Watch Night on the Galactic Railroad

Night on the Galactic Railroad is a spellbinding anime film from 1985, directed by Gisaburō Sugii and adapted from the novel by Kenji Miyazawa. The movie follows the captivating journey of two young friends, Giovanni and Campanella, as they ride a mystical train through the galaxy, traversing constellations and encountering different life-forms.

The movie starts with Giovanni, an introverted boy in a small Italian town, struggling with feeling out of place in the world. He is a hardworking student, orphaned early in life, who is often unnoticed by his classmates and teacher. One night, he looks up at the stars and wishes for company and adventure, for someone he can share his thoughts and curiosity with. The next day, he wakes up to find a schoolmate, Campanella, waiting for him. Together, they set off on an unforgettable odyssey that takes them beyond their physical and cultural bounds.

The train they board is a surreal wonder, with carriages made of glass and fantastical interiors that change in response to the passengers' imaginations. Giovanni and Campanella meet unusual characters along the way, some of whom are other lost souls travelling towards a higher purpose, while others are symbols of the darkness and suffering that taint the universe.

The movie covers profound themes such as life, death, meaning, and love, and does so with a poetic and ethereal touch. As Giovanni and Campanella move through the cosmos, they reflect on existence and mortality, on the struggles and joys of human experience, and on the interconnectedness of all things. Miyazawa's novel drew heavily from his Buddhist beliefs, and the movie similarly explores Buddhist concepts such as karma and rebirth. The characters' discussions are not philosophically dense, but more emotionally evocative, and the dialogue is interspersed with beautiful imagery and music that contribute to the film's dreamlike quality.

The animation in Night on the Galactic Railroad is breathtaking, even by modern standards. The hand-drawn backgrounds are romantic and realistic recreations of rural Italy, layered with a profusion of stars and galaxies. The characters are simply drawn, but their movements and expressions are fluid and nuanced, with attention paid to their body language and subtle gestures. The film's use of color is also masterful, with shades changing to reflect the mood and atmosphere of different scenes.

The voice acting in the English dubbed version of the film is superb, with Mayumi Tanaka and Chika Sakamoto capturing the childlike wonder and vulnerability of Giovanni and Campanella. Junko Hori, as the enigmatic and mystical bird named Kaoru, delivers lines that oscillate between sage-like wisdom and playful humor with grace and poise. The other voices in the movie, even for side characters, are well-cast and sound fittingly otherworldly.

Overall, Night on the Galactic Railroad is a beautiful and affecting movie, one that rewards repeat viewings and introspection. The allegorical story it tells, of two young souls journeying through the galaxy and learning to accept the impermanence and interdependence of all things, is both universal and personal. It is a movie that helps us feel less alone in the cosmic journey of life, and that leaves us with a sense of wonder and gratitude.

Night on the Galactic Railroad is a 1985 animated movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 47 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.0.