Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro

The first feature film from the greatest living master of animation, THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO finds Hayao Miyazaki expanding the pioneering early work he did on the Lupin III television series into something richer and more visually resplendent.

In the twilight of his career, master thief Lupin the Third's latest and greatest caper has hit a snag. What should've been bags of cash from a national casino turns out to be expert counterfeits! Together with his partner-in-crime Jigen, Lupin heads to the remote European nation of Cagliostro to exact revenge. Not everything goes as planned; the two encounter Clarisse, a royal damsel in distress being forced to marry the sinister Count Cagliostro against her will. Saving her won't be easy, however, as Lupin and Jigen – together with Lupin's unpredictable ex-girlfriend Fujiko and the swordsman Goemon – must fight their way through a trap-filled castle, a deadly dungeon, and an army of professional assassins. Can Lupin rescue the girl, evade the cuffs of his long-time nemesis Inspector Zenigata, and uncover the secret treasures of the Castle of Cagliostro? While the film has hardly any thematic similarity to the mature work of Miyazaki, its strengths lay in the breathtaking beauty of its animation, which betrays the hand of a master at work.