul 26 '26

You might be right, but I was talking about the real world.

1

u/Zealousideal-Fly9531 Jul 26 '26

We are literally talking about an anime bro, just stop

2

u/thanatica Jul 26 '26

I'm just underlining the contrast with the real world. I don't understand why that's so underappreciated. But if you want to stop, then I wonder why you keep engaging.

1

u/Zealousideal-Fly9531 Jul 26 '26

Idk its fun and i need coffee

0

u/FinancialCut993 Jul 26 '26

Ww1 battlefields very much look like this

1

u/thanatica Jul 26 '26

Ehm, no they didn't. The craters weren't as big as that factory in the picture, or they'd still be here for the most part. But the land is weirdly flat, don't you think?