# Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
**Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro** (*Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro*; ルパン三世 カリオストロの城) is a 1979 Japanese animated action-comedy film directed by [Hayao Miyazaki](https://www.edgepedia.org/hayao-miyazaki), co-written with Haruya Yamazaki, and based on Monkey Punch's manga *Lupin III*. Produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha with Telecom Animation Film and released by Toho on December 15, 1979, it runs 100 minutes and was the second theatrical film in the [Lupin III](https://www.edgepedia.org/lupin-iii) series and Miyazaki's feature directorial debut.[1](https://www.tms-e.co.jp/alltitles/lupin/010302.html) • [2](https://cinema.eiga.com/movie/32052/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | December 15, 1979 (Japan), distributed by Toho; 100 minutes[1](https://www.tms-e.co.jp/alltitles/lupin/010302.html) |
| Director / writers | Hayao Miyazaki (feature directorial debut); screenplay by Miyazaki and Haruya Yamazaki, from Monkey Punch's manga[2](https://cinema.eiga.com/movie/32052/) • [3](https://gkids.com/films/lupin-the-3rd-the-castle-of-cagliostro/) |
| Production | Tokyo Movie Shinsha with Telecom Animation Film; animation director Yasuo Otsuka; music by Yuji Ohno[1](https://www.tms-e.co.jp/alltitles/lupin/010302.html) |
| Production time | About four and a half months of actual production; Otsuka suggested it may mark the shortest production period relative to quality in Japanese feature animation[4](https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0136625) |
| Award | 1979 Noburo Ofuji Award for Best Japanese Animation[5](https://www.intanibase.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=45818) |
| Critical scores | Metacritic metascore 72 from 7 reviews ("generally favorable"); Rotten Tomatoes 95% from 21 critics[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/lupin-iii-the-castle-of-cagliostro/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lupin_iii_the_castle_of_cagliostro) |
| Later releases | Digital remaster 2014; MX4D 2017; 4D 2019; 4K with 7.1-channel sound 2021; first IMAX screenings November 2024 for the 45th anniversary[2](https://cinema.eiga.com/movie/32052/) |
## Spoilers
### Story
Lupin III and his partner Daisuke Jigen rob a national casino in Monaco, only to discover the haul consists of expertly made counterfeit bills known as "Gothic bills." Tracing the forgeries, they travel to the small European Duchy of Cagliostro. On the way they rescue a girl in a wedding dress pursued by armed men; she is Clarisse, princess of the duchy, who is being forced into marriage by the ruling Count Lazare d'Cagliostro, who intends to use her to reach the country's long-hidden treasure. With the thief Fujiko, the swordsman Goemon Ishikawa XIII, and the unwitting help of his pursuer Inspector Zenigata, Lupin infiltrates the fortress-like castle to rescue Clarisse, expose the counterfeiting operation, and claim the treasure.[8](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/110206) • [9](https://roosterillusionreviews.com/2015/11/18/a-bomb-in-the-lasagna-the-castle-of-cagliostro-was-1979s-best-bond-movie/) • [3](https://gkids.com/films/lupin-the-3rd-the-castle-of-cagliostro/)
The [British Board of Film Classification](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-board-of-film-classification) describes the film as "a thief goes on a mission to save a princess and defeat a villainous count," rating it for mild violence, threat, injury detail, sex references, and language; its content advice notes sword battles, shoot-outs, a character crushed between the hands of a giant clock without visual detail, and a man keeping a woman captive and sedated to force marriage.[10](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-castle-of-cagliostro-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yotkzndy)
## Production
The film grew out of the success of the second Lupin III television series, which began broadcasting in 1977. The first theatrical film, *Lupin III: Lupin vs. the Clone*, had been a hit in December 1978, and *Cagliostro* followed a year later as the second.[4](https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0136625) [Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/animation) director Yasuo Otsuka had originally been asked to direct the second film, disliked the prepared script, and invited Miyazaki, his junior from [Toei Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/toei-animation) days who had also worked with him on *Future Boy Conan*, to take over; Miyazaki joined about seven months before release, and the effective production period was about four and a half months.[4](https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0136625) Haruya Yamazaki wrote the original story draft, which Miyazaki rewrote into the final screenplay.[5](https://www.intanibase.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=45818)
The in-between animation was handled largely by newcomers at Telecom Animation Film, while the key-animation staff gathered eleven veteran animators around Otsuka, including Seiichiro Shinohara (mainly Clarisse), Hidekazu Tomonaga (the opening car chase), Atsuko Tanaka (the scene in which Lupin and Jigen fight over meatball pasta), and Hiroshi Kawachi (the Count's scenes). Many sequences reused gags and techniques already tested in earlier Miyazaki and Otsuka work, partly to save time and partly to pass Toei-era techniques to the younger staff. Scenes were cut or changed late in production to meet the release date, which contributed to the film's brisk pacing within its 100 minutes.[4](https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0136625)
Miyazaki asked Yasuo Yamada, the established voice of Lupin, to play the character in a more restrained register, suggesting something like [Clint Eastwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/clint-eastwood); Yamada initially objected but changed his attitude after seeing the animation footage.[11](https://cinema.eiga.com/news/20230505/11/) The Japanese cast included Eiko Masuyama as Fujiko, Kiyoshi Kobayashi as Jigen, Makio Inoue as Goemon, Goro Naya as Zenigata, Sumi Shimamoto as Clarisse, and Taro Ishida as the Count.[1](https://www.tms-e.co.jp/alltitles/lupin/010302.html)
## Reception and reputation
The film won the 1979 Noburo Ofuji Award for Best Japanese Animation.[5](https://www.intanibase.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=45818) Its initial theatrical run, however, drew little response; the WOWOW program guide notes that through screenings in second-run theaters and television broadcasts the film kept proving its quality and became a classic passed down across generations.[8](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/110206) Contemporary criticism focused on Miyazaki's softening of Lupin from a ruthless criminal into a more kid-friendly, bumbling hero, a change that divided fans; some maintain it is not a "true" Lupin title, while Monkey Punch himself called the film "excellent" while agreeing that Miyazaki's vision of the character differed from his own.[9](https://roosterillusionreviews.com/2015/11/18/a-bomb-in-the-lasagna-the-castle-of-cagliostro-was-1979s-best-bond-movie/)
Later assessments have been strongly positive. Metacritic records a metascore of 72 from 7 reviews, in the "generally favorable" band, with IGN calling it "a true masterpiece" and the Los Angeles Times' 2021 review of the 4K restoration describing a "fun and visually stunning adventure that rebukes both personal greed and political corruption."[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/lupin-iii-the-castle-of-cagliostro/critic-reviews/) Rotten Tomatoes lists a 95% Tomatometer from 21 critics.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lupin_iii_the_castle_of_cagliostro)
## Legacy
Several critics have noted similarities between the film and the [Indiana Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-jones) films, particularly *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981), including the rollicking adventure tone, treasure-hunting plot, resourceful protagonist, gadgetry, competent sidekicks, and a high-speed car chase down winding mountain roads; Cornell Cinema's program notes describe the film as "often cited as an influence to the Indiana Jones series" and a precursor to Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli work.[12](https://cinema.cornell.edu/lupin-3rd-castle-cagliostro) The film's opening chase and clock-tower climax are frequently invoked as models of legible, physics-grounded action, and its DNA runs into [Studio Ghibli](https://www.edgepedia.org/studio-ghibli), founded in 1984, and into Miyazaki's subsequent features.[13](https://sightlines.media/film/15371/the-castle-of-cagliostro-1979)
The film has been repeatedly revived in new formats: a digital remaster in May 2014, an MX4D version in January 2017, 4D screenings in November 2019, a 4K picture with 7.1-channel surround sound in October 2021 paired with the short *Is Lupin Still Burning?* for the 50th anniversary of the anime, and, in November 2024, a 45th-anniversary run that included its first IMAX screenings.[2](https://cinema.eiga.com/movie/32052/) GKIDS released a 4K restoration in North American theaters.[3](https://gkids.com/films/lupin-the-3rd-the-castle-of-cagliostro/)
Miyazaki returned to the franchise the following year, directing episodes 145 and 155 of *Lupin III Part 2* under the pseudonym Toru Mutsu.[8](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/110206)
## References
1. [ルパン三世 カリオストロの城, TMS Entertainment title page](https://www.tms-e.co.jp/alltitles/lupin/010302.html)
2. [ルパン三世 カリオストロの城 作品情報, 映画.com](https://cinema.eiga.com/movie/32052/)
3. [Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, GKIDS Films](https://gkids.com/films/lupin-the-3rd-the-castle-of-cagliostro/)
4. [『ルパン三世 カリオストロの城』は何がスゴかったのか？, シネマトゥデイ (2023)](https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0136625)
5. [Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Internet Animation Database](https://www.intanibase.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=45818)
6. [Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/lupin-iii-the-castle-of-cagliostro/critic-reviews/)
7. [The Castle of Cagliostro, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lupin_iii_the_castle_of_cagliostro)
8. [ルパン三世 カリオストロの城, WOWOWオンライン](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/110206)
9. [A Bomb in the Lasagna: 'The Castle of Cagliostro' was 1979's Best Bond Movie, Rooster Illusion (2015)](https://roosterillusionreviews.com/2015/11/18/a-bomb-in-the-lasagna-the-castle-of-cagliostro-was-1979s-best-bond-movie/)
10. [The Castle Of Cagliostro, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-castle-of-cagliostro-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yotkzndy)
11. [「ルパン三世 カリオストロの城」トリビア, 映画.comニュース (2023)](https://cinema.eiga.com/news/20230505/11/)
12. [Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, Cornell Cinema](https://cinema.cornell.edu/lupin-3rd-castle-cagliostro)
13. [The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Sightlines](https://sightlines.media/film/15371/the-castle-of-cagliostro-1979)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Japanese anime features › Released 1932 to 1998*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license