Night on the Galactic Railroad
1985 · Movie · 108 min · ★ 7.1
A lonely, overworked schoolboy escapes his difficult daily life by boarding a mysterious train that travels through the night sky. Along the way, he shares a dreamlike journey filled with strange passengers, quiet reflection, and big questions about life, loss, and where people belong.
Based on Night on the Galactic Railroad
Also known as Kenji Miyazawa's Night on the Galactic Express
Where to watch
Watch free on The Roku Channel, Pluto TV and Fawesome — also streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Philo +1 more.
2 hours to watch.
Stream (included)
Streaming availability and prices may be inaccurate or change — verify with the provider before subscribing.
unSUB's subscription recommendations are informational only, not financial advice.
More value for your money
Similar titles, ranked by watch-hours per subscription dollar.
Details
- Original title
- 銀河鉄道の夜
- Years
- 1985
- Release date
- 1985-07-13
- Language
- Japanese
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Max quality
- SD
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (98 votes)
About
You may like this if you enjoy quiet, emotional fantasy with a strange nighttime mood, especially if When Marnie Was There felt too grounded; Not for you if you want fast pacing, clear answers, or light family fun like Kiki's Delivery Service.
Pros: haunting dreamlike atmosphere; memorable cosmic journey; emotional and thoughtful | Cons: very slow pace; cryptic storytelling; heavy religious imagery
Themes
- friendship
- japan
- based on novel or book
- buddhism
- cat
- philosophy
- literature
- innocence
- melancholy
- surrealism
- anthropomorphism
- another dimension
Cast & crew
Mayumi Tanaka
as Giovanni (voice)
Chika Sakamoto
as Campanella (voice)
Junko Hori
as Zanelli (voice)
- KN
Kaori Nakahara
as Kaoru (voice)
Yoshie Shimamura
as Giovanni's Mother (voice)
- RN
Reiko Niimura
as Old Woman (voice)
- AI
Ayumi Ishijo
as (voice)
- AH
Ayako Hori
as (voice)
Chikao Ohtsuka
as Birdcatcher (voice)
- HK
Hidehiro Kikuchi
as Young Man (voice)
Directed by Gisaburō Sugii