Night on the Galactic Railroad is a movie I recently watched, and I started to love it so much that this entire blog's theme is based off of it. Something about the film's unique and beautiful nature got me hooked. I'm going to talk about why I love this obscure movie, and why you should as well!
Spoiler-Free Plot
To explain the plot without spoilers, there's this anthropomorphic cat named Giovanni, who lives in a small cat village. There's also this other cat named Campanella, who is a close friend of Giovanni. The story begins as the town hosts its annual Festival of Stars. Giovanni is dealing with family issues, and because he feels isolated, he runs up a hill and lies there, until out of nowhere, a train appears in front of him. This is the Galactic Railroad. From here, this begins a journey between him and his close friend, Campenella, who is also on the train with him.
My Impressions
I never felt so connected to a movie in my entire life. The main reason why I love this movie is the visuals. The scenery that almost looks like a Ghibli film, and how it feels more like a different dimension I would dream of visiting. The music is also another feature, its compositions perfectly fit the unique mood the whole movie intended. There is something so beautiful about how the town looks, as well as the other places that Giovanni and Campanella visit on their galactic journey. The night atmosphere makes the environment look astonishing as well, since personally, nighttime is my favorite time of day. While the pacing of the movie was a bit slow at times, it was still enjoyable to watch.
Why do I connect with this movie so much?
It's the same reason why people connect deeply with Ghibli films – there's some sort of magic aspect within them that keeps us engaged and immersed in their own little fantasy world. Night on the Galactic Railroad is my escapist movie, where I can just imagine myself living a tranquil life in this cute little cat town.
In-Depth Video Essay (SPOILER WARNING)
If you finished watching the movie and you want to explore more about the film's themes and character analysis, I found that this video from a channel called "You Have Been Watching Films," which is very informative and it analyzes the movie pretty well for six minutes.
Conclusion
This movie was very magical. I think anyone who loves Ghibli movies will absolutely love this one as well, and it's not even made by Ghibli Studios!