Night on the Galactic Railroad is 1985 animated movie directed by Gisaburo Sugii, with a screenplay by Minoru Betsuyaku and music by Haruomi Hosono. The movie is an adaptation of the classic children’s novel written by Kenji Miyazawa, who was inspired to write it after he went on a railroad trip to Sakhalin, a trip he took to get over the grief he felt after his beloved sister Toshi passed away in 1922. He kept on steadily working on it until his death in 1933. The middle part of the novel was never completed, but it was published as it was nonetheless.
The movie tells the story of a young boy named Giovanni, who’s life has been quite hard. Her father is more often away at sea than not, he must look after his sick mother and work for a living, all while enduring plenty of teasing from his classmates, who all torment him daily except for his childhood friend, Campanella. Giovanni hopes to go to the Festival of the Centaurus with Campanella, but when he is tormented yet again by the boys, he gives up, and climbs the hill overlooking his village to be alone with his sadness. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a giant steam train appears! The next thing he knows, he’s riding on board alongside none other than… Campanella. It turns out they’re on the Galactic Railroad, and are about to depart on a journey through the vastness of time and space…
The animated adaptation is very unique, to say the least. Firstly, there was the choice of depict most of the cast as cats, probably due to the difficulty of animating humans. However, the fact that they are cats doesn’t make them any less relatable; they’re as human as can be, and the audience can sympathize and relate to them. Second, there’s the very atmospheric and experimental soundtrack done by Haruomi Hosono, which ranges from cheerful to dark to haunting, to accommodate the film’s many tones. Lastly, there’s the slow –paced and almost arthouse feel of the movie as a whole, making many question whether they were even watching something based on a children’s novel at all. However, if one has the patience, the movie will deliver a fascinating story. For all it’s strange imagery and slow-moving plot, it’s a children’s story at heart: a tale of friendship, family, and self-sacrifice. When it’s over, look around you: the world may still be the same, but it is somehow different, and that feeling will linger over you for days.
Final score: 8/10
The Art Archive 