Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro

Good animation, interesting plot and with a lot of humor and heart.

Really good for being this old.

Miyazaki's first major feature film is positively playful, with little stretch points where the movie's generally realistic physics suddenly allow for cars to run up near-cliffs, Lupin to leap gaps he shouldn't be able to, etc. But it's all less extreme than Looney Tunes would play it and has its own style and stamp.

The playfulness works well for a comic crime caper (feature a thief with a heart of gold), and if you're a MIyazaki fan, you won't want to miss this as you can see all the hallmarks that he and Studio Ghibli have built on over the years. That said, it's probably the most dated feeling of all their films, with its music and animation solidly in the late 70s era in which it was created. Lady Clarisse's character design (and shape, in a couple of scenes) feel more off than you'll see in any Ghibil film after this point.

Sub or dub? I was only able to watch the sub in the copy I had, but Yasuo Yamada's the clear standout, bringing Lupin's tongue in cheek determinedness to life. You believe him when he's standing up to the dastardly count and you believe him when he's "ay-yai-yaing" and off balance at the edge of a very large drop. The rest are a bit more generic and what you'd expect from their characters and for the era, with a deeper voiced villain, breathy-girl Clarisse, etc.

Cool animation and drawing, not boring at all.

After robbing a big-time casino, Lupin the Third (an international playboy/thief) discovers that his latest score is comprised of counterfeit bills. He takes this loss in stride, barely registering a grimace before turning the other cheek, but the idea of funny money piques his curiosity and he endeavors to root out its source. That pursuit leads him to a booby-trapped castle, helpless princess, scheming royal, professional hit squad and ancestral mystery. Not to mention the long-suffering Interpol detective, forever on the rogue’s tail, who turns up in the palace basement.

Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial debut includes a large number of characteristic obsessions that would, over the years, develop into calling cards. Vehicles and machinery make for a particularly obvious example, exhaustively considered and inspected with a close eye for functional detail. The plot is never too important to set aside for a few moments of admiration each time we spot a sleek, rocket-powered helicopter, curvy miniature sports car or clumsy, belching sea vessel. The story may dictate more grounded renditions than in _Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind_ or _Castle in the Sky_ (Lupin’s transport of choice is a souped-up Fiat 500, not a hovering mini-jet) but that doesn’t keep Miyazaki from mixing in a few dashes of fantasy to enhance the mechanical magic.

Equally identifiable is the director’s flair for pleasant, airy playfulness, even amidst dire circumstances. That can also be partially attributed to the lead character, a happy-go-lucky vagabond with a deep thirst for adventure, but there’s no denying the weight of Miyazaki’s influence. Blaming time and budget constraints, he quickly discarded the original script in favor of a self-penned original. The rewrite sliced away some of the franchise’s lingering identity (many contemporary fans were put off by Lupin’s sudden lean toward respectability) and replaced it with splashes of light, boyish charm. As this film represents my first exposure to the character, I wasn’t bothered, but I can understand the frustration. This was, after all, a twenty-year-old property at the time. _The Castle of Cagliostro_ may not be a Studio Ghibli film, but it sure feels like a spiritual predecessor, and that mood doesn’t always suit a swingin’ sixties super-crook.

Still, despite its competing flavors, this iteration of the _Lupin III_ franchise makes for an entertaining ride. Jam-packed with plot, spirit, humor and conflict, it almost never feels overstuffed or complicated. Primitive but ambitious, its artwork fights hard against the limitations of the era and hints at the deeper, richer spoils that were just around the corner. A few relics of ‘70s anime still rear their head - silly sound effects and wacky physical impossibilities, mostly - but I was shocked by how thoroughly the plot engaged me and how often its visual punchlines scored laughs. A little dated, and certainly a tonal mismatch, but not a bad little ‘toon all the same.

Delightful caper. Dated but never dull, with a comicky Western sweetness, meeting manga black & white. A real charm is watching the creation of a Europe of imagination, with an eastern storyteller's love for the mega and the detail. The birth of Studio Ghibli followed this. And what a journey this film has had.

nice movie, i thought i would find this boring because of the movie age, but it's pretty good and funny.