Honestly, if you haven't seen it, you’re missing out on the DNA of modern cinema. Most people know Hayao Miyazaki for the sprawling, environmental epics of Studio Ghibli like Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. But before the soot sprites and the moving castles, there was a yellow Fiat 500 screaming across the European countryside. Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro isn't just a "cartoon." It’s a masterclass in pacing that Steven Spielberg once allegedly called one of the greatest adventure movies ever made. Whether that legendary Cannes quote is 100% verified or just industry myth, the sentiment holds water. This 1979 film changed everything.
It starts with money. Fake money.
Arsène Lupin III, the world's most charming thief, pulls off a massive casino heist only to realize the loot is "Goat Bill" counterfeits. High-quality fakes. Instead of moping, he decides to track the source to the tiny, fictional European duchy of Cagliostro. What follows is a whirlwind of clockwork towers, secret passages, a runaway bride in a speeding car, and a villain who is genuinely unsettling. It’s light. It’s dark. It’s perfect.
The Miyazaki Touch Before Ghibli Was Ghibli
You have to understand where Miyazaki was in 1979. He wasn't a god of animation yet. He was a guy with a deadline. He basically took over the production of this film and finished it in about seven and a half months. That is an insane timeline for a feature-length film of this quality.
If you look closely at the background art, you can see the seeds of his later genius. The lush greenery, the crumbling stone walls, and the way he treats architecture as a character itself—it’s all there. But there’s a grit here that vanished in his later, more whimsical works. Lupin is a criminal. He smokes. He bleeds. He’s a bit of a lecher in the original manga by Monkey Punch, but Miyazaki famously cleaned him up for The Castle of Cagliostro.
He turned Lupin into a "gallant thief."
Some fans of the original 1967 manga actually hated this. They thought Miyazaki made Lupin too soft, too much of a "white knight." In the manga, Lupin is chaotic, often cruel, and driven by raw ego. Miyazaki’s Lupin is a man who has seen it all and decided that being kind is more interesting than being a jerk. It’s a fundamental shift that actually saved the franchise's longevity. It gave the character a heart that sustained him for decades.
💡 You might also like: Is Steven Weber Leaving Chicago Med? What Really Happened With Dean Archer
The Car Chase That Defined a Genre
Let’s talk about that opening chase. It’s basically the blueprint for every high-speed sequence we’ve seen since.
Lupin and Jigen are minding their own business when a bride in a wedding dress (Clarisse) blasts past them in a Citroën 2CV, pursued by thugs in a massive, black limousine. Lupin doesn't even hesitate. He pulls a lever, kicks the Fiat 500 into high gear, and starts driving up vertical cliff faces.
It’s physics-defying but feels grounded because the "acting" of the car is so expressive. You feel the weight of the vehicle. You hear the engine straining. It’s better than most CGI chases today because Miyazaki understands spatial awareness. You always know where the cars are in relation to each other. There’s no "shaky cam" nonsense here. Just pure, kinetic energy.
Why the Villain Works So Well
Count Cagliostro isn't a world-ending threat. He’s not trying to blow up the moon. He’s just a greedy, entitled aristocrat who wants to marry a girl half his age to unlock a treasure he doesn't deserve.
That smallness makes him more loathsome.
He uses autocracy and a private army of "Iron Cutters" (assassins with claws) to maintain a counterfeit empire. The stakes feel personal. When Lupin breaks into the castle, he isn't just looking for gold; he’s trying to settle a score and help a girl who once showed him kindness when he was a starving amateur.
📖 Related: Is Heroes and Villains Legit? What You Need to Know Before Buying
The Mystery of the Treasure
Without spoiling the ending for the three people who haven't seen it, the "treasure" of Cagliostro is one of the best reveals in cinematic history. It’s a total subversion of the heist genre. Most movies end with the hero swimming in gold coins.
Miyazaki goes deeper.
He connects the treasure to history and the beauty of the world. It’s a very "Ghibli" ending before Ghibli existed. It leaves you feeling a bit melancholy. Lupin walks away with empty pockets, but he’s the hero. It’s a bittersweet victory that reinforces the idea that the journey—the thrill of the climb and the camaraderie of his crew—is the real point.
Impact on Hollywood and Beyond
You can see the fingerprints of Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro in the weirdest places.
Take The Great Mouse Detective from Disney. The clocktower fight at the end? A direct homage to Lupin’s fight in the Cagliostro clockworks. Or look at Indiana Jones. The rolling boulders, the booby traps, the rogue with a heart of gold—Spielberg and George Lucas were reportedly huge fans of the film's energy.
Even The Simpsons has paid tribute to it. It’s one of those "directors' favorite movies." It’s a film that people in the industry study to learn how to stage an action scene.
👉 See also: Jack Blocker American Idol Journey: What Most People Get Wrong
The Supporting Cast: More Than Sidekicks
- Daisuke Jigen: The gunman. He’s the cool-headed realist to Lupin’s manic energy. His rapport with Lupin, sharing cigarettes while waiting for a plan to go south, is peak "buddy cop" vibes.
- Goemon Ishikawa XIII: The samurai who can cut through anything. He’s barely in the movie, honestly. But when he shows up, he ends the fight. Miyazaki uses him like a tactical nuke.
- Fujiko Mine: Often relegated to "femme fatale" status, in this movie she’s a professional. She’s undercover as a maid, doing her own thing, and only helps Lupin when it suits her bottom line. She’s his equal, not his prize.
- Inspector Zenigata: My favorite version of the character. He’s not a bumbling idiot here. He’s a dedicated cop who realizes that the Count is a bigger criminal than Lupin. The "Interpol" scene where he reveals the counterfeit operation is a rare moment of triumph for the guy who usually just gets hit by falling anvils.
Real-World Influence: The Fiat 500
Before this movie, the Fiat 500 was just a quirky Italian car. After this movie, it became inseparable from the image of Lupin. If you go to the Tokyo Anime Award Festival or any major hobby shop in Akihabara, you will see models of that yellow car. It’s a piece of pop culture iconography as recognizable as the DeLorean or the Batmobile. It perfectly captures Lupin’s character: small, unassuming, but capable of incredible things when pushed to the limit.
What Most People Get Wrong
A common misconception is that you need to watch the Lupin III TV series (Part 1 or Part 2) to understand this movie.
You don't.
In fact, The Castle of Cagliostro functions perfectly as a standalone fairy tale. Miyazaki stripped away the complex lore of the Lupin family and focused on a simple, high-stakes rescue mission. If you've never seen a single frame of anime in your life, you can watch this and "get" it within five minutes. That’s the mark of a truly great film. It’s universal.
How to Watch It Today
The film has been remastered several times. If you can, find the 4K Ultra HD version. The colors of the Cagliostro aqueducts and the detail in the mechanical gears of the clocktower are stunning in high definition.
There are two main English dubs. The "Streamline" dub from the early 90s is nostalgic for many, but the "Manga Entertainment" dub is generally considered more accurate to the tone. Or, do yourself a favor and watch it in the original Japanese with subtitles. Yasuo Yamada’s voice performance as Lupin is legendary—he brings a frantic, squeaky, yet soulful energy to the role that defines the character.
Final Actionable Insights
If you’re a fan of animation, film history, or just a good old-fashioned adventure, here is how you should approach The Castle of Cagliostro:
- Watch the "Car Chase" sequence first. If that doesn't hook you, the rest of the movie might not be your speed. But it probably will.
- Pay attention to the background art. This was all hand-painted on cels. There is a depth and "soul" to the environments that modern digital animation often struggles to replicate.
- Look for the visual gags. Miyazaki is a master of "squash and stretch" animation. The way Lupin moves—lanky, rubbery, and slightly clumsy—is a masterclass in character design through movement.
- Check out "Lupin III: The First" (2019) after watching Cagliostro. It’s a 3D CG film that captures a lot of the same spirit and shows how the character has evolved while staying true to the Cagliostro "vibe."
The Castle of Cagliostro remains a lighthouse for creators. It proves that you don't need a massive budget or a 10-movie cinematic universe to tell a story that lasts for 50 years. You just need a thief, a girl in trouble, and a really fast car.