Catch Miyazaki’s first feature on Thursday

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the world's great animators. His films, which he began making in the early 1970s for Japanese television, include such classic titles as "My Neighbor Totoro," "Princess Mononoke" and the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away."

Fathom Events is in the midst of a Miyazaki festival. And at 7 p.m. Thursday, Miyazaki's first feature film — 1979's "The Castle of Cagliostro" — will screen at both NorthTown and Coeur d'Alene's Riverstone Stadium Cinemas.

The film, which also is known under the title "Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro," tells the tale of a thief who steals what turns out to be counterfeit money and then hunts down the source of the fake currency. In the process, he struggles to help out a beautiful young princess.

Following are some critical comments:

Janet Maslin, New York Times: " 'The Castle of Cagliostro' … is an interestingly wild hybrid of visual styles and cultural references."

Tasha Robinson, The A.V. Club: "This caper film possesses Miyazaki's usual good-hearted charm, but he injects a manically energetic humor that his more sedate children's films never quite achieve."

Kenneth Brown, Blu-ray.com: " 'The Castle of Cagliostro' is a blast of a crime caper, but it also provides a fascinating glimpse into the earliest feature film work of a true master."

Miyazaki is 76 now and is more (or less) retired. But his legacy endures.