Film

The Castle of Cagliostro

Name: The Castle of Cagliostro
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Released: 1979
Cast: Yasuo Yamada, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Eiko Masuyama, Makio Inoue, Gorō Naya

Treasure hunt
Heist
Light-hearted

Miyazaki's 1979 directorial debut turns the notorious anime rogue Lupin III into something warmer than his usual capers: a swashbuckling fairy tale of castle sieges, autogyro chases, and counterfeit treasure, powered by breathless physical comedy and real tenderness underneath the mischief. It's fast, funny, gorgeously staged, and surprisingly sweet — a gateway film for people who think they don't like anime, and a touchstone for animators ever since.

TMDb rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love breezy caper films where cleverness, car chases and a roguish hero's charm carry the day, and you enjoy the cheerful craft of hand-drawn animation from the late seventies.

Skip it if you need a tightly plotted thriller or modern pacing, since the story wanders through set pieces and its humour leans on goofy slapstick and old-fashioned romantic gallantry.

What it asks of you: About an hour and forty minutes of easygoing attention, with the mood light and playful throughout and little asked beyond going along with the fun.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Castle in the Sky1986

Miyazaki's very next film after Cagliostro, and it's the gentler cousin — airships, a plucky heroine, a villain chasing ancient power, and the same kinetic joy of good people doing impossible things together.

But It trades Lupin's roguish wit for earnest wonder; if you came for caper energy, this leans softer and more sincere.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade1989

Same pulpy delight in booby-trapped castles and clever escapes, plus a hero who's part scoundrel, part romantic, with a father-figure dynamic that echoes Lupin and Jigen's easy loyalty.

But It's live-action Hollywood spectacle rather than hand-drawn mischief, and the humor lands drier, less cartoonish.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade poster

Lupin2021

A slick modern thriller built directly on the same source novels — Arsène Lupin's exploits reimagined as a stylish Parisian heist series full of disguises, charm, and a hero who steals for justice as much as gold.

But It's grounded and grim by comparison, prestige-TV pacing instead of breathless cartoon momentum.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Castle of Cagliostro

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Topkapi1964

Miyazaki drew directly on caper films like this for Cagliostro's rooftop chases and heist mechanics — same DNA, decades earlier, in flesh and blood instead of ink.

A dazzling live-action heist comedy about a crew stealing a jeweled dagger from a heavily guarded palace — breezy, funny, and packed with the same delight in ingenious infiltration.

But It's fifteen years older, in English with an international cast, and paced like classical Hollywood rather than anime-kinetic.

The Princess Bride1987

The same fairy-tale mix of derring-do, banter, and a princess worth rescuing, told with a wink that never undercuts the sincerity underneath.

But It's more overtly a romance than a heist, with drier, more quotable humor than physical comedy.

Sherlock Holmes2009

Guy Ritchie's Holmes has the same puzzle-box plotting and slapstick fight choreography, wrapped around a hero-and-sidekick bond that plays like Lupin and Jigen with English accents.

But It swaps Cagliostro's storybook innocence for grittier Victorian grime and a much bigger effects budget.

Ocean's Eleven2001

All style, no cruelty — a crew of charming professionals pulling off an impossible job because they can, with the same twinkle-eyed cool Lupin brings to every score.

But It's coolly adult and dialogue-driven rather than cartoonish and physical; nobody's swinging from castle towers here.

The Adventures of Tintin2011

Spielberg channels the same globe-trotting, trap-dodging spirit in motion-capture animation, with a hero whose curiosity gets him into exactly the kind of trouble Lupin thrives on.

But The visual style is uncanny-valley CG rather than hand-drawn, which some viewers find harder to warm to.

To Catch a Thief1955

Hitchcock's reformed jewel thief, sun-drenched Riviera setting, and playful cat-and-mouse romance are the gentleman-thief template Lupin's whole ethos descends from.

But It's a slow-burn romantic thriller, not an action comedy, so patience is required for the payoff.

National Treasure2004

Family-friendly puzzle-adventure with secret passages, historical treasure, and a hero more clever than dangerous — comfortable fun in the same key as Cagliostro's caper spirit.

But It's broader and less stylish, more Disney matinee than anime classic, and some of the 'history' is pure nonsense.

Cowboy Bebop1998

Director Shinichiro Watanabe grew up on Lupin III and it shows — a roguish found-family crew, cool-headed gunslingers, and action choreographed like jazz.

A gorgeous, jazz-scored anime about bounty hunters drifting between crime and camaraderie across space — the same loose-limbed cool, the same mix of comedy and melancholy under the action.

But It's a full 26-episode commitment, moodier and more adult than Cagliostro's storybook warmth, wrapped in a very different genre.

Le Samouraï1967

Same core question as Lupin's story — can a professional criminal have honor? — asked in total deadpan seriousness instead of swashbuckling comedy; strip away the jokes and you find the same skeleton.

A minimalist, nearly wordless French thriller about a solitary hitman living by a private code — elegant, cold, and unforgettable, the polar opposite mood of Lupin's warmth.

But It's austere and slow by design, with none of the humor, romance, or rescue-mission heart that makes Cagliostro so lovable.