The Castle of Cagliostro (also known as Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro), released in 1979, is Japanese legendary animation filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's (Studio Ghibli co-founder, and directed great works of animation such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, etc.) feature film debut, and it is the second feature film about Arsène Lupin III, an eccentric master thief. Lupin III started as a Japanese manga series in 1967 written and illustrated by Monkey Punch (real name is Kazuhiko Katō). Lupin III gained great critical acclaim, and later spawned six animated television series, eight theatrically-released films, twenty-seven animated television specials, video games, and more. One of those television series was Lupin the 3rd Part 1 (1971-1972), which Miyazaki directed 15 episodes of alongside Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata (director of Grave of the Fireflies, Pom Poko, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, etc.). Miyazaki also directed 2 episodes of Lupin the 3rd Part II (1977-1980) in 1980.
The Castle of Cagliostro is a standalone film in the Lupin the 3rd saga, as most installments are. You don't have to watch the TV series or read the manga before watching The Castle of Cagliostro, as the film tells you who the character of Arsène Lupin III is and the world of Lupin the 3rd. He is a cocky, eccentric ladies man who is more than very good at stealing stuff. This is the first Lupin the 3rd installment I've seen. To briefly summaries the plot of the film: Arsène Lupin III flees the Monte Carlo Casino along with his partner in crime Daisuke Jigen with huge quantities of stolen money. Lupin soon recognizes that the money is high-quality counterfeits, and trace the alleged whereabouts to the Grand Duchy of Cagliostro, the home of Count Cagliostro. There is a woman involved, Lady Clarisse, who is due to be wed to Count Cagliostro as she has a signet ring that is suppose to combine with Count's signet ring. What follows is a very fun caper film that has stunning animated action set-pieces and is a funny and charming film.
The film's opening features in my opinion one of the best car chases in animation film history. It is exciting and adrenaline pumping with how it is animated and edited. The scene also is allegedly one of Steven Spielberg's favorite scenes, as he took inspiration from the scene for chase sequences in both Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and The Adventures of Tintin (2011). There is also a sequence involving a clock tower fight between Lupin III and Count Cagliostro that influenced the episode of Batman: The Animated Series "The Clock King", which features a sequence where Batman and The Clock King are fighting inside of the clock tower that is shot similar to how Lupin and Count Cagliostro's fight was.
The Castle of Cagliostro in comparison to Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli films like My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, etc. may seem a bit more shallow on the surface level, and I'll admit the character development isn't amazing. So if your going in thinking this will be like those films I mentioned, you might be disappointed. This film doesn't really tackle environmental themes or deal with coming of age aspects, and also the more intimate character study films that Miyazaki became more known for. The villain Count Cagliostro is also more of a standard villain than the grey antagonists Miyazaki usually has in his films. He works as an antagonist to Lupin, but isn't a super deep or interesting character. But I found that the film still worked because of Miyazaki's direction and the film is charming and funny with a likable protagonist in Arsène Lupin III, and also likable side characters like Inspector Zenigata (who is normally an adversary to Lupin and wants to catch him, but occasionally helps Lupin, and the back and forth between the two is great and a highlight of the film) and Fujiko (an on-off lover of Lupin, who is also an expert thief).
I found The Castle of Cagliostro overall to be great fun with great, exciting animation and great, detailed locations. It is lighthearted and easy to digest, which is quite different to say about a Miyazaki film, as Miyazaki's filmography is quite complex and tackles more mature themes than most animated films. It's also more toned down than most Lupin the 3rd installments, as doing research I found that there is a lot more sex scenes and raunchier content in other Lupin the 3rd installments. But I think it worked for the film. It is still a great feature film debut for Hayao Miyazaki, and what followed was not just animation magic, but cinema magic with his Studio Ghibli films.
