The Castle of Cagliostro

MOVIE #1,471 • 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 • 03.22.24 宮崎駿監督のフォーカス The other night, my daughter and I watched Spirited Away on a whim, my first exposure to the great Hayao Miyazaki and perhaps his finest picture. We shall see. I’d obviously heard of him before but I’ve never waded into these waters (I was a little too old by the time his films really started to reach American children — which I’m guessing was around the time of that film’s release, and I was heading to college — this actually coincided with several Disney re-releases with new dubs in the forthcoming years, but I’m getting ahead of myself). I was inspired enough to started another new serialized chronological Director Focus and so here we are: back at the beginning, with his 1979 debut feature, The Castle of Cagliostro.

Even though Miyazaki co-wrote the screenplay, this character and world was based on a pre-existing property: a manga called "Lupin III" by Monkey Punch. The animation seems more cartoony (for lack of a better word… everything he ever made is technically a “cartoon”) and the plot much cornier and far less dreamlike than his later work. I have no real affinity for anime as I've mentioned countless times before, so there's a built-in ceiling for this, even with his most beloved films to a degree. (That's part of the reason why I'm undertaking this venture: to challenge myself and my preexisting inclinations.)

A note on versions: I realize there's some debate on whether you should watch these films (or any/all anime) with subtitles or dubbed vocals. I would normally try to watch the original language versions, but in the spirit of mixing things up, I'm going to seek out the most readily available English dubs for this series (partly because I'm interested in hearing Robert Pattinson voice the titular heron in the most recent picture, if I'm being honest).

Some consider The Castle of Cagliostro a cult classic but, not shockingly, I didn't quite connect with it. I like the animation but it badly misses the wonderful tone of Spirited Away (not to get ahead of myself). I'm still very much excited for the rest of the filmography and am going in with an open mind and heart.

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CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ MOVIE #1,470 - (YOU ARE HERE) - MOVIE #1,472 ⫸

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Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (Japanese: ルパン三世 カリオストロの城, Hepburn: Rupan Sansei Kariosutoro no Shiro) is a 1979 Japanese animated action adventure comedy film co-written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is the second animated feature film based on the 1967–69 manga series Lupin III by Monkey Punch. The film was Miyazaki's feature directorial debut after having previously worked as an animator for Toei Animation and Telecom Animation Film, and directing several animated television series, including Lupin III Part I. It was released on December 15, 1979.