12. The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

It’s unfair to compare Castle of Cagliostro to Hayao Miyazaki’s other films because it was not only his feature film debut but also part of the Lupin III franchise, a popular manga and anime series about legendary thief Arsène Lupin going on daring heists around the world. This time, he wants to rescue Princess Clarisse from being forced to marry a count. This is not one of Miyazaki’s more personal and imaginative stories about environmental justice, coming of age, or resilient female leads, but it does have some enjoyable broad comedy.

The animation is not as intricate as in his later films, but you can certainly see Miyazaki’s flair for whimsy in the thrilling set pieces such as car chases, clock-tower fights, and villains getting trapped in a castle’s catacombs. Castle of Cagliostro is a romp, and though it doesn’t reach the heights of the rest of Miyazaki’s filmography, it’s exciting to see the kernels of what the legendary director would become known for.