Ginga-tetsudô no yoru (1985)

Two kittens go on a metaphysical journey on a magical railroad train.

Directors:

Gisaburô Sugii, Arlen Tarlofsky

Writers:

Kenji Miyazawa (novel), Hiroshi Masumura (idea)

Stars:

Mayumi Tanaka, Chika Sakamoto, Junko Hori

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mayumi Tanaka	...	Giovanni (voice)
Chika Sakamoto	...	Campanella (voice)
Junko Hori	...	Zanelli (voice)
Ayumi Ishijo	...	(voice)
Kaori Nakahara	...	Kaoru (voice)
Yoshie Shimamura	...	Givoanni no haha (voice)
Shun Yashiro	...	(voice)
Reiko Niimura	...	Old Woman (voice)
Chikao Ohtsuka	...	Birdcatcher (voice)
Hidehiro Kikuchi	...	Young Man (voice)
Yuriko Fuchizaki	...	(voice)
Tetsuya Kaji	...	Train Conductor Shashou (voice)
Takeshi Aono	...	Wireless operator (voice)
Seiji Kurasaki	...	Milkman (voice)
Gorô Naya	...	Dr. Bulganillo, Campanella's Father (voice)

Storyline

On the night of a cat village's Festival of the Stars, a kitten and his friend go on an celestial journey on a magical space locomotive. On that trip, they have various stops where they meet strange sights, even more unusual fellow passengers and learn some lessons of life on their trip to the terminus of the Galactic Railroad.

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Plot Keywords:

train | cat | outer space | space travel | anthropomorphism | 

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Mystery

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese Esperanto English

Release Date:

7 February 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night on the Galactic Railroad

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asahi Shimbun,TV Asahi,Nippon Herald Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The language depicted in texts/captions throughout the film is Esperanto, an artificial universal language that was created to be spoken internationally, and in which Kenji Miyazawa was deeply interested. The film even holds a title in Esperanto ("Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo").

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Quotes

Giovanni: The scorpion said "If I had accepted my fate and let the weasel eat me, at least then my death would have some purpose. Now I am going to die alone in this hole, my death will help no-one". Then the scorpion burst into flames.

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Connections

Referenced in Spirited Away (2001)

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Soundtracks

Symphony #6
from the New World
by Antonín Dvorák

User Reviews

A beautiful movie.

In my opinion, "Night on the Galactic Railroad" is an outstanding piece of animation.

Many reviewers will note, and accurately so, that this movie is both heavy and slow as melted gold. It's true: in our current world of sound bites and media clips, fast action and short attention, this movie stands alone. This is especially so when the movie is compared to other anime, a category under which fall some of the fastest and slickest movies in the world. If nothing else, "Night on the Galactic Railroad" gets points for sheer originality and ingenuity.

Gisaburo Sugii (the director) has taken Kenji Miyazawa's children's story and created for it a living atmosphere. While highly detailed backgrounds are nothing new for anime, "Night on the Galactic Railroad" combines its finely crafted images with a brilliant use of frame shots, pacing, and audio montage to create a surreal and ethereal viewing experience.

While often advertised as a children's movie, "Night on the Galactic Railroad" most certainly does not tell a very light story. With both religious and nihilistic imagery, Sugii presents us with a powerful treatise on death and life. However, even if you do not appreciate the story itself, the beauty in the dream-like artwork and animation cannot be denied.

If this is the kind of movie that you'd just as soon sleep through, then you're missing out on some amazing cinema. Admittedly, most people these days would probably rather numb their brains in front of the "Tomb Raider" movie, than sit through the likes of "Don't Look Now" or "Blow Up." But, who knows....

If you want to be pulled into a beautifully crafted and mesmerizing world, then watch "Night on the Galactic Railroad."