Hayao Miyazaki - Ranking His Movies From Worst To Best

9. The Castle Of Cagliostro

Produced before the advent of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki's directorial debut The Castle of Cagliostro is perhaps the furthest removed from his other films, a rip-roaring Saturday matinee-style adventure yarn based on Monkey Punch's manga Lupin III. Following the exploits of Arsene Lupin II (also known as The Wolf) a gentleman's thief, and his companion Daisuke Jigen (said to have heavily influenced the character design for Jet Black from Cowboy Bebop - a claim which is believable when you compare the two), The Castle of Cagliostro sees them fleeing Monaco and heading to the titular Grand Duchy in order to track down the source of counterfeit money, but instead find themselves rescuing a princess from an evil Count. Action packed throughout, it's a film which immediately springs to mind when watching more recent movies such as Spielberg's The Adventures of Tin Tin. Although rumours that Spielberg himself touted Cagliostro as one of the greatest movies ever made are unfounded, the film has nevertheless had an enduring influence on a number of works since, notably the Batman: Animated Series and non other than Pixar's John Lasseter.